Konye-Urgench
Koneurgench, or Kunya-Urgench, which is translated from Persian as “Old Gurgench”, is a city that is one of the administrative centers of Turkmenistan. The city is located almost at the very border of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, near the capital of the ancient Khorezm Khanate - the city of Urgench.
In ancient times, the city was one of the centers of the Great Silk Road. The oldest fortress of this city - “Kyrkmolla” was founded in the 2nd-5th century of our era. The city of Köneürgench is mentioned in the Avesta under the name "Urva" or "Urga". After being seized by the Arabs in the 8th century, the city became known as Gurganj. From the 11th to the beginning of the 12th century, Urgench excelled all the cities of Central Asia in terms of population and fame.
Koneurgench is located 480 kilometers north of Ashgabat, near the dry bed of the Amu Darya River. About 37 thousand people live in the city, the climate is extremely continental, moderately hot. The maximum temperature in summer reaches +36° C, in winter the temperature rarely drops below -5° C.
The city is famous for its diverse historical monuments, many of which were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005. The first archaeological excavations on the site of the old city were carried out in 1929 by Alexander Yakubovsky.
The oldest building located in the vicinity of the city is the fortress “Kyrkmolla”, on the ruins of which in the 11th century the “Academy” of Sultan Mammun ibn-Mamun was built. Here the famous thinker Abu Reyhan al-Biruni, as well as the physician and naturalist Abu Ali ibn Sina (Avicenna), once studied. According to the legend, during one of the raids of Genghis Khan 40 mullahs sheltered from the death here.
Near the town of Köneurgench there are many monuments dating back to the 11th and 16th centuries of our era, including mosques, fortresses and remains of a caravanserai. Also, in this area there are four mausoleums, among them Törebeg Khanym built in the 14th century and the mausoleum of the founder of Khorezm Sufism Najmeddin al-Kubra (“Star of Faith”). The oldest mausoleum located here is subsidized in 1172, it is the mausoleum of one of the most famous Khormshahs Il-Arslan.
The main attraction of the city is the minaret Kutlug-Timur, which was built in the 14th century and reaches 60 meters in height. This minaret is the highest in all of Central Asia.
To the north of Köneurgench there is a necropolis of “360 saints”, in which, according to legend, 360 pupils of the Prophet Mohammed are buried, whom he sent to different parts of the world to preach Islam.