Khiva, Museum City of Central Asia (2013)
Did you know where algebra (we love it or hate it, there’s nothing in between) got its name? From Al Khorezmi, short for Abū ‘Abdallāh Muḥammad ibn Mūsā Al-Khwārizm, a Persian scholar born around 780. He is credited with popularising the use of the decimal point. In fact, the word “algebra” comes from his algebraic mathematical treatise, called Hisab al-Jabr w’al-muqabala (The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing). Khiva, a World Heritage Site, was the home of Al Khorezmi. His statue dominates Ichan Kala, the main square in Khiva. The city itself is a sprawling museum of priceless Persian and Islamic architecture, a jewel wedged between the Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts in Uzbekistan.