Plan a trip to Urgench

Although charming in its own way, this small city is most a stopover on the way to Khiva, or a base for visiting nearby fortresses.

Urgench is a city in western Uzbekistan. It is the capital of the Khorezm Region, on the Amu Darya River and the Shavat canal. The history of the city goes back to the second half of the 19C. The city should not be confused with the similarly-named city of Konya-Urgench (also known as "Old Urgench" or "Gurgench") in Turkmenistan. The city of Old Urgench was left after the Amu Darya river changed its course in the 16C, leaving the old town high and dry and without water. New Urgench was founded by Russians in the second half of the 19C at the site of a little trade station of the Khanate of Khiva.