THE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE HIDDEN BENEATH KHIVA’S FAMOUS CITYSCAPE

When we think of the historic cities of Central Asia, mosques, madrasas and palaces usually come to mind first. However, Khiva is also remarkable for its unique underground water infrastructure. For centuries, the city’s residents relied on wells, sardobas (traditional water-storage structures) and irrigation channels to meet their water supply and sanitation needs in an arid climate.

Khiva is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beneath its famous architectural monuments lies another important part of its heritage: a system of underground water structures known as tegizamin.

Together with underground water conduits called gulbidav and drainage elements such as adan, tegizamin structures helped collect and channel rainwater and excess water. Open drainage channels carried surplus water away from residential areas.

Some types of tegizamin were also used as sardobas to store drinking water in communal courtyards. They were covered with domes to reduce water evaporation and contamination. The domes also featured ventilation openings and special access points for cleaning and maintenance.

This system demonstrates how Khiva’s builders used local materials and natural processes to develop water infrastructure adapted to the region’s arid climate.

Source: Azizova, B. “Tegizamin: The Invisible Engineering of Ichan-kala, Khiva.” Journal of Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism, 2025.