Richard AmmonKhiva is an impressive site on what was once the Great Silk Road from Asia to Europe. Khiva was infamous for its long and brutal history as a slave-trading post. The historical old town was restored by the Soviets in the 1970s. The clustered array of mosques, madrassas and tiled minarets give a sense of how crowded and bustling this town must have been throughout its history.
Extending 4,000 miles (6,437 km) the Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative trade in Chinese silk carried out along its length, beginning during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD).
