Mizdakhan Necropolis

Mizdakhan spreads across two low hills west of Nukus and has been used for burial for something over two thousand years, with Zoroastrian ossuaries, medieval mausoleums and modern graves layered across the same ground. The most visited structure is the ruin of Nazlymkhan Sulu, half sunk into the hillside, and the tradition attached to it holds that one brick falls each year and that when the last one goes the world ends.

What you actually see

• The layered burials - Zoroastrian, medieval and modern graves on the same ground.
• Nazlymkhan Sulu - the half-sunken mausoleum the brick tradition attaches to.
• The stacked bricks - the piles visitors build, each said to add to the world's time.
• The Gyaur-Kala walls - the fortress ruins on the hill opposite.

When to go

April to May and September to October are the comfortable months. Summer heat is extreme with no shade. Fridays bring more local visitors.

Honest expectations

There is no shade and summer heat here is dangerous. Interpretation is minimal and mostly absent in English. This is an active burial ground and behaviour matters.

Nearby

Nukus is east, and Chilpik is southeast.