Konye-Urgench, also called Köneürgenç, Old Urgench, or Urganj, is a city in northern Turkmenistan, located just south of the border with Uzbekistan. In 2022, the city had a total population of 37,176 people.
The city is the location of the ancient town of Gurgānj, which has the remains of the capital of Khwarazm. The people who lived in the ancient city left in the early 1700s to start a new settlement, and Konye-Urgench has remained untouched since that time. In 2005, the ruins of Old Urgench were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Overview
Old Urgench was located on the south side of the Amu Darya River. It was positioned along the Silk Road, a major medieval route that connected western and eastern cultures. Old Urgench is one of the most important archaeological sites in Turkmenistan. It is found within a large protected area and includes many well-preserved structures from the 11th to the 16th centuries. These structures include mosques, the gates of a caravanserai, fortresses, mausoleums, and a minaret. The architectural style and craftsmanship of these buildings influenced the design of buildings in Iran, Afghanistan, and the Mughal Empire of 16th-century India.
Etymology
Atanyyazow explains, "In writings by Chinese historians, the name Yue-Gyan appears in works by Arab scholars from the 10th century in a Georgian form. This name was later written as Gurganj, which refers to a person from Khorezm. The suffix '-j,' according to Yakut, means the same as the word 'abat,' which means 'village' or 'city.' Because of the ancient name 'Gurgen,' the place name Gurganj likely means 'Gurgen city' or 'city of the Gurgen people.' Over time, the name Gurganj was also written as Urgench." However, the meaning of the words Gurgen or Gurgan is still unknown.
History and development
The exact dates when Konye-Urgench was founded are not known. However, archaeological discoveries at Kyrkmolla Hill, which was one of the main fortresses in the area, show that the town had a strong structure as early as the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Some of the earliest records mention that Khwarezm was conquered by the Arabs in 712 AD. The Arabs took control of Kath, the capital city of the Iranic Khwarazmian Afrighid dynasty. Between the 10th and 14th centuries, the city became the capital of Khwarezm, replacing Kath. Gurjanu was an important trading center and was as famous and large as other Central Asian cities, such as Bukhara. Its prosperity came from its location on major trade routes connecting the south to the north and the west to the east. This helped advance science and culture in Central Asia.
An 1893 writer described Djordjania, also called Jorjania, as the "second capital" of the region. It was located near the Wadak canal, which appears to be the eastern end of the Kunya-Darya, a riverbed that now flows into Sarykamysh Lake. Just east of the town was the Gurganj Dam, which provided water to the area and blocked the flow of the Oxus River into the Caspian Sea. In 1221, the Mongols destroyed both the town and the dam, causing the surrounding area to turn into a marsh. Konye-Urgench was later built on or near the site of Jorjania.
In 1221, Genghis Khan destroyed the city during the Mongol invasion of Central Asia. This event is considered one of the deadliest massacres in human history. Most, if not all, of the ancient Iranic Khwarazmian people were killed or forced to leave, leading to the Turkification of Khwarazm. Despite the destruction, the city was rebuilt and regained its former importance. In the 14th century, the Berber traveler Ibn Battuta described it as "the largest, greatest, most beautiful, and most important city of the Turks." He noted its fine markets, wide streets, many buildings, and abundance of goods.
In 1373, Timur attacked Khwarezm, and its ruler, Yusef Sufi of the Sufi Dynasty, surrendered. However, in 1379, Yusef Sufi rebelled against Timur, who then destroyed Urgench and killed Yusef Sufi. In 1388, the Sufi Dynasty of Urgench rebelled again, and Timur destroyed the city completely, killed its people, ruined the irrigation system, and planted barley over the land where the city once stood. Only one mosque remained standing. This, along with a sudden change in the course of the Amu-Darya River, marked the beginning of Konye-Urgench's decline. By the 16th century, Khiva had replaced it as the regional capital, and Konye-Urgench was eventually abandoned.
The area was later inhabited by the Turkmen people starting in the early 19th century. However, they mostly lived outside the old town, using it as a graveyard. This practice has since stopped, and efforts have been made to remove the decaying gravestones found at the site.
The new town of Urgench was built to the southeast, in present-day Uzbekistan. Some of the first archaeological research on the old city was conducted by Alexander Yakubovsky in 1929.
Archaeological remains
The city layout of Konye-Urgench is no longer clear, and only some buildings remain today. These remaining structures are real examples of beautiful buildings and construction methods that have existed for many centuries. The condition of these buildings varies, and the most recent major repairs happened during the Soviet era, over the past 30 years. These repairs used traditional materials and techniques.
The Kutlug Timur minaret is one of the most noticeable buildings in the area. It was built between the 11th and 12th centuries and is 60 meters tall, making it the tallest structure in the park. Its base is 12 meters wide, and the top is only 2 meters wide.
Based on its decorated brickwork, including Kufic inscriptions, the minaret is believed to be an older building that was later restored by Kutlug-Timur around 1330.
Named after Turabek-Khanum, the wife of Kutlug-Timur (who ruled from 1321 to 1336), this structure is located in the northern part of ancient Gurgench. It is known for its elegant design and beautiful tile patterns. It is a highly advanced example of architecture, with careful planning and engineering to create a visually pleasing and meaningful effect.
The original building had two rooms: a large domed hall and a smaller room behind it. The large room has a 12-sided shape on the outside and a hexagonal shape on the inside, with an entrance and a small waiting area before it.
One of the most impressive parts of the mausoleum is the circular dome above the main hall. The dome is covered in colorful mosaic tiles that form intricate patterns of flowers and stars, symbolizing the sky. These features are not found in other buildings from around 1330 in Urgench. However, similar designs appear later in Central Asia during the time of Timur, a warlord of Turco-Mongol descent. New building techniques, such as mosaic faience, appear in Timur’s early buildings, like the Aq Saray palace in Shahrisabz, Uzbekistan, which began construction in 1379 but was not completed by 1404.
This structure is believed to be the Tomb of Sultan Ala al-Din Tekish, the founder of the Khwarazmian Empire and its ruler from 1172 to 1200. It is considered a mausoleum because many ancient Central Asian buildings are linked to important historical or mythical figures.
The building is made of bricks and includes a square hall with walls that are 11.45 meters high, a large round drum, and a conical roof with a hidden inner dome. The dome is connected to the square walls by an octagonal belt. Between the dome and the octagon, there are 16 shallow niches. These niches are semicircular, not the pointed shape common in Central Asian Islamic architecture. This style is seen in an 8th-century mihrab (a prayer niche) at the Baghdad Museum and in an 11th-century mosque in Merv, Turkmenistan. However, these examples are too far away to be considered direct influences.
The external conical roof is built using horizontal layers, a technique called a false vault. Inside, the roof is supported by 12 pillars attached to the inner dome. Although this method might seem risky, the roof remains mostly intact, with only the top damaged and some blue majolica decoration slightly harmed.
A special feature of the building is its entrance. It has a high portal with a large archway that has lost its original shape. The arch is decorated with a complex system of pointed, stalactite-like forms made of terracotta attached to wooden sticks within the brickwork.
Research about this structure has led to theories that the Mausoleum of Tekesh might have been part of a larger complex with many buildings. Some scholars suggest it may have served a different purpose, such as a government building or palace for the Khwarazm-shahs.
Kyrkmolla is a 12-meter-high mound that once was a fortress. It is located on the northeastern edge of Gurgench. It is important because the earliest pottery found at the site dates back to the 5th century BC. A thick mud-brick wall, built between the 10th and 14th centuries, surrounds it and was partially rebuilt after archaeological work.
This complex is located in the center of the modern town of Konye-Urgench, within a Muslim cemetery. The Najm-ad-Din al-Kubra Mausoleum was built in the first half of the 14th century and is named after Najm al-Din Kubra, a philosopher, painter, doctor, chess master, and general who founded the Kubrawiya Sufi order. This structure was rebuilt during the Khorezm era of prosperity and again after the Mongol invasion.
The Mausoleum of Sultan Ali, who ruled in the 16th century, is located nearby. It is a six-sided monument with a dome that is 9.5 meters wide.
The Mausoleum of Piryar Vali, a contemporary of Najm al-Din al-Kubra, is to the west of the latter’s mausoleum. It was built in the 13th and 14th centuries and is 6.5 meters tall and 7.5 meters long.
Il Arslan is a remarkable building, also known as the Mausoleum of Kho-Rezmshah II Arslan, who ruled from 1156 to 1172. The mausoleum, built in the 12th century, is the oldest standing monument in Gurgench.
The building has a cube-like shape made of baked bricks, similar to the earliest Islamic mausoleum in Central Asia, the
Konye-Urgench Museum (Dash Mosque)
The museum is located in the Dash Mosque, a brick building that was originally a madrasa built in the early 1900s. It was first used as a mosque and later served as a madrasa before becoming a museum in the 1990s. The building is mostly square, with many rooms opening into a large courtyard. These rooms now display different exhibits.
The museum's displays include the site's history, traditional arts and crafts from the area, and the building traditions of Urgench. The largest room focuses on the history and treasures of the old city, including a detailed model of Gurgench and items like ceramic bowls, glazed tiles, children's toys, and Arabic texts. Another room highlights the history of the Dash Mosque and its construction. Behind the main building, smaller rooms that were once student bedrooms now show 19 displays about traditional crafts such as carpet making, pottery, and yurt construction.
Building tradition
For many years, Konye-Urgench was a well-known center for skilled builders. The knowledge and skills of these builders spread across the Muslim world over centuries and can be seen in the designs and structures of many buildings from the Timur period. These buildings are found in Turkmenistan and other regions, including Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, the Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and India. For example, many buildings in Samarkand were built by workers and architects from Konye-Urgench in the 14th century.
The careful work of local craftsmen and architects is shown in the detailed designs, shapes, and decorations of buildings, which have improved over time. Traditional building methods are still used today, such as the kilns in Konye-Urgench, which continue to make bricks for repairing historic buildings in the area.
Geography
Konye-Urgench has a cold desert climate, which is classified as BWk in the Köppen climate system. The summers are long and very hot, while the winters are short but very cold. Rainfall is very low throughout the year, with an average of 109 mm (4.36 in) annually.