Konye-Urgench, Turkmenistan

In the north-eastern corner of Turkmenistan, just 30 km west of the Uzbek city Nukus, lie the ruins of Konye-Urgench, the former capital of the wealthy Kwarezm Empire. Situated at a strategic location on the main north-south and east-west trade routes, the city flourished between the 10th and 14th centuries, competing in fame and importance with Bukhara. A noted centre of learning, both Al Biruni (973-1050) and Avicenna (980-1037), two of the greatest polymaths of the Islamic Golden Age, lived here.

But all this came to an end in 1221, when Genghis Khan swept this way, destroying the city and massacring most of its Khwarazmian inhabitants. Amazingly, the city was rebuilt and regained much of its former glory. When visiting in the 14th-century, Berber traveller Ibn Battuta described it as "the largest, greatest, most beautiful and most important city of the Turks. It has fine bazaars and broad streets, a great number of buildings and abundance of commodities".

But this resurgence was short-lived. In 1388 Amir Timur razed the city to the ground, killed the inhabitants and destroyed Konye-Urgench’s irrigation system. By the 16th century this once great capital had been abandoned to the desert, with just a few buildings remaining.

Today, walking around the hot, sand-scoured site, it’s hard to imagine that this place was once a thriving desert city at the heart of the old Silk Road. But although few buildings remain, those that have are certainly impressive. Our favourites are the 60 metre high Gutlug Timur minaret, once the tallest in Central Asia, the Sultan Tekesh mausoleum, and the Turabek-Khanum mausoleum, whose dome is decorated with beautiful blue tilework.

As Konye-Urgench is so near the border with Uzbekistan, it combines easily with a visit to Nukus or Khiva, or as part of a longer multi-country trip.

To explore Konye-Urgench as part of a tailor-made trip to Turkmenistan, or the wider region, contact us here.