Within the spurs of the Red Sand or, Kyzyl Kum Desert, are the remains of many desert fortresses.

The ‘wild west’ of Uzbekistan is a wonderful region of deserts with just a few yurt camps for overnight accommodation.

Ayaz Qala is the most important of the desert fortresses. Measuring a hundred and fifty by a hundred and eighty metres, the castle is up to ten metres high and has two metre thick walls. Directly within the city’s ring wall was a second wall, with an arch covering the space between.

Qirk Qiz Qala emerges from the middle of the flat, featureless desert. Almost mystically, the final sharp fragments of the castle’s former defensive towers emerge from the ground which consists mainly of gravel and is covered with low saxaul bushes that defy the desert’s strong winds with their deep-reaching roots.

Qorgoshin Qala is also of huge proportions. The qalas were the fortresses of the independent feudal lords of that time. In antiquity, the two main lifelines of Central Asia met here: water and the Silk Road.

The ancient and historic remains now help us to appreciate and understand the former greatness of the mighty desert castles.