The Isfandiyar Palace (also called the Palace of Narallabay) was built between 1906 and 1912, and like the Emir’s Summer Palace in Bukhara displays some fascinatingly overdone decorations in a messy collision of East and West. Despite being located just outside the walls of the Ichon-Qala, admission here is included on the two-day ticket. The rooms are largely bare, allowing one to fully appreciate the gold-embroidered ceilings and lavish touches such as 4m-high mirrors and a 50kg chandelier. The harem, in case you’re wondering, was behind the huge wall to the west of the palace and while it has been undergoing renovation for years, there was no suggestion of its imminent reopening when we passed by.
