Topraq-Kala, Beruniy District, Uzbekistán
Toprak Kala is the ruin of a large fortified palace dating from the 1st or 2nd centuries CE through the 6th century. It was rediscovered by the archeologist Sergei P. Tolstov in 1938 and investigated over a period of 28 years by Soviet scholars. Although many mysteries remain—for instance, when it was first built, and by whom—enough evidence survives to place it in a historical context.
The site is presently located about 58 kilometers by road from Urgench and about 3 kilometers east of Kyzyl Kala fortress, which was probably in use at the same time. Although the area is currently dry, it is believed to have been irrigated in ancient times by a canal known to medieval chroniclers as the Gavkhor which supplied water from the Amu Darya.
Epic Uzbekistan Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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