THE PALACE OF NOURULLAH BEY

It was built, ten years before the Bolsheviks's arrival, by Muhammad Rahim Khan, says Firouz. Just like at the Sitori-i-Mokhi-Khoza Palace, the marriage of Oriental styles with the luxury of St. Petersburg is wonder and testifies to the fascination of the last/by the sumptuous life of the czars. The palace, completely fenced out of walls, consists of a large garden in the north-west quarter, a large reception room, official lounges, the khan apartments. In total, more than a hundred pieces, galleries in all directions, courtyards lined with iwan… A desert splendour where gold decorations of huge rooms and emptied of their furniture would almost dazzle.

Also in Ichan Kala, facing its west gates, stands the minaret Bikadjan Bika, dating back to 1894 and measuring 20 m. It overlooks a small cemetery where the tomb of a saint, Sheikh Qalandar Bobo, is built, decorated with traditional poles. The mausoleum dates back to the th century.