Chapter 03 — The Cooling Glaze
Khorezm Survey · Field Data
The takeaway

Turquoise outlasts cobalt — the cooler glazes hold the wall longest

Original tilework still in place
Share of 1850s majolica surviving on each Ichan Kala monument
38%
44%
52%
61%
73%
94%
West Gate frieze Juma archway Tash-Khauli court Pakhlavan dome Islam-Khoja band Kalta Minor drum
94%
Kalta Minor turquoise field intact
+33 pts vs. cobalt bands

The high-tin jade-turquoise glaze fired denser and shed rain; the deep-blue mosaic crazed first. The unfinished minaret kept its skin best of all.

This is the Khiva Ichan-Kala Majolica design system, applied by Curio Design — a design-style library for AI agents. Full Khiva Ichan-Kala Majolica guide → designbycurio.com/learn/khiva-ichan-kala-majolica