Two-day trip to the Ten Fortresses on the way from Bukhara to Khiva
Discover Ancient Khorezm Fortresses in 2 days by sleeping in the Yurt Camps!
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Route
Bukhara - Guldursun Kala - Koykirilgan Kala - Angka Kala - Janbas Kala - Big Kirkkiz Kala - Ayaz Kala (sleep) - Kavat Kala - Toprak Kala - Kizil Kala - Dumon Kala - Khiva
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Details
Tour Duration: 2 days and 1 night
Driving time: 9-10 hours (710.km)
Included: Only a good driver, car & water
Not included: Yurt Camp, meals, tickets & etc.
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Price per car
A Sedan (1-3 people) - $148 (Sedan pictures)
An SUV (1-4 people) - $258 (SUV pictures)
A Minivan (1-6 people) - $353 (Minivan pictures)
A Minibus (1-10 people) - $388 (Minibus (1-10) pictures)
A Minibus (1-13 people) - $418 (Minibus (1-13) pictures)
A Bus (1-45 people) - $820 (Bus pictures)
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How to Reserve
Once you decide to use our services, please confirm and provide the following details in order to make a reservation:
1. Please confirm the name of the transfer, tour, or day-trip (as written on our website);
2. Please confirm the date of the transfer, tour, or day trip
3. Please confirm the type of transport you want to book (sedan, SUV, minivan, or minibus).
4. Please confirm the price of the transfer, tour, or day-trip you want to reserve.
5. Please confirm the number of people (and luggage if available) in your group.
6. Full names of all group members, including information about citizenship, passport, or ID card numbers.
7. Please confirm pick-up & and the starting place of your transfer, tour, or day trip (please state the name of your hotel).
8. Please confirm pick-up and the starting time of your transfer, tour, or day trip (you can see the recommended starting time on our website).
9. Please confirm the drop-off / ending place of your transfer, tour, or day trip.
10. Please provide your contact information: Email, Mobile Phone, or WhatsApp Numbers.
- That is all we need to know from your side in advance to make a reservation and organize the requested services.
- We do not need prepayment to make a reservation or organize the requested services. You will make a full payment directly to our drivers (guides) at the end of each transfer, day trip or tours.
- In order to cancel reserved services without being charged (%20 of the tour), please contact us at least 3 days in advance the tour starts.
- One day before each trip, tour, and transfer, we will send you a reminder email or Whatsapp message with all the details and pictures of your driver, car, and guides.
Please feel free to ask if you have any questions or special requests.
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Itinerary
First day we can pick you up from your hotel, train station or airport in Bukhara and start the trip. You can start the trip at any time of the day. It is recommended to start the trip in the morning time after breakfast around 08:00 am. It takes about 6-7 hours to drive from Bukhara to the first fortress – Guldursun Kala. It is a fortified town date to the 12th century CE. Much ancient and medieval pottery and many bronze items and coins were found within the site during archeological excavations. The coins indicate that the last period of occupation is related to the year 1220, during the rule of Muhammad Khorezmshah and the time of the Mongol invasion of Khorezm.
The next fortress is Koykirilgan Kala. While today little is visible but a dusty mound, the original plan of the site consisted of a rounded, two story building 45 meters in diameter fortified by a double ring wall with arrow slits and towers.
Angka Kala dates from the Late Antique period of Khorezm, around the 1st to the 3rd centuries AD - the time of the Kushan Empire. It seems to have been established on the eastern edge of Khorezm to guard the main caravan trade route to the east.
The next the most beautiful fortress for the day is Janbas Kala. it has one of the most archaic fortification systems dating from that Early Antique period. All four of its flanking walls are in relatively good condition, reaching in places up to 20 meters in height. It differs from most of the other fortresses in having no towers on its outer walls. This meant that the fort was potentially vulnerable from an attack on the lower sections of its walls.
Big Kirkkiz Kala. The fortress dates from the 4th Century BCE to the 7th-8th centuries CE. The fortress is rectangular in plan with double walls containing a double story archer's gallery with arrow-shaped embrasures. In the Afrighid period the area within and around the fortress was a pottery production center.
The last and the most popular fortress for the day is Ayaz Kala. That is all for the first day. Our driver drops you off there and end his job there for the first day, Ayaz Kala Yurt Camps located next to the Ayaz Kala Fortress. You can visit Ayaz Kala by yourself at any time in the evening or in the morning. The Fortress 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.
On the next day our driver will go to Ayaz Kala Yurt Camps at any time you want to pick you up and continue the trip according to the itinerary by visiting the other five fortresses. We may recommend you to depart Ayaz Kala around 09:00 am.
You start the day by visiting Kavat Kala. It looks back on 2400 years of History. As center of complex irrigation system, it has been surrounded by flourishing settlements especially in the 11th to 13th centuries.
After visiting Kavat Kala, our driver stops at the shore of the Akchakul Lake before going to the next fortress Toprak Kala. There are also Yurt camps and restaurants next to the lake where visitors can enjoy local meals, drinks and even Ice-Cream made by local milk. It is also possible to enjoy swimming and sand bath in the Natural Lake Akchakul.
The next 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.
The 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. Finally, the last fortress to visit is Dumon Kala. The fortress composed of three adjacent sections – a square-shaped western enclosure with corner towers, measuring about 150 by 170 meters; a smaller square-shaped citadel on the eastern side roughly 100 meters in size; and an irregular four-sided northern enclosure, the remains of which can no longer been seen.
It takes about 2-3 hours to drive from Duman Kala to Khiva or Urgench. - Download Itinerary and Maps
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Our Adress:
Uzbekistan, khiva, Zargarlar 60
Our E-mail:
Islambektravel@gmail.com
Phone (WhatsApp, Telegram):
+99899-666-33-22; +99891-999-33-22