Tash-Hauli Palace, Khiva

Tash-Hauli tickets: what you pay and where

You can't buy a Tash-Hauli ticket on its own — the palace is one of the sights on the Itchan Kala pass. Wander-lush (updated October 2026) puts the pass at about 250,000 UZS (Uzbek som) for 48 hours; an Aviasales.uz article from July 2026 gave 150,000 UZS for two days. The museum-reserve publishes no price list online, so treat both as unofficial.

The only place to buy the pass is the ticket office outside the West Gate (Ota Darvoza). There's no ticket desk at the palace — staff just check your pass at each of its two doors. If you arrive from Khiva station through the East Gate, walk across the old town to the West Gate first; it's 7–8 minutes each way.

Paying. The West Gate desk takes foreign Visa and Mastercard when its terminal is working, and there are ATMs right there. Almost everything else inside the walls — stalls, minaret climbs, small cafés — is cash only, so carry som in small notes. Exchange offices change US dollars and euros.

Tash-Hauli opening hours

The palace opens every day with no day off, roughly 8:00–18:00 according to Aviasales.uz; Sputnik8 simply says 'during daylight hours'. There's no official schedule online, so these hours are unofficial.

Come at opening or late in the afternoon. Tour groups from Urgench fill the harem courtyard from mid-morning, and in summer the stone courts get fiercely hot by noon. Don't turn up in the last half hour — two wings take longer than that.

What is Tash-Hauli Palace?

Tash-Hauli — 'stone courtyard' — was the main residence of Allakuli Khan, who ruled Khiva from 1825 to 1842. Built in the 1830s in the eastern part of Itchan Kala, it's a square of roughly 80 by 80 metres wrapped around three courts: the harem, the Ishrat-Hauli reception court and the Arz-Hauli court of justice. From the street it looks like a fort, with blank walls, battlements and little towers.

Inside, it's the opposite: tall iwans (open-fronted halls) on slender carved wooden columns, painted ceilings, and walls covered floor to ceiling in blue-and-white majolica by a tile master remembered only as Abdullah 'the Genius'. No other building in Khiva has this much tilework.

The palace was part of Allakuli Khan's new quarter by the East Gate (Polvon Darvoza), along with his madrasa, caravanserai and covered bazaar — the moment Khiva's centre moved east from the old Kunya-Ark citadel.

What to see inside

• The harem courtyard — a long, narrow court with five tall iwans along its south side, each on a carved wooden column. The densest majolica in the palace.
• The khan's iwan — the fifth and grandest, two storeys high on a single central column. Look up: the ceiling is painted in red-brown and yellow.
• Doors — carved wooden doors to the iwans, each with its own pattern.
• Ishrat-Hauli — the square reception court with a round platform where the khan's yurt stood. Envoys were received in its southern iwan.
• Arz-Hauli — the court of justice, twice the size of the reception court, where the khan heard cases and passed judgement.
• Museum rooms — side rooms in the north wing hold a display of Khorezm handicrafts.

The harem: how the khan's household lived

The harem was built first and is the reason most people come. A solid corridor separates it from the official courts, and from outside it reads as a fortress of its own — the women's quarters were closed to strangers.

Its five iwans line the south side of the courtyard. Four were for the khan's wives — Islamic law allowed no more than four — and the fifth, the most ornate, was the khan's own living room. Each had a room for servants, and two-storey ranges around the court housed relatives and staff. The iwans stand against the south wall and face north, so they stay shaded in summer.

You'll hear big numbers about concubines and rooms from guides; sources disagree wildly, so we don't repeat them.

Is Tash-Hauli worth it, and how long do you need?

Yes, if you care about interiors: this is the finest decoration in Khiva, and it costs nothing beyond the pass you already need. Both wings take 45–60 minutes; with the museum rooms and unhurried photos, up to two hours.

Short on time and already seen the tiles at Kunya-Ark? Do just the harem — 20–30 minutes. Skip it altogether if you're here for views: there's no rooftop or tower. For a panorama, climb the Islam Khodja Minaret instead.

Tash-Hauli vs Kunya-Ark vs Nurullabay Palace

Only time for one palace? Make it Tash-Hauli — it has the most tilework. Pick Kunya-Ark for the sunset tower, and the Nurullabay Palace if you're curious about Khiva's final years.

Khiva's palaces compared

Every palace in Khiva rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Nearby — add to your day

39

Juma Mosque

Khiva, Uzbekistan

30 min · Itchan Kala ticket, ≈ 250,000 UZS · 3 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Juma Mosque

34

Itchan Kala

Khiva, Uzbekistan

3 h · ≈ 250,000 UZS, valid 48 hours · 3 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Itchan Kala

39

Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum

Khiva, Uzbekistan

30 min · ≈ 20,000–30,000 UZS, separate · 4 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum

39

Islam Khodja Minaret

Khiva, Uzbekistan

40 min · Climb ≈ 100,000 UZS · 4 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Islam Khodja Minaret

How to do it right

• Do the harem first — it's the showpiece, and at opening the courtyard is still empty.
• Look up in the iwans: the painted ceilings are as good as the tiles and most people miss them.
• For the classic shot, stand by the north wall of the harem court and fit all five iwans in the frame.
• Allakuli Khan's madrasa and caravanserai are across the lane — see them while you're at the East Gate.
• A guide helps here: without the stories, the three courts can blur into one.
• In summer, come first thing — the stone courts trap the heat by midday.

Questions