Kalta-minor, Khiva
 There is an unfinished Kalta-minor
(short tower) in front of the facade of the madrasah.
It was once considered to be the highest minaret of
the Muslim East. The legend tells about the Bukhara
khan competing with the Khiva khan by building the
Kalyan minaret in Bukhara. Kalta-minor's foundation
diameter is 14 m., and the height of the tower is
26 m.
Not only the grandiosity of the plan but also the
unusual decor is impressive. The ornamental cylindrical
belts completely cover the shaft of the minaret. The
wonderful skills of the Khorezm architects who created
these decorative belts of green, turquoise, blue and
white plates are on full here. It was hoped that Kalta-minar
would surpass all other monumental structures in its
magnificence, but history had it on its own way. Yet
even this unfinished part of the minaret enraptures
with its audacity of plan and variety of patterns.
|
