Xorazm Region
Khiva UNESCO heritage region with irrigated cotton facing Amu Darya water scarcity amid tourism growth.
Xorazm Region hosts Khiva—the third jewel of Uzbekistan's Silk Road heritage, where the entire old city achieved UNESCO World Heritage status. The region's Amu Darya irrigation supports cotton while tourism exploits historical assets.
Tourism grows around Khiva's remarkably preserved Itchan Kala (inner city). Mud-brick walls, madrasas, and minarets attract visitors completing Uzbekistan's Samarkand-Bukhara-Khiva circuit. Hotel and service development accelerates with tourism opening.
Cotton cultivation relies on Amu Darya irrigation. The river's declining flows (diverted for upstream irrigation) constrain production. Agricultural water competition intensifies as climate change reduces Central Asian glacier melt.
Proximity to Turkmenistan creates border dynamics. Trade and cultural connections exist despite limited formal integration. The region's isolation from Tashkent limits economic diversification.
The biological pattern is oasis metabolism: Xorazm's economy depends entirely on Amu Darya water, making it vulnerable to upstream diversion and climate change impacts.