Konye-Urgench (Köneürgenç)

Driving to Konye-Urgench from the border city of Daşoguz	Gateway to one of the towns along the highway between Daşoguz and Konye-Urgench	Welcome to Srozmetow, Turkmenistan	Welcome to Boldumsaz, Turkmenistan
3 of the 5 regional symbols used on the Turkmenistan flag	A wedding procession, one of several we saw	A canal built during the Soviet era relinks Konye-Urgench to the Amu-Darya River	The gateway to Konye-Urgench
Köneürgenç, Türkmenistan	Billboard for TMCELL on the edge of Konye-Urgench	Konye-Urgench's WWII memorial	Konye-Urgench sport center
Billboard for Türkmenbaşybank, Konye-Urgench	The historic remains of Old Urgench are in two separate areas	Konye-Urgench, the former capital of Khwarezm, a UNESCO World Heritage Site	Pathway leading to the northern set of mausoleums
Most of the visitors to Konye-Urgench are from Turkmenistan. There were very few international tourists	Sultan Ali Mausoleum, 16th C, Konye-Urgench	Nejameddin Kubra (1145-1221) Mausoleum	Sultan Ali Mausoleum, 16th C.
Layout of the architectural complex of mausoleums, Konye-Urgench	Nejameddin Kubra was killed by the Mongols in 1221. His mausoleum was constructed in the 14th C.	Mausoleum of Sultan Ali, Konye-Urgench	Mausoleum of Sultan Ali, 16th C.
Sultan Ali Mausoleum across from Nedjameddin Kubra	Nedjameddin Kubra was a mystic who founded the Kubravid School of Sufism	Nedjameddin Kubra Mausoleum	Entrance to the Nedjameddin Kubra Mausoleum
14th C. tiles, Nedjameddin Kubra Mausoleum	Tilework with Arabic calligraphy, 14th C.	Panel with missing tiles, Nedjameddin Kubra Mausoleum	Tile decorations, Nedjameddin Kubra Mausoleum
Najm-ad-Din al-Kubra Mausoleum, 14th C.	Arabic calligraphy, Kunya-Urgench	Pilgrims still come to the tomb of Ahmed Ibn Omar Najm-ad-Din al-Kubra al-Khorezmi	Entrance to the Nedjameddin Kubra Mausoleum
Piryar Vali - 17th Century	Side view of the Piryar Vali, Konye-Urgench	Mausoleum of Sultan Ali, Konye-Urgench	Minor tomb, northern architectural zone, Konye-Urgench
Rear quarter view of the Nedjameddin Kubra Mausoleum	For photography, the southern facing Mausoleum of Sultan Ali is better situated	According to the guide, the Nedjameddin Kubra Mausoleum served as the model for all the other tombs of this style in the region	Behind the Mausoleum of Sultan Ali
Nedjameddin Kubra Mausoleum	A pair of beehive tombs with an withered ancient tree	Turkmen women circling under the sacred tree for luck	Mysticism is alive in the Islam of Turkmenistan
Turkmen pilgrims in Konye-Urgench	Ger (yurt) of the Central Asian nomads	Matkerim-Ishan Mausoleum, 20th C., Konye-Urgench	Outside the Konye-Urgench Museum
Konye-Urgench Museum	Konye-Urgench Museum	Northern zone of Old Urgench	Türkem sign with the ancient monuments of Old Urgench
Lunch at the house of the guide	The simple house of the guide's family with large garden in the rear	The outhouse behind the garden	Crossing the Soviet canal, Konye-Urgench
Turabeg Khanym Mausoleum, 14th C	Mausoleum of Turabek Hanum, 14th C.	Most of the outer dome has been destroyed leaving only the inner dome intact	Some scholars believe Turabek Hanum is a 12th C. throne room rather than a mausoleum
Façade of Turabeg Khanum with 21m high portal	Mausoleum of Turabeg Khanym, south façade	A foreign tourist is still something of a spectacle in Turkmenistan, even at some of its most famous sites	Turkmen guys in front of the Mausoleum of Turabeg Khanym
The Turkmen have a very definite Asian look	Domestic tourists in Konye-Urgench, Turkmenistan	The mausoleum was built in the 14th C. by Kutlug Timur for his wife, Turabeg Khanum	Mausoleum with a bright blue sky
Portal to the Turabeg Khanum Mausoleum	The foyer, Turabeg Khanum Mausoleum	Decorative tiles - majolicas	The interior dome of Turabeg Khanum - 20m high
The dome is covered with 365 stars representing the days of the year	The exquisite dome of the Turabeg Khanum Mausoleum, Konye-Urgench	Stone lattice window, Turabeg Khanum Mausoleum	Stone lattice window, Turabeg Khanum Mausoleum
One of 24 open and closed arches representing the hours of the day	Entrance to the burial chamber (closed)	Young Turkmen touring Konye-Urgench	The entire brick structure was once covered in ornate tiles
The dome of the Mausoleum of Konye-Urgench,	Another niche that was also once covered by tile	Mausoleum of Turabeg Khanum (with my guide)	One can only image the splendor of the building before it lost most of its exterior tiles and main dome
Mausoleum of Turabeg Khanum from the southwest	Exterior detail, Mausoleum of Turabeg Khanum, Konye-Urgench	Mausoleum of Turabeg Khanum, one of the major monuments of Old Urgench	Mausoleum of Turabeg Khanum with the afternoon sun
The centuries have taken a toll	Remains of the 14th C. tiles, Turabeg Khanum	Mausoleum of Turabeg Khanum from the southeast	Mausoleum of Turabeg Khanum from the southeast
Kutlug Timur Minaret, 11th C.	60m high Kutlug Timur Minaret looks a bit like an old smokestack	Young Turkmen boy, Konye-Urgench	Mausoleum of Sayit Ahmet, a 19th C. structure built for a holy man who died around 1308
Seyit Ahmet is credited with converting the Mongols of the Golden Horde to Islam	Mausoleum of Seyit Ahmet, who died around 1308	Cenotaph, Mausoleum of Seyit Ahmet, Konye-Urgench	Mausoleum of Seyit Ahmet
Carpet in the Mausoleum of Seyit Ahmet	Dirt trail leading towards the Gutlug Timur Minaret	Looking back at the Mausoleum of Turabeg Khanym	Detail of the geometric patters of the Kutlug-Timur Minaret
Genghis Khan left only 1 minaret of the great mosque standing	Base of the Kutlug-Timur Minaret, 12m in diameter, Konye-Urgench	Kutlug-Timur Minaret	144 steps reach the top, but climbing is forbidden
A small section was added to the top of the original minaret	Kufic script on the Gutlug Timur Minaret	A ladder is needed to reach the entrance to the minaret	Entrance to the Gutlug Timur Minaret
Local tourists gathered around the base of the Gutlug Timur Minaret, Old Urgench	Gutlug Timur Minaret, Old Urgench	Base of the Gutlug Timur Minaret, Konya Urgench	60m tall Gutlug Timur Minaret
Soltan Tekesh Mausoleum, 12th C.	Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum, 12th C.	Pathway leading from the minaret to the Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum, Konye-Urgench	Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum, Konya-Urgench
Conical tiled roof of the Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum	Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum	Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum, 12th C.	Detail of the Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum
Looking back at the Gutlug Timur Minaret	Detail of the Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum	A glimpse inside the Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum	Back side of the Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum
Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum with the distant Gutlug Timur Minaret	Restoration of the Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum	Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum with the Gutlug Timur Minaret, Konye-Urgench	Kyrk Molla - Forty Mullah's Hill - the site of the unsuccessful last stand against the Mongol invaders of Genghis Khan
Il Arslan Mausoleum, the oldest of Konye-Urgench's monuments, 1172	Il Arslan (r. 1156-1172) was the father of Sultan Tekesh	The 12-sided dome of the Mausoleum of Il Arslan is unusual	Il Arslan Mausoleum, Konye-Urgench
Il Arslan Mausoleum, Konye-Urgench	Il Arslan Mausoleum, Konye-Urgench	Inside the Il Arslan Mausoleum, Konye-Urgench	Il Arslan Mausoleum, Konye-Urgench
Another group of tourists from Turkmenistan	Local tourists	...they don't get many foreign visitors here...	Turkmenistan boy taking photos of the foreign tourist
Stump of the Ma'mun Minaret - built in 1011, rebuilt in the 13th-14th C, destroyed by earthquake in 1895	Portal of a building on the edge of Konye-Urgench's southern archaeological zone	Portal, 11th-12th C., Konya-Urgench	Detail of the portal
...a bit over restored on the back side...	The distant mausoleums and great minaret of Konye-Urgench	Not much remains of the former capital of Khorezm after destruction by both Genghis Khan and Tamerlane (Timur)	Annoyingly, the driver skipped Kyrk Molla in his haste to get us back to Dasoguz...
A last view of the Gutlug Timur Minaret as we leave for Dasoguz	Donkey cart, Konye-Urgench	Soviet-era World War II monument, Konye-Urgench	İoluňyz Ak Bolsun! Zyıaratyňyz Kabul Bolsun!
Goodbye Konye-Urgench!	The road back to Dashoguz	Road construction, Turkmenistan	Ancient Fortress of Boldumsaz destroyed by the Mongols
Turkmenistan license plate (Dashoguz)	Flag of Turkmenistan on the license plate