Konye-Urgench: the old capital of Khwarezm

Why visit Konye-Urgench

For Turkmen travellers this is a place of pilgrimage as much as history, and that gives Konye-Urgench a living atmosphere that many ruins lack. Families walk between the shrines, women tie cloth to sacred trees and roll down a small hill for luck, and elders pray at the tombs of saints. For international visitors, the monuments are among the most beautiful medieval buildings in Central Asia.

The monuments

The **Kutlug Timur Minaret** rises high above the plain, the tallest minaret of its era in Central Asia, decorated in bands of patterned brick. Close by, the **Torebeg Hanym Mausoleum** is the masterpiece: its interior dome is covered in blue, turquoise and gold mosaic forming hundreds of stars and flowers, said to symbolise the days, weeks and months of the year.

The conical dome of the **Tekesh Mausoleum** belonged to a powerful Khwarezmshah, and the smaller **Il Arslan Mausoleum** has a striking ribbed dome in turquoise tiles. **Kyrk Molla**, a sacred hill once the citadel, is a cemetery and pilgrimage site where visitors pray for children and health.

In the modern town, the **Nedjm ed din Kubra Mausoleum** honours a Sufi teacher killed in the Mongol attack, and the **Sultan Ali Mausoleum** stands opposite. The small **Dash Mosque Museum** displays finds from the site.

Dashoguz

The provincial capital Dashoguz, a couple of hours away, is where you will most likely sleep, eat and catch flights. It is a quiet, practical city with a large bazaar and a few hotels. Flights connect Dashoguz with Ashgabat, and the border crossing towards Khiva in Uzbekistan is close.

Getting there

From the Darvaza crater, the drive north to Konye-Urgench takes several hours on long, straight desert roads. From Ashgabat, many visitors fly to Dashoguz and drive on. If you are crossing into Uzbekistan, your agency will drop you at the border, where you walk across and meet Uzbek transport on the far side.

When to go

Spring and autumn are ideal. The north of Turkmenistan has harsher winters than the south, and summer heat on the open site is intense, so visit early in the morning on hot days.

Etiquette at the shrines

Dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, and women may want a headscarf at the holy sites. Speak quietly near pilgrims, ask before photographing people, and follow your guide's lead at the tombs. Small offerings of bread or cloth are part of local custom, but you are never expected to take part.

Suggested half day

Start at the Nedjm ed din Kubra and Sultan Ali mausoleums in the modern town while pilgrims gather, then visit the Dash Mosque Museum. Drive to the main site and walk from the Torebeg Hanym Mausoleum to the Kutlug Timur Minaret, the Tekesh Mausoleum and Il Arslan, ending at Kyrk Molla. In the heat, a guide's vehicle between the monuments saves energy, and tea with local families at the shrines is a memorable way to end the visit.

Combine Konye-Urgench with a night at Darvaza on the way north, then cross into Uzbekistan for Khiva. It is one of the most rewarding overland routes in Central Asia, linking two great Khwarezm cities in a single day.