Photo and Video

Ayaz-kala settlement

18.05.2022 1813


The Ayaz-Kala settlement is the ruins of an ancient fortress from the time of the Kushan Kingdom, located in the sands of Kyzylkum on the territory of Uzbekistan. The name of the settlement translates as "fortress in the wind". It was built in the III-II centuries BC during the heyday of the Kushan culture and served as a military fortification, protecting the borders of the kingdom.

General information Ayaz-kala settlement is located 20 km northeast of the capital of ancient Khorezm – Toprak-kala. It consists of three settlements, which are located on separate hills overlooking the desert at the foot of the Sultan-Uwais ridge.

On the high hill of Ayaz-Kala, not far from the salt lake Ayazkol, the settlement of Ayaz-Kala-1 or a Large fortress is spread out. Despite the past centuries, the ancient buildings have been perfectly preserved. Ayaz-kala-3 is fenced with a powerful fortress wall, behind which are the ruins of a large palace, minarets and labyrinths. From the north-west of it, on a separate hill rises a settlement called "Ayaz-kala-2". It was founded in the Kushan era, and completed in the V-VII centuries AD.

There is a yurt camp nearby, created so that tourists can get acquainted with the traditions and way of life of Central Asian nomads. It has several yurts with a capacity of 2 to 20 people, and a separate yurt serves as a common dining room-cafe. The yurt camp has two showers and toilets. This place looks like a camp site, and many travelers stay here for the night.

From the yurt camp, tourists go on excursions to all three settlements. In addition, travelers can ride camels and participate in folklore programs, during which Uzbek, Kazakh, Turkmen and Karakalpak folk songs are performed.

History of the settlement research

The first excavations of the ancient fortress were carried out in the 1939-1940s under the guidance of the famous archaeologist and ethnographer Sergei Pavlovich Tolstov. During the work, archaeologists have discovered many ancient artifacts. In the sands between the ruins they found spearheads and arrows, iron knives and daggers, as well as bronze and gold products.

To the surprise of researchers, there were many new bricks made for construction and laid on an edge in the Ayaz-Kala settlement. Apparently, the inhabitants of the fortress intended to erect new towers on the south and west sides, but the construction that had begun was never completed. For what reasons the inhabitants of the settlement left the long-settled places remains unclear to this day. Most likely, this happened because water left the irrigation channels.

Big Fortress

The flat hill of the main settlement of Ayaz-Kala has a height of 169 m above sea level and is understood to be 60 m above the surrounding desert. Many centuries ago, its steep slopes reliably protected the fortress from enemy raids. From the east, an open plateau adjoins the hill, which the enemies also needed time to overcome, so they could be discovered in advance by the defenders of the fortifications.

The double walls facing in all directions are built of mud brick. The powerful outer wall rises to a height of 10 m and has a thickness of up to 2.5 m. The inner wall has smaller dimensions and has been preserved much worse than the outer one. To strengthen the fortress walls, semicircular towers were erected on them every 10-13 m, which had internal rooms for guards and weapons storage. The walls offer a great view of the lake Ayazkol, located 7 km from the north. Nowadays, this salty reservoir is almost dry and looks like a large salt marsh.

The entrance to the fortification was located on the south side. The enemy detachments that got into the settlement first had to go through an intricate maze. The entrance from the south was made because the strong south wind prevailing in these places carried all the garbage and dust out of the fortress. Having such a well-thought-out defense system, the defenders of the Ayaz-Kala settlement could feel safe.

How to get

Ayaz-Kala settlement is 200 km away from the Aral Sea. The ruins of the ancient fortress are located on the territory of the Ellikkalinsky district of Karakalpakstan. The international airport and train station are located 80 km away – in Urgench. The nearest Uzbek city of Bustan is about 20 km from the fortress. You can get to Bustan by regular buses.

Most tourists come to the fortress on their own by rented transport. Many travelers get to the Ayaz-Kala settlement by sightseeing buses that run from Urgench and Khiva across the bridge laid across the Amu Darya.

A comment

0

Leave a comment

In order to leave a comment, you must log in through social networks:


By logging in, you agree to the processing personal data

See also