Kalta Minor Minaret

"The Kalta Minor is an unfinished minaret located near the west entrance to the Ichan Kala (old city). It was commissioned in 1851 by Mohammed Amin Khan, the ruler of Khiva, as an architectural marvel intended to rise over 70 meters—supposedly high enough to see Bukhara in the distance to the east, though this would have been impossible as the city is about 390 kilometers away (to actually see that far, the tower would have required a height of 12,000 meters—cruising altitude of a modern jet aircraft). Even so, a height of 70 meters would have made a formidable watchtower, as the Khan's men could have monitored the desert sands for 30 kilometers in all directions, alert for traders, pilgrims, bandits, and armies. The Khan's untimely death while encamped on a Persian battlefield in 1855 put an end to the project when the minaret reached a mere 26 meters. However, even in unfinished form the structure is dazzling, covered from top to bottom with Khiva's signature blue-green tiles and various geometric patterns. A band of tiles near the top encircles the minaret with an inscription in nastaliq script, a calligraphic font commonly used for writing in Persian. The minaret is physically conneted to the Mohammed Amin Khan Madrasa (now the Khiva hotel) via a short footbridge made of wood."

"Hard to miss such beautiful blue minaret. "

"must visit landmark attraction"