Khiva - Gandimyan-Darvaza Gate

The Gandimyan-Darvaza Gate was built in 1842 and is part of the Dishan-Kala settlement of Khiva. The Gandimyan-Darvaza Gate took its name from the nearby Kishlak (village) where the Gandimyan Treaty was signed in August 1873, annexing the Khanate of Khiva to Russia. The treaty was the result of a blatantly aggressive military campaign, which in turn was an expression of colonial policy.

Nevertheless, the accession to Russia played a progressive role in the historical destiny of the people of Khorezm. Slavery and the slave trade were abolished, feudalism and internal wars were eliminated, and Russian commercial and industrial capital began to penetrate the khanate, encouraging the development of local productive forces.

The Russian workers and artisans who arrived in Khiva, mostly exiled for “unreliability”, brought Russian culture and revolutionary ideas with them.

During the reconstruction of the cotton factory, the Gandimyan-Darvaza was demolished, but was rebuilt in the 1970s according to surviving sketches and photographs.