This unfinished minaret is one of Khiva’s most eye-catching landmarks.

The minaret is only 29 metres high but was intended to reach up to 80 metres or more! This is a more recent building, dating back only to 1855, but the tilework is exquisite and the stories surrounding the minaret’s construction are intriguing. One legend has it that the Emir of Bukhara, when he heard about the huge minaret under construction in Khiva, wanted to build a bigger one in Bukhara and commissioned the same architect to do this.

When the khan of Khiva heard about these plans, he gave orders to execute the architect as soon as he had finished the Khiva minaret. When this news reached the architect he fled, leaving the minaret unfinished.