Isfandiyorxon

Asfandiyar Khan (1871—1918) was the Khan of Khiva from 1910 to 1918. He was the twelfth ruler of the Khiva Khanate from the Uzbek Qongirat tribe.

Asfandiyar Khan ascended the throne in 1910 following the death of his father, Muhammad Rahim Khan II. Unlike his father, he did not possess particular talents. During his reign, his Prime Minister, Islam Khoja, held a major role in state governance. At his own expense, a cotton ginning plant, a hospital, a pharmacy, a post office, a telegraph, and a new-method school were built in Khiva. Between 1908 and 1910, Islam Khoja had a small madrasa and the tallest minaret ensemble constructed southwest of the Itchan Kala. Islam Khoja was later murdered without Asfandiyar Khan's knowledge.

Emperor Nicholas II awarded Asfandiyar Khan the Orders of St. Stanislaus and St. Anna. In 1910, Asfandiyar Khan was given the rank of Major General of the Russian Army. In 1911, he was admitted into the circle of His Imperial Highness's close associates. In 1913, he received the status of "His Highness" from Emperor Nicholas II.
The February Revolution in Russia also affected the Khiva Khanate. On April 5, 1917, the Young Khivans (mladokhivintsi) demanded reforms from Asfandiyar. The Khan was forced to promise to establish a representative body—the Majlis—for the people and to include the Young Khivans in it. The Khan's governing authority was restricted. Boboakhun Salimov, a member of the Young Khivans, was elected chairman of the Majlis. However, the situation later became serious, and reactionary forces gained the upper hand. As a result, the Young Khivan government was destroyed, and the announced reforms were canceled. At this time, the leader of the Turkmen tribe, Junaid Khan, returned to Khiva. He was appointed commander of the Khan's troops and soon took all power into his own hands.

During Asfandiyar Khan's reign, new mosques and madrasas were built in Khiva. In 1912, Asfandiyar Khan's reception hall was built. It was a separate building in the Nurulla-Bay complex, which housed several rooms of various sizes, including a throne room decorated in the spirit of Russian Modernism. Asfandiyar Khan ordered many elements for this palace from the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St. Petersburg.
Photographer and first Uzbek film director Khudoybergan Divanov filmed the first Uzbek documentary sequence in 1910, showing Asfandiyar Khan riding in a phaeton with his heir.
In 1918, Asfandiyar Khan was murdered in the Nurulla-Bay palace during a coup organized by Junaid Khan's men. His younger brother, Said Abdullah Khan, was placed on the throne (reigning 1918-1920). In reality, power remained in the hands of Junaid Khan.

Awards
- Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st Class (1896)
- Brilliant Monogram of His Imperial Highness Nicholas II (1896)
- Order of St. Anna with Brillants, 1st Class (1900)
- Order of the White Eagle (1911)