Khiva Enters the Guinness World Records Thanks to Its Melons
The international melon festival Kovun Sayli 2026, held in Khiva, has set a world record. It has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records for hosting the largest melon tasting, with the highest number of melon varieties sampled at a single event.
Visitors sampled a total of 259 melon varieties.
Khorezm has long been regarded as one of Uzbekistan's main melon-growing regions, and the festival has become one of its defining traditions. This year, it featured 250 melon varieties and more than 200 products made from melons.
The festival is more than just a tasting event. Farmers showcase new and rare melon varieties, breeders exchange knowledge and experience, while visitors discover one of the region's best-known culinary traditions.
To mark this year's Kovun Sayli, specialists from the Ichan-Kala State Museum-Reserve published the book Melons of Khorezm, featuring descriptions of local melon varieties in Uzbek, Russian and English.
More than one million people visited the festival over the course of three days.