Kyrk Kyz fortress, Termez

Kyrk Kyz is a square building, about 54 metres on each side, built of mud brick (pakhsa and sun-dried bricks). Each corner has a massive round tower, and in the middle of each side is an entrance leading through vaulted passages to a central courtyard. Around the courtyard, two storeys of rooms, corridors and halls were covered by vaults and domes, many of which have collapsed. The thick walls kept the interior cool in the fierce heat of Termez summers.

The building dates from the Samanid period, the 9th–10th centuries, when Termez was a prosperous city under the Persian Samanid dynasty, whose capital was Bukhara. It is one of the largest surviving secular buildings of that era in Central Asia.

The name comes from a legend common across Central Asia. In one version, a princess and forty girls lived in the fortress, and when enemies attacked, the young women defended it bravely. Similar legends of forty maidens are told about other ruins in the region and in the epic traditions of Turkic peoples, including the Karakalpak epic Kyrk Kyz. The legend probably has no historical basis, but it gives the ruin an evocative character.

Scholars have proposed several purposes for Kyrk Kyz:

• a country residence or palace of a ruler or wealthy family, set among the gardens and fields of the oasis;
• a fortified manor (kushk), a type of rural stronghold common in early medieval Central Asia;
• a caravanserai for travellers and merchants on the roads leading to Termez;
• a khanaka, a lodge for Sufis.

Its symmetrical plan, with four entrances and a central courtyard, has also been compared with the plan of Buddhist monasteries and later madrasahs, showing how architectural forms passed from one age and religion to another.

Mud brick and rammed earth (pakhsa) were the main building materials of Central Asia for thousands of years, from the Bronze Age to the 20th century. They are cheap, easy to make from local soil and excellent at keeping interiors cool in summer and warm in winter. But they are vulnerable to rain and erosion, which is why so many ancient buildings survive only as rounded mounds. Kyrk Kyz is unusual in how much of its structure remains standing, including vaults and arches, which makes it a valuable example of early medieval building techniques.

Location: on the eastern outskirts of Termez, in the countryside.

Getting there: by taxi or with a driver, about 15–20 minutes from the centre.

Tickets: usually free or a small fee; the site may be unattended.

Time needed: 30–45 minutes.

Tips: the ruins are fragile; stay on the paths and do not climb on walls. There is no shade or facilities, so go early and bring water. Late afternoon light makes the mud-brick walls glow.

Kyrk Kyz fits well into a day exploring the history of Termez: the Buddhist monasteries of Fayaz Tepa and Kara Tepa, the Zurmala stupa, the Sultan Saodat ensemble and the shrine of al-Hakim at-Termizi. Start or finish at the Termez Archaeological Museum, which displays finds from these sites and models of the ancient city.

Similar mud-brick fortresses can be seen in Karakalpakstan, where the desert fortresses of ancient Khorezm, such as Ayaz Kala and Toprak Kala, are among the most spectacular ruins in Central Asia.