Itchan Kala hosts carpet exhibition visit on 18 October

Itchan Kala is included in the 18 October 2026 programme for Splendor of Carpets, an international exhibition taking place in Khiva, Uzbekistan. The programme links the Silk Museum inside the historic complex with a two-day presentation of carpet-making, design and traditional performance.

Splendor of Carpets brings a Silk Museum visit on 18 October

The Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan says Splendor of Carpets will run from 17 to 18 October 2026 at the Arda Khiva complex in Khiva. The exhibition is scheduled to open at 10am on 17 October, while its closing ceremony is planned for the evening of 18 October.

The second day includes a visit to the Silk Museum at Itchan Kala and to the workshop of carpet weaver Madraim Madraimov. The wider programme at Arda Khiva includes an international conference called Carpet Weaving in Uzbekistan: Traditions and Innovations, a concert connected with Khorezm khalfachilik art, ethnic costume presentations, traditional festivities, kurash wrestling, tightrope performances and puppet shows. The official exhibition programme places the Itchan Kala visit on the second day.

Itchan Kala places the carpet programme inside Khiva's old town

Itchan Kala is the inner town of the old Khiva oasis, protected by brick fortification walls up to 10 metres high. UNESCO describes it as a coherent and well-preserved example of Muslim architecture in Central Asia, with the Djuma Mosque, mausoleums, madrasas and palaces among its principal structures.

The World Heritage property covers 26 hectares and follows a rectangle measuring 650 by 400 metres. It contains 51 ancient monumental structures and 250 dwellings, including architectural ensembles associated with the fourteenth to nineteenth centuries. That setting gives the 18 October museum visit a direct connection with the exhibition's subject: visitors encounter carpet craft within the historic urban fabric that UNESCO identifies as part of Khiva's architectural heritage. Further details appear in the UNESCO World Heritage record.

Visiting Itchan Kala: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Splendor of Carpets runs from 17 to 18 October 2026 at the Arda Khiva complex, with the programme naming a Silk Museum visit at Itchan Kala on 18 October.
• The announced exhibition venue is Arda Khiva. The Itchan Kala stop is described as a participant visit, so the programme does not establish separate public access to that museum visit.
• Itchan Kala is in Khiva, in the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan, south of the Amu Darya River. The walled inner town is organised around narrow traditional streets, markets, madrasas, mosques, palaces and mausoleums.
• The site includes fortification walls up to 10 metres high and a large pedestrian historic area measuring 650 by 400 metres. Sightseeing therefore involves walking through an extensive walled urban complex rather than visiting one isolated building.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

Searching for Itchan Kala on social platforms

These links open searches for Itchan Kala on each platform.

Frequently asked questions about Itchan Kala

When does Splendor of Carpets take place at Itchan Kala?

The exhibition runs from 17 to 18 October 2026 at Arda Khiva in Khiva. Its second-day programme on 18 October includes a visit to the Silk Museum at Itchan Kala.

Where is Itchan Kala and how do you get there?

Itchan Kala is the walled inner town of Khiva in Uzbekistan's Khorezm region, south of the Amu Darya River. The UNESCO property is entered as a historic urban complex rather than a single monument.

What is Itchan Kala?

Itchan Kala is the inner town of the old Khiva oasis and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its 26 hectares contain historic mosques, palaces, madrasas, mausoleums, markets and dwellings behind brick walls up to 10 metres high.