Gallery
Description
Property Name: Kunya Ark
Inventory No: 998-6237-2
Date of infill of the inventory form: 2009-08-03
Country (State party): Uzbekistan
Province : Khorezm
Town: Khiva
Geographic coordinates: 41° 22′ 44.25″ N
60° 21′ 28.31″ E
Historic Period: 17th century, 2nd half
Year of Construction: 1686-1688
Style: Arabshahid
Original Use: Fortress
Current Use: Museum
Architect: Unknown
Significance
Kunya-ark which is the “old fortress” was founded in the 17th century by Muhammad-Erenk khan. It is a citadel located in Ichan-Kala (inner town). It adjoins the western side of Ichan-Kala city walls. The citadel presented a complex containing the residence of Khan and his family. Besides the fortress, several buildings remain of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. They are the official reception hall (kurinishkhana), a mosque, the mint, guest rooms, and a harem. There are also a supreme court, powder factory, arsenal, divan registry, kitchens, stables, guard room, and an arena for ram fights. The now existing complex was re-built between 1804-1806. The inner decoration was carried out in the 1830s.
Selection Criteria
iii. to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared
iv. to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history
v. to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change
State of Preservation
Restoration of the building has started in the middle of the 20th century. Khan’s stables, arsenal, and reception area have been discovered at the archeological dig. The monument is well preserved in total. Some missing tiles as well as changes in the material due to abrasion appear. When during a construction boom in the city a lot of old buildings that suffered from the Iranian invasion in the 18th century were restored and reconstructed
• Kunya Ark main gate during restoration (Al-Radi, Selma. Conservation of the Ichan-Kala, Khiva,1995)
• Kunya Ark main gate after restoration (Al-Radi, Selma. Conservation of the Ichan-Kala, Khiva,1995)
References
Mankovskaya, L.. A Museum in the Open. A Reserve of Khorezm Architecture, Tashkent, 1982.
Herdeg, Klaus. Khiva, Turkistan and Three Houses in Khiva, Formal Structure in Islamic Architecture of Iran and Turkistan, New York, 1990
Naumkin, Vitaly V.. Khiva, Caught in time: Great photograpgic archives, Lebanon, 1993.
Kalter, Johannes; Pavaloi, Margareta. Uzbekistan: Heirs to the Silk Road, 2003
Al-Radi, Selma. Conservation of the Ichan-kala, Khiva,1995
Prochazka, Amjad Bohumil, KHAWARIZM, An unknown civilization between the caspian and the aral sea, Saudi Arabia, 1990