# Juma Mosque, Khiva > The Juma (Friday) Mosque is a single low hall in the middle of Khiva’s Itchan Kala, its flat roof held up by 213 carved wooden columns — 21 of them from the 10th–12th centuries. There’s no separate ticket: it’s covered by the Itchan Kala pass, about **250,000 UZS** for 48 hours (unofficial). Open roughly 8:00–18:00 daily. Allow 20–30 minutes. Web page: https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/khiva-juma-mosque - City: [Khiva](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva), Uzbekistan - YesGo score: 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 30 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Included in the Itchan Kala combined ticket; not sold separately - Combined ticket: ≈ 250,000 UZS for foreign visitors, valid 48 hours - Hours: Roughly 8:00–18:00, daily - Minaret climb: Not in the combined ticket; paid separately, not always open - Where to buy: Ticket office at the West Gate (Ota Darvoza) and the other gates - Payment: Cash in som; cards only in bigger hotels and restaurants - Dress: Shoulders and knees covered - Getting there: ≈ 4 minutes’ walk east of the West Gate along the main street - Time needed: 20–30 minutes; about an hour with the minaret and photos - Coordinates: 41.37759, 60.35998 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **213 columns** — of carved wood hold up the flat roof; some sources say 212 or 218 (source: Russian Wikipedia; Advantour; Turkestan Travel (212 — English Wikipedia and Orexca; 218 — Aviasales)) - **21 columns** — date from the 10th–12th centuries — the oldest, with Kufic inscriptions (source: Russian Wikipedia; Orexca) - **1788** — the mosque was rebuilt in its present form; the south door is dated 1203 AH (source: English Wikipedia; Orexca; Turkestan Travel) - **10th century** — first mention of Khiva’s Friday mosque, by the Arab geographer al-Maqdisi (source: Russian Wikipedia; Orexca; Turkestan Travel) - **55 × 46 m** — the building — one undivided hall (source: English Wikipedia; Advantour; Turkestan Travel) - **Abdurahman Mehtar** — the khan’s vizier who paid for the 18th-century rebuild (source: Russian Wikipedia; Orexca; Turkestan Travel) - **No dome** — no portal, gallery or courtyard — a rare mosque type in Central Asia (source: Russian Wikipedia; Tripster journal) - **Kath** — the old capital of Khorezm, possible origin of the oldest columns (source: Russian Wikipedia; Orexca) - **1316** — earliest date carved on the doors and columns; 1788 and 1789 appear too (source: Russian Wikipedia; Advantour) - **Elm** — karagach (elm) is the main wood of the columns (source: Turkestan Travel; Tripster journal; Aviasales) ## Juma Mosque tickets and opening hours There’s no ticket for the mosque on its own. Entry comes with the **Itchan Kala combined ticket** — about **250,000 UZS** for foreign visitors and valid for 48 hours, by unofficial autumn 2026 figures. A cheaper walk-only pass (about 100,000 UZS) gets you through the gates but not into the museums or this mosque. Some guides still quote 150,000 UZS, so treat the price as a guide. The hall is open **roughly 8:00–18:00, every day**. On Fridays around midday it may close briefly for prayers. Inside the walls the streets stay open into the evening, but the mosque does not — come in daylight. Climbing minarets and lookout towers is **not covered** by the combined ticket — that includes the mosque’s own minaret and the [Islam Khodja Minaret](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/islam-khodja-minaret). Neither are the [Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/pahlavan-mahmud-mausoleum) or the [Nurullabay Palace](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/nurullabay-palace). > **Bring cash in som** Bigger hotels and restaurants in Khiva take cards, but ticket desks and minaret keepers often don’t. ATMs stand by the West Gate; withdraw before you need it and carry small notes — change for big ones isn’t guaranteed. Yandex Go taxis can be paid in cash or with a linked card. ## Is the Juma Mosque worth visiting? Yes — it’s one of the handful of places in Khiva you shouldn’t skip, and there is nothing like it elsewhere in town. Just don’t expect tiles or domes. From the street it’s a plain brick box; the beauty is inside, in the wood, the half-light and the rhythm of the columns. If you only love bright façades, 15 minutes will do. Come **around midday**, when the sun is high and shafts of light drop through the roof openings between the columns. First thing in the morning is quietest. Late in the afternoon the hall gets dark and photos suffer. In summer the shady hall is also a break from the heat. ## What makes the hall special Juma means Friday: this was the city’s main congregational mosque. A Friday mosque in Khiva is mentioned as early as the 10th century by the geographer al-Maqdisi, and the present building was rebuilt in **1788**, paid for by the khan’s vizier Abdurahman Mehtar. There’s no dome, portal or courtyard — just one hall, 55 by 46 metres, filled with **213 wooden columns** in an even grid. Most were carved in the 18th–19th centuries, but 21 date from the 10th–12th, some with Kufic inscriptions. One theory says the oldest were brought from Kath, the old capital of Khorezm. Almost no two are alike. ## What to see inside - The oldest columns — thin, dark and worn, with faint Kufic script; they stand out from the smoother 19th-century ones. - Compare the columns side by side: hardly two are alike in carving, thickness or colour. - The carved south door, dated 1203 AH — the year of the 1788 rebuild. - Light from the roof openings, best around noon. - The view along the diagonal from a corner, where the columns line up into corridors. - The mosque’s minaret from outside — a brick tower with a lantern on top, right over the main street. > **Can you climb the minaret?** Sometimes. By unofficial accounts the keeper lets visitors up a narrow, dark staircase for a separate cash fee, but it isn’t in the combined ticket and is often shut. Sources give wildly different heights, so we don’t quote one. If it’s closed, the best view over Khiva is from the Islam Khodja Minaret or the Ak Sheikh Bobo tower in the [Kunya-Ark](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/kunya-ark). > **What to wear** Cover shoulders and knees — that goes for everyone. Women may want a light scarf. If you’re in shorts or a vest, throw a shirt over. On Fridays around noon people may be praying; wait a little or come back later. ## How to get to the Juma Mosque 1. From Urgench airport (UGC) or Urgench station, take a Yandex Go taxi to Khiva — about 35 km and 30–40 minutes. The Urgench–Khiva trolleybus is cheaper but takes about 1.5 hours. 2. Arriving by train at Khiva station? It’s about 1.5 km east of the old town: walk around 20 minutes to the East Gate (Palvan Darvoza); the mosque is on the same main street. 3. Enter Itchan Kala through the West Gate (Ota Darvoza) and buy the combined ticket at the office by the gate. 4. Walk straight east along the main street, past [Kalta Minor](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/kalta-minor) — about 4 minutes. 5. The mosque is the low brick building with a minaret halfway along; your ticket is checked at the door. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Itchan Kala ticket that includes museums - [ ] Small notes in som for the minaret - [ ] Shoulders and knees covered, scarf handy - [ ] Visiting in daylight, ideally around noon - [ ] Not Friday midday prayer time - [ ] Allowed 20–30 minutes, an hour with the minaret ## Juma Mosque vs Kunya-Ark and Tash Hauli | | Juma Mosque | Kunya-Ark | Tash Hauli | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Friday mosque, a hall of carved columns | The khans’ old citadel inside Itchan Kala | 19th-century khan’s palace with a harem | | Highlight | Wood, half-light, light from the roof | Tiled iwans and a lookout tower | Tiled iwans and courtyards | | Entry | Combined ticket | Combined ticket; tower extra | Combined ticket | | Time needed | 20–30 min | ≈ 1 h | ≈ 1 h | | Where | Centre, on the main street | By the West Gate | By the East Gate | Short on time? All three lie on one line from the West Gate to the East Gate — you can do them in half a day. ## Khiva’s mosques and shrines compared Every mosque, madrasa and mausoleum in Khiva rated by YesGo. - [Kalta Minor](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/kalta-minor) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free, outside view - [Juma Mosque](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/khiva-juma-mosque) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Itchan Kala ticket, ≈ 250,000 UZS - [Islam Khodja Minaret](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/islam-khodja-minaret) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Climb ≈ 100,000 UZS - [Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/pahlavan-mahmud-mausoleum) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ≈ 20,000–30,000 UZS, separate - [Itchan Kala](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/khiva-itchan-kala) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ 250,000 UZS, valid 48 hours ## Itchan Kala in half a day From the citadel by the West Gate to the hall of columns, the Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum, the tallest minaret and the palace by the East Gate. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and walks. 1. [Kunya-Ark](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/kunya-ark) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ≈ 250,000 UZS pass; tower extra 2. [Juma Mosque](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/khiva-juma-mosque) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Itchan Kala ticket, ≈ 250,000 UZS 3. [Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/pahlavan-mahmud-mausoleum) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ≈ 20,000–30,000 UZS, separate 4. [Islam Khodja Minaret](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/islam-khodja-minaret) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Climb ≈ 100,000 UZS 5. [Tash-Hauli Palace](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/khiva/tash-hauli-palace) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Itchan Kala pass ≈ 250,000 UZS ## Good to know “Juma Mosque” simply means Friday mosque, and many cities have one — Bukhara, Tashkent and Baku among them. This page is about the one in Khiva’s Itchan Kala, on the main street between the West and East gates. ## Tips - Start at the Kunya-Ark by the West Gate and reach the mosque around noon for the light. - Skip the flash and shoot from low down — the rows of columns look deeper. - The combined ticket lasts 48 hours, so you can come back for a second look the next morning. - Minaret shut? The view is better from the Islam Khodja Minaret anyway. - Itchan Kala is lit up at night, but the mosque is closed by then — come in daylight. ## Questions ### How much is the Juma Mosque in Khiva? There’s no separate ticket — it’s covered by the Itchan Kala combined ticket, about 250,000 UZS for 48 hours (unofficial). Buy it at the West Gate. ### What are the Juma Mosque opening hours? Roughly 8:00–18:00 every day, by unofficial figures. It may close briefly for Friday midday prayers. ### Can you climb the Juma Mosque minaret? Sometimes, for a separate cash fee — it isn’t in the combined ticket and is often closed. The Islam Khodja Minaret is the reliable climb. ### How many columns does the Juma Mosque have? Usually 213 carved wooden columns, though some sources say 212 or 218. Twenty-one date from the 10th–12th centuries. ### How do I get to the Juma Mosque? Enter Itchan Kala through the West Gate and walk east along the main street for about 4 minutes, past Kalta Minor. ### How old is the Juma Mosque in Khiva? A Friday mosque is recorded here from the 10th century; the current building dates from the 1788 rebuild, with some columns far older. ### How long do you need at the Juma Mosque? 20–30 minutes for the hall, about an hour with the minaret and photos. ### Is there a dress code? Cover shoulders and knees. Women may want a light scarf. ### Can I pay by card? Rarely at ticket desks. Carry cash in som; ATMs are by the West Gate. ## How we checked The Itchan Kala museum-reserve publishes no official price list or timetable online, so price and hours are unofficial and flagged: 250,000 UZS for 48 hours (and about 100,000 UZS for a walk-only pass) come from Aviasales.kz (September 2026), a Tripadvisor listing and GuruWalk; Aviasales.uz (July 2026) gives 150,000 UZS — we show the newer figure and mention the other. Hours of 8:00–18:00 are from both Aviasales articles. For the mosque’s minaret we found no reliable fee or schedule, so we only say it’s paid separately and not always open. Its height ranges from 32.5 to 52 m across sources, so we leave it out. Column counts differ (212, 213, 218): we give 213 as the most common and mention the rest. Other dates and figures are checked against at least two sources; one door date appears as 1517 or 1510, so we skip it. Card advice follows Aviasales.uz. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Juma Mosque (Khiva); Russian Wikipedia: Juma Mosque (Khiva); Wikidata Q4160568 - Orexca: Juma Mosque and minaret, Khiva - Advantour: Juma Mosque, Khiva - Turkestan Travel: Khiva — Juma Mosque - Tripster journal: Khiva in one day, updated August 2026 - Aviasales.kz: What to see in Khiva, September 2026 — combined ticket, hours, extras - Aviasales.uz: What to see in Khiva, July 2026 — hours, ticket office, payment, transport from Urgench - Tripadvisor listing for Itchan Kala and a GuruWalk tour page — combined ticket price and validity --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.