Previously, I shared a photo of Ayaz Kala, one of the defensive hilltop forts of ancient Khorezm. In contrast, this image shows Toprak Kala, a much larger and more complex site that once served as the capital of the Khorezmian Kingdom between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE.
Located about 35 km northeast of Khiva, in the Karakalpakstan region of Uzbekistan, Toprak Kala was not built for defense but for governance, ceremony, and daily life. The site includes the remains of a palace, temples, and residential buildings, all made from mudbrick. It was an organized urban center with a clear layout, wall paintings, and columned halls.
Unlike Ayaz Kala's remote, elevated position, Toprak Kala sits on open desert ground, closer to the once irrigated fertile lands. Today, the ruins are quiet and mostly untouched, offering a unique window into what life might have looked like in this once-powerful desert capital.
