The Khwarazm region, in the lower valley of the Amu Darya, was known in ancient times as the ‘oasis of fifty fortresses’. Of these fortresses, built over a very long period, perhaps the best known are those at Ayaz-Kala. There are three on this site.
Ayaz-Kala 1, built between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, is located on a hill overlooking Ayaz-Kala 2, which dates from the 6th to 8th centuries AD.

Credits: Isabelle Vincent (France)

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