Khiva, Museum City of Central Asia (2013)
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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.