Daytirop to Thirteen Fortresses

Discover 2000 years old Ancient Khorezm Fortresses with us!


  • Route

    Khiva - Urgench - Dumon Kala - Guldursun Kala - Koykirilgan Kala - Angka Kala - Janbas Kala - Kurgashin Kala - Big Kirkkiz Kala - Small Kirkkiz Kala - Ayaz Kala - Yekke Pesan - Kavat Kala - Akchakul Lake - Toprak Kala - Kizil Kala - Urgench - Khiva

  • Daytrip Duration: 12-14 hours
    Sightseeing time: 6-8 hours
    Driving time: 6-7 hours
    Driving Distance : 395 km.
    Included: Hands-Free Brochures, a good drivers with new Cars with AC, pick up and drop off at your location and Mineral water (0.5l. per person)
    Not Included: Entrance tickets, meals, camel riding, Yurt Camp stay & etc

  • A Sedan (1-3 people) - $69 (Sedan pictures)

    An SUV (1-4 people) - $119 (SUV pictures)

    A Minivan (1-6 people) - $154 (Minivan pictures)

    A Minibus (1-10 people) - $164 (Minibus (1-10) pictures)

    A Minibus (1-13 people) - $194 (Minibus (1-13) pictures)

    A Bus (1-45 people) - $389(Bus pictures)

  • Making Reservation of our Private/Shared Daytrips, Transfers, Aral Sea Adventure or Guided City Tours is very easy and totally free of cost. We only need from your side to confirm and provide following details related to your reservation in order to check availability, book and organize it with our team:
    1. Name of the Trip, Transfer or Service interested.
    2. Date of the Trip, Transfer or Service interested.
    3. Please state type of Transport and confirm the Price.
    4. Number of Travelers (luggage if available) in your group.
    5. Full names of all Travelers including info about Citizenship and Passport/ID Card numbers.
    6. Pick up and starting time of the Trips or Transfers (contact us for recommendations).
    7. Pick up and starting place of the Trips or Transfers (name of your hotel, Airport or Railway Station)
    8. Drop off and ending place of the Trips or Transfers (name of your hotel, Airport or Railway Station)
    9. Please state your contact information: Email, Mobile Phone or WhatsApp Numbers.
    That is all we need to know from your side in advance to check availability, make a reservation or to organize the requested services.
    In order to cancel reserved trips or other services without being charged (%20 of the tour) please contact us at least 3 days before the tour starts.

  • We pick you up from Airport / Train Station or your hotel both in Khiva or Urgench and start the Daytrip. It is recommended to start the trip in the morning after breakfast. It takes about 90 minutes to arrive to the first Castle.
    1. Duman Kala 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.
    2. Guldursun Kala 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. Janbas Kala 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.
    6. Kurgashin Kala. This fortress is well preserved and some of the towers still stand up to two stores high. It is 1.4 hectares in size, and was built in the 4th to 3rd centuries BCE, remaining in use up to the 4th century CE. The fortress has a rectangular plan.
    7. 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.
    8. Small Kirkkyz Kala - was founded around the 4th-3rd centuries BCE and was abandoned at the end of the 3rd or the early 4th century CE. The fortification consists of western and eastern parts, abutting each other and with different plans. It was a border fortress, forming part of the system of defense at the edge of the oasis.
    9. Ayaz Kala is the one of the most spectacular fortresses in the area. There are in fact, not one but three fortresses clustered together on and around a prominent hill at the Eastern end of the Sultan-Uiz-dahg range. The fortress provided defense against nomad raids. A gravel road leads up to a small cluster of Yurts, a tourist rest center overlooking a shallow but picturesque lake. It was probable founded in the Afrighid period, sometime around the 7th to 8th Centuries CE…
    10. Yekke Parsan is an impressive fortified manor house dating from the 6th to the 8th centuries of the Afrighid era. It would have been the residence of an important feudal lord. Over time the space between the tower and the outer walls became filled with small houses for the servants and estate workers…
    11. 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.
    On the way to next Fortress, there is Akcha-kul Lake where visitors can swim and have a Lunch in the Yurt Camp restaurants.
    12. 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, having first served as a Royal sanctuary, was briefly abandoned in the early 4th century and then after some restorations, was used as an administrative citadel for the city.
    13. Kizil Kala 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.
    After visiting all fortresses, it is about 90 minutes to drive back to Khiva. Our driver may drop you off in Urgench Airport, Urgench / Khiva Train Station or in your hotel both in Khiva or Urgench at the end of the trip without any extra charge.

Photo Gallery

Pictures of the Day-Trip

Contact

If you have any questions or requests about our Daytrips, Transfers or Accommodations in our hotel please, contact us by E-mail, WhatsApp, Telegram or Phone Calls. Your questions, e-mails and requests are answered within 24 hours.

Location:

Uzbekistan, khiva, Zargarlar 60

Email:

Islambektravel@gmail.com

Phone (WhatsApp, Telegram):

+99899-666-33-22; +99891-999-33-22