Trips to Uzbekistan often follow the same arc: Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva first, then delight, photographs, and a year later the urge to return for something different. That is how repeat tourism works, and it is why more travelers now fly to Nukus, the capital of Karakalpakstan, a city once reached only by the most determined.
There is one reason, and it outweighs everything else in town: the Karakalpakstan State Museum of Arts named after Igor Savitsky. People call it the Louvre in the desert, and that is not an exaggeration.
How the Collection Ended Up in a Desert
Igor Savitsky came to Karakalpakstan as an artist with an archaeological expedition and stayed as a collector. In years when the avant-garde was banned in the USSR, he bought up works and moved them to Nukus, pieces that in the capitals would have been destroyed or buried in storage. His reasoning was simple and correct: nobody was paying attention to Nukus. That is how one of the most significant avant-garde collections of the twentieth century ended up in the desert.
What to See
The museum now holds over 100,000 items. The core collection includes 9,666 pieces of folk and applied art from Karakalpakstan: wood carving, carpet weaving, embroidery, jewelry and numismatics.
The exhibition halls of the second building currently host two shows: Avant-Garde in the Desert, about the collection itself, and The World of Igor Savitsky, about the man without whom none of it would exist.
A Renovated Museum
From January to April 2025, the third-floor exhibition hall of the second building underwent major renovation and re-exhibition work, carried out on the initiative of the Art and Culture Development Foundation together with professors from Ca' Foscari University of Venice. Over the coming years the first building is set for reconstruction, adding a conference hall, café and museum shop, along with new lighting and exhibition design.
Ticket Prices
For foreign visitors: adults 100,000 soms, students 80,000, children under 12 60,000 soms.
For Uzbek citizens: adults 20,000 soms, students 16,000, children 8,000 soms.
Guided tours are charged separately. Special formats are available too, including a curated tour of the collection, a visit to the storage vaults and a Director's Talk. The last two require permission from the Agency for Cultural Heritage Protection.
Free admission applies to children under 18, veterans, people with disabilities and their companions, cultural workers, and ICOM and UNESCO members. On the first Sunday of each month the museum holds an open day with free entry for everyone.
Prices reflect museum data from late 2025, so check current rates before your visit.
Opening Hours
Daily except Monday, 9:00 to 18:00. Monday visits are possible by prior arrangement.
Who Comes Here
In the first nine months of 2025 the museum received nearly 70,000 visitors, about 17,000 of them from abroad. The largest groups came from Italy, Russia, France, China, Germany, the USA, Australia and the Netherlands.
What Else Is Nearby
Nukus is rarely a destination on its own. It is 200 km to Moynaq and the Aral Sea, where ships rust in the sand. Between Nukus and Khiva stand the ancient fortresses of Khorezm, Ayaz-Kala and Toprak-Kala. A logical route: fly into Nukus, see the museum, visit the Aral, then move on to Khiva and continue east.
Where to Stay
Nukus has a thinner hotel base than Samarkand or Bukhara, so book early, especially in high season. Book hotels in Nukus, Khiva and across Uzbekistan on hurma.uz and pay with Visa, Mastercard, Mir, Uzcard, Humo or via SBP.
hurma.uz Tip
Allow at least three hours for the museum, ideally half a day. And if you travel in spring or autumn, pair Nukus with the Aral: summer here is too hot for long drives across the desert.