First published: 26/11/22.

Nan 1

Desert Castles Of Ancient Khorezm

Desert Castles of Ancient Khorezm (On tentative list)

Desert Castles of Ancient Khorezm by Nan

What a difference a different location makes ... Coming from Nukus by shared cab, I had exited my cab at Beruni to visit Pil Qala. It was a 15min walk from the junction to the ruins and I figured I could always get a ride to Urgench and Khiva (I managed).

Pil Qala was fairly underwhelming. It's pretty small, surrounded by a town and itself heavily reconstructed. Admittedly, the castle being made of clay means it has to be reconstructed regularly. But still: This felt underserving of being on the list. Too little.

I had ticked this one off mentally, when I found the option of doing more castles as stopovers on my way to Bukhara. I didn't want to take the train and drivers are surprisingly cheap, so: Let's go!

The next morning the driver picked me up at my hotel at 8 a.m. We first passed Kyzyl Qala (not included) and then arrived at Toprak Qala. This was already nice. A fortified hill with plenty of clay ruins. I limited my exploration as the trails felt slippery and a tiny bit dangerous.

From Toprak Qala we drove on to Ayaz Qala and this is where the site clicked. Seeing the upper castles and the lower castle on approach was stunning. The site is large and there is so much to see. And you are standing in the desert with the green, arable lands that the castle protects on the horizon to the South.

Ayaz Qala also features in the world monument fond, unfortunately as a world monument in danger. As stated, these are all earthen/clay structures that will wither in the elements unless protected continuously.

As last stop before taking the long highway through the desert to Bukhara we visited Big Guldursun. I was a bit tired by then and felt with Ayaz Qala I had seen the best already, so I only did a brief exploration.

OUV

No doubts about it: Ayaz Qala belongs on the list. Throw in Toprak Qala for good measure and you have a great site. Big Guldursun was large (felt a bit GoT like for some reason), but it failed to convey the same awe as Ayaz Qala. Pil Qala meanwhile should be removed from the nominated sites.

Getting There

Tourist hub for the area is Xiva/Khiva. Or Urgench if you must.

You can arrange day trips from Khiva. In high season, Islambek travel offers a shared day tour at 9 a.m. if you want to split costs. You can also get a driver for the day.

Alternatively, you can do this as stop over when travelling between Khiva and Nukus or Bukhara. I recommend Nukus for Toprak Qala and Ayaz Qala, as both are more in the direction of Nukus than Bukhara. Big Guldersun is a better stop when going to Bukhara. Generally, Nukus-Khiva is a shorter trip than Khiva-Bukhara, so doing stops is easier between Nukus and Khiva. For Bukhara, I would recommend leaving at 7 a.m. and limiting yourself to the main sites: Toprak Qala, Ayaz Qala and Big Guldursun. The drive from Khiva to Bukhara takes 6h without detours and delays.

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