The Il Arslan Mausoleum
A striped conical dome.
Hans Birger Nilsen — CC BY-SA 2.0 · John Pavelka from Austin, TX, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Hergit — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hans Birger Nilsen — CC BY-SA 2.0
The Konye-Urgench Ruins are the remains of Gurganj, the old capital of Khwarezm, in northern Turkmenistan close to the Uzbek border. UNESCO listed them in 2005. They hold well-preserved monuments from the 11th to the 16th centuries, among them mosques, the gates of a caravanserai, fortresses, mausoleums and a minaret, spread over a wide protected area. Arabic books know the city as al-Jurjaniyya. Finds at Kyrkmolla Hill show the town was already strongly built in the 5th and 4th centuries BC, and the Arabs conquered Khwarezm in 712. It reached its height between the 10th and 14th centuries as Khwarezm's capital on the Silk Road. Its people left in the early 18th century to build a new settlement, so the ruins stayed undisturbed. You walk among cemeteries, earth mounds and long paths, with the monuments standing far apart. Among the finest is the Il Arslan Mausoleum, with a cone-shaped dome in green and white stripes and a carved brick front. You also see the tomb of Najm al-Din Kubra, an old caravanserai gate with brick walls, and the Kutlug Timur Minaret and Turabek Khanum Mausoleum on the skyline. It is about 85 km from Daşoguz in a straight line, and the Kutlug Timur Minaret is about 4 km from the town centre. The site is also a place of pilgrimage, so dress modestly and behave with respect around the graves. Hire a car with a driver, as distances are long. Summer is very hot, so choose spring or autumn.
A striped conical dome.
Brick walls.
Minaret and domes on the skyline.
South of Konye-Urgench town, Daşoguz Province, Turkmenistan
Half a day covers the main monuments, with a car between them.
Usually by car from Daşoguz, on a trip arranged with a travel agency.