Ak Bobo minaretAk Bobo minaretMausoleum from ‘Khiva caught in time’Mausoleum from ‘Khiva caught in time’Palvan KiriPalvan KiriPalvan KiriPalvan Kiri
The streets leading from the Palvan Darvasa offer a fascinating array of juxtapositions, with shabby Soviet department stores jostling for space amidst a smattering of smaller mosques and minarets. The Sayid Niaz Shekilarbeg Mosque (the only working mosque permitted in Khiva) towers above the unusually shaped Palvan Kari Minaret. Built by the rich merchant Palvan Kari in 1905, this minaret does not taper at the top but remains solidly cylindrical. It has now been appropriated by metal 'ustas' (craftsmen) who can be seen hard at work making water-pourers, basins and other items.
Further down outside the eastern bazaar entrance on the site of Khiva's original slave market stands the Abdul Bobo Mausoleum. Dedicated to the twelfth century Khorezm Shah, Atiza, by his grandson, the mausoleum includes the saint of a holy man which sometimes attracts praying pilgrims. The bazaar is close by and on Sunday mornings the stalls sprawl out into the streets and makes a lively and photogenic spectacle.