As we explored in The hidden treasures of Turkmenistan (part I) and The hidden treasures of Turkmenistan (part II), the Central Asian country has a rich heritage worth exploring and reading about. In this third part we will explore three more sites: a fortress that suffered Genghis Khan’s wrath, a well-preserved walled medieval town and an ancient mausoleum.
The prosperous town razed by the Mongols
Central Asia has historically been a region coveted by conquerors and became the core of multiple empires, including the Seljuks, Khorezmians or Shaybanids. Founders of empires like Amir Timur (Tamerlane) and his descendant Babur made a name for themselves in battles and sieges in the region, sometimes wreaking havoc on its inhabitants. But none can be compared to Genghis Khan and the wave of destruction and loss of life his troops unleashed in Central Asia. In north-eastern Turkmenistan, close to the Amu Darya river, there is a testament to such devastation.
On the outskirts of modern Turkmenabat stand the ruins of a medieval fortress that dared to oppose the Mongol armies. Rising at a height of over 20 metres, one can still distinguish the crumbling walls that encircle an area of 9 hectares. That us all that is left from the once prosperous settlement of Amul. The town probably owes its origins to the Kushan Empire and there is evidence it was occupied during the 1st and 4th centuries. After an interlude during which its fortunes dwindled, it was reborn with the Arab conquest. The Abbasid Caliphate of the 9th century valued above everything Amul’s prime location.
Situated a few kilometres from one of the regions key rivers, the Amu Darya (or Oxus), Amul became a key trading post during Medieval times. Caravans full of goods traveling back and forth from Merv and Bukhara passed by Amul. The city throve as a result of trade. It boasted a shakhristan (fortified complex) that also encompassed an ark (citadel), while the residential suburbs (rabad) covered an area of 150 to 175 hectares. But Amul was not to prosper for long.
In late 1219 the Genghis Khan invaded the Khorezmian Empire. Amul resisted the invaders and, as was customary, was therefore razed to the ground by the Mongols in 1220 or 1221. Amul never recovered from the destruction. A few centuries later, to its north and closer to the shore, the town of Chaharjuy (Chardzhou) took its place. Following Turkmenistan’s independence it changed names and became Turkmenabat.
Despite the Mongol destruction, parts of Amul did stand the test of time. The rabad was lost, but the walls of the fortified complex have reached us and stand overlooking the surrounding lands. Within it, the remains of the 33 metre-tall citadel and its 5 towers are still visible in its northwestern corner. Recent excavations have unearthed different Kushan-era coins, pottery, glass and utensils, but much of the territory within the fortress remains unexplored. While perhaps not as impressive as other medieval settlements in Turkmenistan, Amul stands out as a vivid remainder of the devastation the region suffered in the 13th century.
The Turkmens’ White Castle
The destruction brought by the Mongols was, paradoxically, the origin of our next site. When the armies lead by Genghis Khan’s sons destroyed the irrigation systems and dams on the Amu Darya during their conquest of the Khorezmian capital of Gurganj, water started flowing through ancient and dried-up riverbeds and canals. The Daryalyk, a water artery, was formed and it helped turn a previously arid region into an area of agricultural fields and irrigation systems. The Turkmen of the Adakly Khyzyr tribe living around the area took advantage of the situation and by the late 14th century a new fortified town emerged by one of the main canals.
The town, known in Medieval times as Adak, is mentioned a few key episodes of the region’s history in the 15th century. First, the great-grandson of Amir Timur, Huseyin Bayqara, took refuge in Adak during his wars with the Timurid ruler of Samarkand and used the town as his base of operations. Years later, Huseyin Bayqara would become the ruler of the Timurid Empire from his capital of Herat and bring about a cultural renaissance. Some years later, the founder of the Shaybanid state that would become the Khanate of Bukhara, Muhammad Shaybani, conquered Adak, a feat that no one had been able to accomplish previously.
Adak continued to be a relevant settlement for a century until the same reason it favoured it became an issue: water. As the Daryalyk started to dry up, so did the livelihood of its inhabitants and by the 17th century the town was abandoned. It is hard to image that the area now taken over by the sands of the Karakum desert and drought-resistant bushes in this remote and arid area in Turkmenistan’s norther Dashoguz region used to be a prosperous settlement with irrigated fields and greenery.
The town’s name was forgotten during centuries and locals started referring to its ruins as Ak Kala (White Castle or Fortress), a common toponym in the region. What is left is an impressive fortified structure. The sides of the fortress are 280 metres long and are dotted at regular intervals by horseshoe-shaped towers and the whole fortress is surrounded by a moat. The mud brick walls are six metres high and more than two meters wide. If that was not to keep attackers at bay, the defenders where able to shoot arrows from the shooting platforms and arrowslits that are still discernible. At a later stage, to accommodate the growing population an additional defensive structure was added in the northwest, following the same plan.
Ak Kala (or Adak) is remarkably well preserved and has withstood the effects of erosion and abandonment. In addition, only superficial excavations have been done on the site, and thus its secrets remain buried, waiting to be unearthed in the future.
Resting place of a Sufi saint
No article about Turkmenistan’s historical heritage is complete without including a medieval mausoleum. In this case, the monument is located in the town of Sarakhs, just by the Iranian border, and its occupant was a Sufi mystic by the name of Abul Fazl who died in 1023.
Although Abu Fazl died during the Ghaznavid period, it is thought that his mausoleum was built a few years later, under Seljuk rule. The tomb survived the Mongol invasion, although Sarakhs did not. Its ruined walls still keep an eye over the mausoleum and the adjoined cemetery. During the 15th century, under the Timurid ruler Shahrukh, son of Amir Timur, the structure underwent a restauration.
The tomb has a squared plan and is covered by a dome. The Sufi’s grave is at the centre of the building although outside there are other gravestones. Niches decorate the walls but, unfortunately, no colourful tiles have survived.
Turkmenistan is a country with a rich historical heritage but that remains out of bounds for most. It is a country with an untapped tourism potential waiting to be explored, and one hopes for the authorities to one day realise it and allow for visitors to freely enjoy its breath-taking heritage, as they currently do in neighbouring Uzbekistan.
