Historic Sights of Tashkent

Fortresses of Khorezm

2.1 Ayaz-Kala
On the colorful cliffs of one the Sultauizdag eastern spurs, in the Kyzyl Kum desert there survived ruins of one of the largest castles of ancient Khorezm– Ayaz-Kala.
Folk legends associate the name of the fortress of with the name of the legendary warrior-slave Ayaz. Ayaz is a Central Asian Turkic folklore hero. The semi-mythical hero, according to a legend, threw himself at an Amazon princess who lived in the Kirk-Kiz fortress.
The archaeologists claim that the Ayaz-Kala fortress belongs to the II century AD – a heyday of the Kushan Empire. Stretching in a chain from East to West it was part of a system of frontiers, built to protect the oasis on the side of the desert. All fortresses were located on a visible distance from each other, probably in order to make transmission of signals of approaching enemy convenient.
The Ayaz -Kala complex is interesting because unlike other castles of ancient Khorezm, it has unfortified rural settlements – a set of residential buildings, each with a large yard, enclosed by a low brick wall and planted, apparently, with gardens and orchards at the time. At one of the walls of the yard there is a relatively small detached house with 15 rooms, indicating that the process of separation of individual household from a tribal community had already begun at that time. Perhaps it was the home of a wealthy official or garrison commander.
Among dozens of unfortified farmhouses in the Ayaz-Kala complex, three fortresses-buildings stand out for their significant size. They are Ayaz-3, a giant fortress with a large courtyard surrounded by strong walls with towers and a maze near the gate. Near its north-eastern and north-western corners there are 40-room houses cross-cut with hallways.
2.2 Gyaur-Kala
"The Fortress of Infidels" – this is how the name of this ancient settlement is translated. This fortress was built approximately in the 4th century BC. Its ten-metre walls impress with the power. They surround ruins of two citadels that presumably could be a temple and palace constructions. One of citadels could serve as a protective construction and a temple. It is not surprising, as this district is considered the native land of the most ancient texts of Avesta - Gathas, written by Zarathustra. The numerous ruins of the centres are the evidence that inhabitants Gjaur-Kaly were Zoroastrians who worshipped the fire.
Other citadel, apparently, was the governor’s palace. It had the courtyard, a number of household outbuildings, the dwelling premises decorated with carvings and paintings. Archeologists found here other relics of luxury goods: various ornaments, the fabrics decorated with gold sewing, and many other things, bearing the evidence that representatives of the higher estate lived here. Gyaur-Kala fortress stood on the crossing of trade ways. The northern branch of the Great Silk Road laid not far away, and it to a large extend contributed to longer existence of this ancient settlement in comparison with other fortresses of Ancient Khorezm. The fortress received its name from Arabs who conquered it in the beginning of 8th century. Townsmen had been furnishing a fierce resistance to conquerors for over half a century. Arabs named fortress Gyaur-Kala – "the Fortress of Infidels" as inhabitants were Zoroastrians, i.e. worshipped the fire.The fortress continued to function up to arrival the Mongols to the Central Asia in 1220. Genghis Khan’s elder son Temujin ordered to ruin the city to the ground. Subsequently townsmen moved and established a new settlement near to Gyaur-kala remains.The time of foundation of the Janbas-Kala settlement dates from the antique period of the history of Ancient Khorezm, so-called the period of the existence of “thousands cities” in the region territory. This period is divided into two stages: Kanguy and Kushan ones (by name of the states to which Khorezm belonged). Foundation of the Janbas-Kala fortress dates back to the first Kanguy stage. The date of the fortress foundation was determined by S.P. Tolstov - IV century before Christ - I century Anno Domini.