Mizdakhan Necropolis

Mizdakhan lies on low hills near the town of Khodjeyli, close to the Turkmen border, about 20 kilometres west of Nukus. It was once one of the larger cities of Khorezm: a settlement grew here from at least the fourth century BC, with a fortress, Gyaur-Kala, on the neighbouring hill. Over the centuries the city declined, especially after the campaigns of Timur in the late fourteenth century, but the cemetery never stopped being used. It remains a sacred place, and local families still bury their dead here.

Layers of belief

Before Islam, the people of Khorezm followed Zoroastrian rites, exposing the dead to be cleaned by birds and then keeping the bones in clay ossuaries; many have been found at Mizdakhan. Muslim tombs followed, and the hill gradually filled with domed mausoleums, small mosques and simple graves in clay.

The main monuments

• The Mausoleum of Mazlumkhan Sulu, partly underground, with fine glazed tilework, generally dated to the fourteenth century. A legend tells of a princess and the architect she loved
• The Mausoleum of Shamun Nabi, a long, low building with a row of domes, traditionally said to hold the grave of a prophet of giant stature
• The Mausoleum of Erezhep Khalfa, one of the most visited shrines on the hill
• The so-called “world clock”, a ruined structure from which, legend says, a brick falls every year; when the last falls, the world will end. Pilgrims add bricks to delay it

Legends

Mizdakhan is said in local tradition to be the burial place of Adam, and in Zoroastrian lore it is linked with Gayomart, the first man. These are traditions, not history, but they explain the reverence with which visitors treat the site.

Experiencing it

Walk slowly and respectfully: this is an active cemetery. Dress modestly and do not photograph mourners. Late afternoon light on the domes is beautiful, and from the hill you can see across to Gyaur-Kala.