Ichan-Kala's gorgeous bronze sculptures

We have seen plenty (and frankly enough) of the historic buildings and Madrassas in Khiva.

So for our free day, we were looking for a different sort of sightseeing!

There are a few contemporary bronze sculptures dotted around Ichan-Kala, depicting everyday historical Khorezmian life and creating a modern contrast to the city’s grand Islamic architecture.

So we went on a bit of a treasure hunt to find the most iconic ones.

☝️Camel Caravan Sculpture - Silk Road merchants, loaded camels, and caravaneers are placed near the fortified entrance of the Western gate honoring Khiva's history as a major Silk Road trading oasis.

☝️Elders at the Chaikhana (teahouse) - two older men laughing and relaxing on a traditional wooden daybed. Next to them are tea bowls, a traditional teapot, and a samovar, capturing Central Asian tea culture.

☝️Boys with Watermelon - two boys sharing a massive slice of melon while sitting on a wooden log. One wears a traditional Khorezmian sheepskin hat while the other wears a traditional skullcap. It captures the region's famous melon-growing heritage and local childhood life.

☝️Boy Musician / group of musicians - in traditional garb playing regional instruments, paying tribute to Khorezm’s folk musical heritage.

☝️Kurash Wrestlers - two athletes locked in Kurash, the ancient national belt-wrestling sport of Uzbekistan that dates back millennia.

And finally, we were on the hunt for the sculpture of Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi - a 9th-century polymath born in Khorezm whose treatise gave birth to the word algebra and whose name is the root of the word algorithm.

Well, we were walking around for quite a while and finally gave up!
Telling AI that the sculpture actually no longer exists, it came back with ...

" You are spot on, the original bronze statue from the Soviet era (erected in 1983 for his 1200th anniversary) was dismantled and removed from that main square outside the West Gate back in the early 2010s during city modernization works.
Many guidebooks and travel blogs still list it as if it were standing right by the ticket gates, but the plaza has since been cleared and redesigned"

What can I say 🤷🤷Read more