Desert castles of ancient Khorezm

Kyzylkum desert surrounding the Khorezm oasis - a strange relic place. Traces of human activity are found here everywhere. Lost amid the dunes and on the tops of the rocks in the desert spurs Sultanuizdag ruins of great cities, giant fortresses and cemeteries are today abandoned by people. Only the wind and wild animals host in the once magnificent buildings of ancient Khorezm.

This area is often called the "Central Asian Egypt," and the comparison is justified. In the world there are not many places where a relatively small space would have many historical monuments. Only in the area of ​​modern Ellikalinsk in Karakalpakstan there are more than 200 settlements, and on the territory of ancient Khorezm there are about thousand of settlements of different degree of preservation and study of archeologists.

In the III century Khorezm regains its independence. This period is characterized by the construction of grandiose defensive outposts occupied by the regular army (Kyzyl-Kala), and walled cities. The climax of the artistic culture of the era is the famous fort Toprak Kala - a true synthesis of architecture, sculpture and painting. Khorezm towns and fortresses were built without use of stone and wood, as in the area there was no suitable material. The fortress walls were built of huge blocks of mud bricks.

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