Allakuli Khan Madrasah

Between the eastern gate of Ichan-Kala and the Tim — the covered bazaar — stood one of Khiva's largest religious schools: the Allakuli Khan madrasah.

It was built in 1834–35 with money from the khan then reigning. It is among the finest examples of Khorezmian architecture of the late medieval period: a traditional scheme, measured proportions and scale. The finish of the portal and the arched niches is severe yet surprisingly elegant — traditional Khorezmian majolica in blue and black-and-white.

The ground floor held the town library in the nineteenth century, and students from every madrasah in Khiva used it, not only this one.

The building now houses the Abu Ali ibn Sino museum of the history of medicine.