Khiva · Sights
Ak Mosque and the Anusha Khan baths, Khiva
The small White Mosque by the east gate of Khiva, with its carved doors and wooden porch, and the 17th-century bathhouse of Anusha Khan beside it.
The Ak mosque (“White mosque”) is a small, elegant mosque by the Palvan Darvaza, the eastern gate of Ichan-Kala. Founded in the 17th century under Anusha Khan and rebuilt in the 1830s–1840s, it has a domed prayer hall, a wooden porch on three sides and beautifully carved doors. Beside it lie the Anusha Khan baths. Allow 15–20 minutes.
The White Mosque
The mosque takes its name from its white-washed walls, which once stood out against the sand-coloured mud brick around it. It was first built in the mid-17th century under Anusha Khan, son of the famous khan and historian Abulghazi Bahadur Khan, and largely rebuilt in 1838–1842, under Allakuli Khan, when much of the eastern quarter of Ichan-Kala was transformed.
It is a typical neighbourhood mosque of Khiva: small, functional and well proportioned. A square prayer hall under a dome is surrounded on three sides by an aivan, an open porch on slender carved wooden columns, where worshippers prayed in the warm months. The domed hall was used in winter.
The carved doors
The mosque’s treasure is its carved wooden doors and columns. Khiva has long been the capital of woodcarving in Central Asia, and its masters produced doors covered in intricate plant scrolls, rosettes, geometric patterns and inscriptions. The doors of the Ak mosque are attributed to the master Nurmuhammad, one of the best-known carvers of the 19th century. The columns of the aivan, with their carved shafts and bases, show the same skill.
If you are interested in woodcarving, compare these doors with the columns of the Juma mosque and the aivans of the Tash-Hauli palace, then visit one of the workshops in the old city where carvers still make doors, chests and Quran stands by hand.
The Anusha Khan baths
Next to the mosque, partly underground, are the Anusha Khan baths (hammam), built in 1657. According to tradition, Anusha Khan built them to celebrate a victory over Bukhara, and their income helped to support the mosque.
The baths are almost invisible from the outside: only a few small domes rise above the ground. They were built partly underground to keep heat in during the winter and to save fuel, a common technique in Central Asia. Inside, a series of domed rooms led from a changing room to warm and hot rooms, heated by a system of channels under the floor carrying hot air from a furnace. Light entered through small openings in the domes. The baths were used for centuries and are now preserved as a historic monument; access to the interior varies, but you can usually look in or visit with a guide.
Public baths played a central role in city life: people came not only to wash but to relax, talk business and gossip. Separate times were set for men and women.
The eastern quarter
The Ak mosque stands at a busy crossroads near the eastern gate, the Palvan Darvaza, at the meeting point of the old city and the bazaar outside the walls. Nearby are the Allakuli Khan madrasah, the caravanserai and covered market, the Kutlug Murad Inak madrasah and the entrance to the Tash-Hauli palace. It is one of the liveliest corners of Khiva in the morning.
Visiting
Location: by the Palvan Darvaza, the eastern gate of Ichan-Kala.
Tickets: the exterior is free; interior access may be included in the Ichan-Kala ticket or not open, depending on the season. It may be in use for prayer; be respectful.
Time needed: 15–20 minutes for the mosque and the baths.
Etiquette: dress modestly if you enter the mosque.
Tips: look closely at the doors in the morning light. Combine with Tash-Hauli, the gates of Khiva and the bazaar. See our Khiva itinerary.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called the White Mosque?
Because of its whitewashed walls, which stood out against the mud-brick buildings around it.
When was the Ak mosque built?
It was founded in the mid-17th century under Anusha Khan and largely rebuilt in 1838–1842.
Can you visit the Anusha Khan baths?
The baths are preserved as a monument; access to the interior varies, but they can usually be seen, sometimes with a guide.
Rules, timetables and prices change. We check this page regularly, but always confirm entry requirements with official sources before you travel.
