Allakuli Khan Caravanserai (19th century)

The caravanserai was built in 1832–33 under Allakuli Khan, and architecturally it closely resembles a madrasah. The difference is that the main passage opens onto the courtyard, around which run two-storey ranges of cells: the upper floor for living, the lower given over to storage.

The reason for such a building is plain enough. The densely settled ground by the Palvan-Darvoza gate was well connected to the main roads — ideal for trade. By then Khiva was trading briskly with Bukhara, Persia and Russia, and a convenient caravanserai was needed where foreign merchants could live, store their goods and sell them on the spot. The building thus combined inn, warehouse and bazaar, with separate entrances for pack animals.

Fitting a new structure into the existing city came at a price: on the khan's orders a stretch of the city wall near the palace was demolished. The building was laid out so that its side remained within Ichan-Kala while the main front framed the market square in the suburb outside. A covered bazaar was later added on the façade side.