[2025 Khiva Attraction] Travel Guide for Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum (Updated Mar)

Stepping onto Uzbekistan's soil is like opening an ancient history book. In Samarkand, the magnificent architecture of Registan Square bears witness to past glories, leaving visitors awestruck by the passage of time. Stepping into the bustling bazaars, the aroma of spices and the dazzling array of handicrafts create a rich tapestry of local life. And the local cuisine, like fragrant pilaf and tender kebabs, offers satisfaction with every bite. Here's a compiled travel guide: 1. Visa and Season • Visa: Chinese citizens can enter Uzbekistan visa-free for up to 10 days by air, provided they present a return ticket. For land crossings or longer stays, an e-visa can be applied for, allowing a 30-day stay, with processing taking about 3 working days. • Season: The best time to visit is during April–June and September–November, when the temperature is moderate and the climate is comfortable. 2. Transportation • External Transportation: Direct flights to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, are available from Beijing, Xi'an, Urumqi, and other cities. You can also enter by land via Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan. • Internal Transportation: High-speed rail connects major tourist cities such as Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara. Shared taxis are a convenient way to reach Khiva, the Aral Sea, and other destinations. 3. Recommended Attractions • Tashkent: The Khast Imam Complex houses numerous exquisite religious buildings, while the area around Amir Timur Square features museums, theaters, and more. You can also visit the Chorsu Bazaar to experience local life. • Samarkand: Registan Square is the heart of the city, with three magnificent madrasahs; the Bibi-Khanym Mosque is an architectural marvel; and Shah-i-Zinda is a famous necropolis with a unique architectural style. • Bukhara: The old city of Bukhara boasts over 140 ancient monuments. Starting from Lyabi-Hauz, you'll find the statue of Nasreddin Hodja, the Nadir Divan-Beghi Madrasah, and other attractions nearby. The Kalyan Minaret and the Ark of Bukhara are also worth visiting. • Khiva: The old city of Khiva, after restoration, still retains its medieval grandeur. The Kunya-Ark, the Kalta Minor Minaret, and the Pakhlavan Mahmoud Mausoleum are among the highlights. 4. Food Recommendations • Main Courses: Options include pilaf and Laghman. Pilaf is colorful and flavorful, while Laghman is spicy and sour. • Other Dishes: Uzbek steamed dumplings, steamed meat rolls, baked meat pies, and egg dumplings are just a few of the many diverse and unique dishes available. • Snacks: Halva is a combination of roasted wheat flour, sugar, sesame paste, and other ingredients, offering a sweet but not overpowering treat. Tomato and onion salad is colorful and refreshing. • Meat: Kebabs are fragrant and juicy, while lamb soup is flavorful and nutritious. 5. Shopping Recommendations • Handicrafts: Bukhara's embroidery is vibrant and intricate; Fergana's silk is soft and beautifully patterned; and Uzbekistan's miniature paintings feature a rich variety of subjects and exquisite detail. • Specialty Foods: Local bazaars offer a wide variety of dried fruits, such as raisins, almonds, and pistachios, all of excellent quality. Spices like cumin, pepper, and turmeric are fragrant and can be used in cooking.

Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum in Khiva, Uzbekistan This is a mausoleum with a beautiful blue (to Japanese people it looks green lol) dome🍀 Blue domes, a symbol of Islamic architecture, are found in many places in Samarkand and Bukhara, but this is the only blue dome in Khiva🖕 This is said to be in honor of Pahlavon Mahmud🤓 The blue stood out against the bricks and was very beautiful💙 #OverseasTravelRecord #Uzbekistan #Khiva #khiva

📆 Itinerary: You can basically finish touring the ancient city in 4️⃣ hours without entering indoor attractions, and no ticket is required. A ticket for 150000 allows you to enter all the attractions except for the 57-meter Minaret and the Mausoleum of Mahmud (including the museum) within 48 hours. There are about 15 spots on the ticket, and if you visit each one, it would take a whole day. 🚗 Transportation Tips: 1. Train🚄: Take the overnight train from Tashkent to Khiva station, arriving around 7 am. The station is just 1.8 kilometers from the ancient city of Khiva, a 20-30 minute walk or a 5-dollar taxi ride. 2. Plane✈️: Fly from Tashkent to Urgench, Uzbekistan Airways allows one piece of checked luggage, with 1-2 flights per day, and the flight time is 1 hour and 10 minutes. The airport is about 36 kilometers from Khiva, and the price for a car is 15-20 dollars. 🌟 Highlights of the Trip: As an important stop on the Silk Road, the entire city is a UNESCO🇺🇳 World Cultural Heritage site. It's not overly commercialized yet, and there are fewer tourists, so it's best to visit sooner rather than later. ❤ Recommended Reason: It's suggested to stay for one night, as the ancient city is too beautiful at sunset and night! The feeling with the lights on is really different, and some say it's like Kashgar, but it's incomparable. You can understand the proverb 'Willing to give a bag of gold just for a glimpse of Khiva'. Moreover, this year Khiva is also the capital of the MSL world (as said by locals, MSL countries select a city to be the capital in turns each year). 💰 Average Cost: Now in the off-season of winter, accommodation inside and outside the ancient city is about 25—45💲 a night, including breakfast. Locals say the price is 3-5 times higher during the peak season from March to November. Many restaurants are closed in the off-season, with only 2-3 open inside the ancient city, and the average meal costs about 100 per person. It's slightly cheaper outside the ancient city. 📌 Little Tips: 1️⃣ During the off-season, attractions are open from 9 am to 5 pm, with the last entry at 4:30 pm. Now in winter, the sunset is around 6:30 pm, so it's not possible to watch from the city walls, but you can enjoy it from the terraces of restaurants and hotels in the ancient city. 2️⃣ UnionPay is not accepted, so prepare cash and chip cards like Visa and Mastercard. There are ATMs at the airport and inside and outside the ancient city. 3️⃣ There is a significant temperature difference between day and night throughout the year, so bring short sleeves, down jackets, and large scarves (women must cover their heads when entering mosques). 4️⃣ The weather is dry, so bring the most moisturizing lip balm, hand cream, and face cream. The rooms have underfloor heating, and it can get so warm at night that you might sweat.

On this trip to Uzbekistan, I visited the capital Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva in the order of travel. Among them, Khiva is the best-preserved ancient city. It not only preserves various exotic dwellings, mosques, scripture schools, minarets, military facilities, and beautiful palaces and other historical buildings, but also Ukrainian It is the only complete city wall among several ancient cities. 📷 Khiva, with a history of more than 2,000 years, is the first Central Asian ancient city in Uzbekistan to be listed as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO. ancient city of Central Asia. 🚶🏻 The ancient city of Khiva is relatively small, and you can walk around every corner of the city wall. There are a total of 16 historical buildings in the ancient city that can be visited by buying tickets. After buying a 24-hour pass at the ticket office at the main entrance of the scenic spot, use the pass to enter 15 of the buildings to watch the exhibition. 🎫 Among them, Mausaleum Paxlavan Makhmud, the mausoleum of Iranian poet Palevan Mahmud, requires an additional fee. In addition to being a place of pilgrimage for locals, the mausoleum can even see many newlyweds taking wedding photos and wedding celebration videos in the mausoleum. 🕌️ The ancient city is more like a large open-air museum full of life, and each historical building has different themed exhibitions. Including nature, history, geography, architecture, humanities, medicine and other aspects. It is therefore highly recommended to spend a full day exploring. In addition, Khiva Khan's palace, Nurullaboy Palace, is located outside the ancient city and can be reached on foot. This wonderful palace combines Asian and European decorative art styles, and it is also worth visiting. 📷 The most important thing is not to miss the beautiful scenery of Khiva at sunset. In the evening, after the bustling crowds have dispersed, the small vendors on the roadside have withdrawn their stalls, put on headphones and listen to the music of the Western Regions, and walk on the deserted path. It seems to have traveled back to the ancient Silk Road ancient city with prosperous commerce and trade. 🐫 Traffic strategy ✈️ Fly to Urgench Airport You can take the train to either Urgench or Khiva station Khiva cannot use yandex to take a taxi. It is recommended to contact the hotel in advance to charter a car or pick up the airport. Scenic spot opening hours⏱️ The ancient city gate is open all day Opening hours of museums and palaces: 9:00-18:00 Restaurant recommendation 🍴 There are many restaurants and cafes in the ancient city of Khiva. Among them, the terrace of Terrassa Cafe & Restaurant can see Kalta Minor, the symbol of Khiva. It is the restaurant with the best view in the ancient city. It is recommended to watch the sunset on the terrace in the evening. Day meal. Accommodation recommendation 🏨 Arkanchi Hotel in the ancient city New Star Khiva Hotel outside the ancient city Both of these hotels were converted from academies hundreds of years ago, and staying in them is a memorable experience. Among them, the minaret in the New Star courtyard can be climbed for free, which is a good place to overlook the panoramic view of Khiva.