Toprak-Kala

Toprak-Kala was a walled city of the Khorezmian kings between roughly the first and third centuries AD, laid out on a grid with a palace at its northern corner whose three towers still stand as eroded mud-brick masses. Excavation found wall paintings and clay sculptures of rulers and deities, along with archives on wood and leather, all now in museums. The site sits alone in the desert with the Sultan Uvays hills behind.

The main sights

• The palace towers - three eroded mud-brick masses at the northern corner.
• The city grid - the street plan readable in the walls and mounds.
• The excavation record - the wall paintings, sculptures and archives recovered here.
• The desert setting - the site alone on the plain below the Sultan Uvays hills.

When to go

April to May and September to October are the workable months. Summer heat is extreme. Wind can make the site unpleasant in spring.

Good to know

Everything found here is in museums elsewhere and the site is bare mud brick. There is no shade or interpretation. Erosion is severe and accelerating.

Nearby

Ayaz-Kala is northeast, and Urgench is southwest.

Key facts