Urgench, also known as Gurganj, is a municipality and ancient town in north Turkmenistan, located just south of the border with Uzbekistan. It had been founded and fortified by the 5th century BC, and it was located on the south side of the Amu Darya (Oxus) River at a crossroads of the Silk Road in the ancient region of Khwarezm. It was conquered by the Arabs in 712 and named "Gurgandj", and, from the 10th to the 14th centuries, it was the capital of the Khwarazmian Empire and a major trade hub. In 1221, during the Mongol conquest of Khwarezmia, Genghis Khan devastated the city and massacred its population. It soon recovered, returning to its former status as a bustling trade hub. In 1373, Urgench was conquered by Timur, who razed Urgench to the ground, massacred its population, destroyed Urgench's irrigation system, and planted barley on the site, leaving only one mosque standing. The sudden change of the Amu Darya's course led to the abandonment of Urgench in the 16th century, as Khiva became the new capital of the Khanate of Khiva. In the early 19th century, the area was resettled by Turkmen settlers, who used the city's ruins as a gravesite. Meanwhile, starting in 1643, another city called Urgench was built across the border in Uzbekistan. By 2018, the Uzbek Urgench had a population of 190,000 people.
Gallery[]
