Nurullabay Palace: Khiva's Heritage Gem
With its eclectic decorative design, the splendid Nurullabay Palace is artistically unique, and it affords the visitor a glimpse into the history of the khanate of Khiva in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Text: Mokhirakhon Mirkhoshimovа
Photos: Feruz Rustamov
In 1859 Seyid Muhammad, the khan of Khiva, gave the order to construct a formal reception hall outside the city walls. The new building was close to a lush garden owned by a rich merchant named Nurullabay. Seyid Muhammad’s son, Muhammad Rahim Khan II, who ascended the Khiva throne in 1864, later decided to expand the reception hall into a luxurious palace for his own son, Isfandiyar, so he asked Nurullabay to sell him his garden. The merchant agreed graciously, but on one condition: that the park, which was well known to everyone in Khiva as Nurullabay’s garden, keep its name. The khan agreed, so when the new palace was erected on Nurullabay’s former property in the early years of the 20th century, it inherited his name.
The palace is located in what is now known as the Dichan Kala, that is, the part of Khiva that lies outside the city walls. Its 100+ rooms, which are connected by galleries, include the state rooms, the khan’s apartments, a small mosque, stables, servant quarters and a harem. The entire complex is made of burnt bricks and surrounded by a tall wall that extends for more than 650 meters, with typical Khiva towers.
The palace is visually striking and unusual because it was built in a combination of European and eastern styles. Its interior decoration was undertaken not only by the best of Khiva’s craftsmen, but also by Russian and German artisans brought here especially for this purpose, who introduced elements of fashionable European modernism into the decorative design. For example, the palace is equipped with fireplaces covered in glazed tiles, Venetian mirrors, parquet floors and gilded bronze chandeliers with crystal pendants. Ceiling frescoes and stucco mouldings are also in the Art Nouveau style in vogue at the turn of the century.
Special attention was paid to the interior design of the khan’s reception area, which consists of seven rooms: waiting room, reception room, throne room, banquet hall and three living rooms. The walls and ceilings, which are covered with gilded and colourfully painted ganch (plaster) carving, are the cooperative work of Uzbek and Russian craftsmen. While local masters created gypsum designs, craftsman Vaisyaz Matkarimov devised the decorative pattern together with other Russian artists. The electric chandeliers and a small power plant to supply the required electricity were gifted by Russian Tsar Nicholas II.
After the establishment of Soviet power, the palace served as a residence for the government. Later, it became a museum and the site of various educational activities. The museum was recently renovated and is once again welcoming visitors.
