The Khanate of Khiva (1511-1920)

In 1511 the brothers Ilbars and Balbars, of Shiban's line, founded an independent khanate in Khwarazm on the lower Amu Darya. Urgench was the first capital. After the river changed its course, the centre moved to Khiva in the early 17th century.

Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur Khan (1643-1663) was both ruler and historian. His "Shajara-i Turk" and "Shajara-i Tarakima", written in Turkic, are still key sources for the history of the Turkic and Turkmen tribes.

From 1804 the khanate was ruled by the Qongrat dynasty. In 1873 the Russian Empire took Khiva and the khanate became its protectorate. It was abolished in 1920 and replaced by the Khorezm People's Soviet Republic. Itchan Kala, the walled inner town of Khiva, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990.