The walls of Khiva welcome a new era of tourism

In the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan, a new landmark has emerged, one that unveils a visionary blend of heritage and innovation. The inauguration of the Arda Khiva tourist complex marked a defining moment in the country’s cultural and technological evolution. At the heart of the celebration stood a breathtaking multimedia show, where Barco’s UDM projectors transformed the ancient walls of Ichan-Kala into a living canvas, illuminating history with precision, power, and poetic brilliance.

Context

The grand opening of the Arda Khiva tourist complex in Uzbekistan’s Khorezm region marked a cultural milestone for Uzbekistan. Designed as a fusion of Khiva’s rich historical legacy and cutting-edge multimedia technology, the event was a flagship moment in the country's broader state program for tourism development.

With President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in attendance, the complex was officially launched, covering 25 hectares along the scenic shores of Lake Gaukkul and featuring hotels, museums, oriental bazaars, gondola canals, a 3.000-seat amphitheatre, and more. Targeting up to 3 million visitors annually, the project positions Khiva as a rising star on the global tourism map.

One of the highlights of the opening ceremony was a breathtaking architectural video projection onto the walls of Ichan-Kala, Khiva’s UNESCO-listed inner town. This immersive visual experience bridged centuries of cultural heritage with the power of modern AV storytelling - bringing history to life in light and motion.

Challenge

Meeting the technical demands of the Arda Khiva projection was no small feat. The installation required ultra-high brightness and razor-sharp resolution to project vivid imagery across the expansive and uneven surfaces of Ichan-Kala’s ancient architecture, some as far as 98 meters from the projector source. This meant the system had to deliver consistent luminance and clarity over long throw distances, without sacrificing image integrity.

Additionally, the historical structures presented complex geometries - irregular surfaces, varying elevations, and intricate textures - all of which demanded meticulous alignment and pixel mapping to preserve visual fidelity.

Compounding the challenge was the outdoor setting: the projection had to perform flawlessly under nighttime conditions, exposed to environmental variables such as wind, dust, and fluctuating temperatures. 

Solution

A total of six Barco UDM-4K30 projectors - delivered by Sound Creations - were deployed with each unit delivering an impressive 27,000 lumens of brightness and 4K UHD resolution to ensure that even the most intricate details were rendered with stunning clarity across the vast projection surface. To accommodate the long throw distances, the team selected Barco TLD+ 4.5–7.5 long-throw lenses, which provided the optical precision needed to maintain sharp focus and consistent image quality over extended ranges.

The setup involved mounting two of the central projectors in portrait orientation. This configuration was chosen to maximize vertical pixel density, which is critical when projecting onto tall architectural surfaces, and to minimize brightness loss caused by image overlap in blended zones. Each projected image spanned an area of 16.7 by 9.6 meters, with an average surface illuminance of 186 lux, carefully calibrated to ensure optimal visibility and contrast in open-air nighttime conditions.

Yevgeny Mosin, Technical Engineer at 3D Mapping Studio, the firm responsible for system integration, notes: “We were working under extreme throw conditions, and only Barco UDM delivered uncompromised brightness and detail. Portrait mounting allowed us to maintain image structure even on large-scale geometry.” 

The system was further fine-tuned to adapt to the unique contours and textures of Ichan-Kala’s historic walls, using advanced warping and blending techniques to ensure seamless image integration. The solution ensured that every detail, from color accuracy to edge sharpness, remained intact across the entire projection canvas, creating an immersive visual experience for the audience.

Results

The projection installation at Arda Khiva proved to be a defining visual centerpiece of the inauguration ceremony, capturing both public attention and presidential endorsement. Leveraging the power of Barco UDM-4K30 projectors, the immersive display not only elevated the event’s atmosphere but also demonstrated the transformative potential of high-performance AV technology in cultural storytelling.

Beyond its immediate visual impact, the installation served as a strategic showcase of Uzbekistan’s growing investment in cultural infrastructure. The President’s recognition of Arda Khiva as a future tourism hub highlights the importance of reliable, scalable AV solutions in national development initiatives. For Barco, the project reaffirmed its position as a trusted partner for mission-critical projection, where precision, durability, and storytelling excellence converge.