Step back in time – explore Khorezm Fortresses & sleep in Yurts for 2 unforgettable days.
Tour Duration: 2 days and 1 night
Driving time: 6-7 hours (355.km)
Included: Only a good driver, car & water
Not included: Yurt Camp, meals, tickets & etc
A Sedan (1-3 people) - $99
An SUV (1-4 people) - $165
A Minivan (1-6 people) - $220
A Minibus (1-10 people) - $230
A Minibus (1-13 people) - $250
A Bus (1-45 people) - $490
✈️ First day we can pick you up from Urgench Airport, Urgench / Khiva Train Station or your hotel both from Khiva or Urgench to start the trip. 🏨
🕒 You can start the trip at any time of the day. 🍽️ It is recommended to start the trip in the afternoon time after lunch.
🚗 It takes about 90 minutes to drive from Khiva to the first fortress – Ayaz Kala 🏰.
That is all for the first day. 🌅
Our driver drops you off in Ayaz Kala and end his job for the first day, 🛖 Ayaz Kala Yurt Camps located next to the Ayaz Kala Fortress.
👣 You can visit Ayaz Kala by yourself.
📜 It was originally constructed in the Late Antique period, 1st to 4th centuries CE, but was abandoned and then rebuilt in the 12th-13th centuries ⚔️ on the eve of the Mongol invasions.
There is some debate 🤔 about how this fortress may have been used in ancient times, with some scholars proposing that it was a garrison barracks for troops 🛡️, whilst others suggest it was an early example of the many fortified manor houses typical of Khorezm in the early medieval periods.
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🌄 On the next day our driver will go to Ayaz Kala Yurt Camps at any time you want to pick you up and start the second day of the trip. ⏰
🚙 He will go to pick you up at any time you want but I recommend you to start the trip around 09:00 am.
The next fortress to visit is Toprak Kala 🏯.
But our driver will stop at the shore of the Akchakul Lake 🌊 before going to Kizil Kala.
⏳ It takes about 20 minutes to drive from the Ayaz Kala to the Lake.
There are also Yurt camps ⛺ and restaurants 🍲 next to the lake where visitors can enjoy local meals, drinks 🍹 and even Ice-Cream 🍦 from local milk.
🏊 It is also possible to enjoy swimming and sand bath 🏖️ in Natural Lake Akchakul.
🏛️ The second Fortress Toprak Kala is dated in the Kushan period, around the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE and was the royal residence 👑 of the kings of the Khorezm.
The place was briefly abandoned in the early 4th century and then after some restorations, was used as an administrative citadel 🏢 for the city.
Next fortress Kizil Kala 🏰 located very close to Toprak Kala.
It was originally constructed in the Late Antique period, 1st to 4th centuries CE, but was abandoned and then rebuilt in the 12th-13th centuries ⚔️ on the eve of the Mongol invasions.
There is some debate 🤔 about how this fortress may have been used in ancient times, with some scholars proposing that it was a garrison barracks for troops 🪖, whilst others suggest it was an early example of the many fortified manor houses 🏠 that were typical of Khorezm in the early medieval periods.
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⛰️ Last fortress to visit is Chilpik Kala.
Chilpik Kala is a Dakhma or Tower of Silence 🔔 which was used by people of the Zoroastrian faith 🔆 for exposure of the dead.
⚰️ The bodies were laid out under the open sky for the birds 🦅 to eat.
When the bones were cleared, families collected them and placed them in clay or stone ossuaries for burial 🪨.
📜 The building was originally constructed in the first centuries CE.
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🛣️ This is the end of the Daytrip.
It takes about 40 minutes to drive from Chilpik Kala to Nukus 🚕.
We may drop you off in Nukus Airport / Train Station ✈️🚉 or in your hotel 🏨 in Nukus at the end of the trip there.
