Mizdahkan

Mizdahkan (Persian: مزدهقان)^[1] is an archeological complex and the place of the ancient Iranian Khwarazmians, not far from the town of Xoʻjayli in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan.^[2] This archaeological complex of structures is located 40 minutes from the city of Nukus.^[3]

History

Mizdahkan complex occupies a square of 200 hectares. Its two fortresses were built in the 9th-12th centuries.^[4] The ossuary burial ground occupies the entire western half of the hill.^[5] The last burial in the necropolis dates back to the 14th century.

The Mongols under Genghis Khan massacred the Iranian inhabitants of the area and after a certain time, the complex was demolished in 1338 during the Tamerlane expedition to Konye-Urgench.^[6]

In the legends, Keyumars (or Gayōmart), who was neither male nor female but was the first human on Earth (according to the Zoroastrian mythology), is related to this site.^[7] In Mizdahkan, there is an underground mausoleum of Princess Mazlum Khan Sulu.^[8]

Sources

• Mizdakhan Necropolis. Khorezm Tourist Attractions. (2022). Centralasia-travel.com. Retrieved 23 April 2022.