Whats that, you say? A 3rd Century B.C.(E.) fortress? And its across a small valley from a 4th Century Mausoleum Complex? Of course I’m in!
I’d not really intended to check out Mizdakhan while I was in Nukus, but I’d agreed to rent a car to visit a bunch of mid-desert sandcastles on the way to the town of Urgench and the folks I was sharing with were insistent on the Mizdakhan complex.
I’m a pretty solid fan of historical cemeteries anyways, especially in Central Asia. The ruined fortress here was just a bonus, though I’d already unknowingly passed it on the way from the border with Turkmenistan.
Wandering the old graveyard and even older fortress was interesting. Especially nice were the insides of the open mausoleums, pilgrimage sites that have remained holy even since the 14th century destruction of the city itself by Timur.
On a side note, as Vince Vaughan suggests, wandering across a random funeral isn’t nearly as exciting as an impromptu invite to a wedding.
Mizdakhan is only about 13k west of Nukus (its just past the village of Hojeli), and makes for an easy daytrip or even better detour on the way to the castles of the Elliq Qala.
, they'll send a little bit my way at NO extra cost for you.