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Kunya-Urgench

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The brick Turabeg Khanym Mausoleum at Kunya-Urgench, with tall arched niches and a turquoise-tiled dome, under a light blue sky.

Photo: John Pavelka from Austin, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Velayat
Kunya-Urgench is located in the territory of Dashoguz velayat of Turkmenistan. (UNESCO World Heritage List open data (whc001), id_no 1199; checked · next check due )
What it is
Kunya-Urgench is situated in north-western Turkmenistan, on the left bank of the Amu Daria River. (UNESCO World Heritage List open data (whc001), id_no 1199; checked · next check due )
Urgench was the capital of the Khorezm region, part of the Achaemenid Empire. (UNESCO World Heritage List open data (whc001), id_no 1199; checked · next check due )
UNESCO World Heritage
Kunya-Urgench was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2005 as a cultural property. (UNESCO World Heritage List open data (whc001), id_no 1199; checked · next check due )
Named as a restricted area by
Government of Germany advice: Planned trips to border areas (for example Dashoguz velayat) … must already be declared in the visa procedure. (Turkmenistan: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise, translated by the editor; checked · next check due )

Tall brick monuments rising from a quiet plain.

History and what you see

The old town contains a series of monuments mainly from the 11th to 16th centuries, including a mosque, the gates of a caravanserai, fortresses, mausoleums and a 60-m high minaret. (UNESCO World Heritage List open data (whc001), id_no 1199; checked · next check due )

The monuments testify to outstanding achievements in architecture and craftsmanship whose influence reached Iran and Afghanistan, and later the architecture of the Mogul Empire of 16th-century India. (UNESCO World Heritage List open data (whc001), id_no 1199; checked · next check due )

The Islamic sacred objects concentrated in this city are exceptionally popular places for pilgrims and serve attractive objects for the international tourism. (UNESCO World Heritage List open data (whc001), id_no 1199; checked · next check due )

Getting there from Ashgabat

  • 480 km north of Ashgabat, near the old bed of the Amu Darya, where two of the most important caravan routes crossed… (Embassy of Turkmenistan in Ukraine, news item 1175, , translated by the editor; checked · next check due )

Ask your agency how your trip gets here.

Getting to Turkmenistan: flights, borders and permits

When to go

Seasons, heat and the dates that matter are on our When to go page.

Travel safely and respectfully

The Turkmen can be sensitive about having their picture taken without their consent. (Turkmenistan travel advice; checked · next check due )

  • The borders with Afghanistan and Iran are particularly sensitive, with access to areas near these borders being tightly restricted. (Turkmenistan travel advice, ; checked · next check due )
  • Areas bordering Iran, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, including the city of Dashoguz and areas of the Caspian coast, are restricted zones. You must obtain permission from the Government of Turkmenistan to travel to these areas. (Government of Canada, Turkmenistan travel advice, ; checked · next check due )
  • Certain parts of Turkmenistan have been designated as 'restricted' and special permits are required from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to travel there. Check the situation with your local guide before travelling outside the capital. (Ireland DFA, Turkmenistan travel advice, ; checked · next check due )
  • The visa does not cover restricted and border areas. Planned trips to border areas (for example Dashoguz velayat) and nature reserves (for example Repetek) must already be declared in the visa procedure. Special travel permits, issued by the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry for Nature Protection, may also be needed. When you book a trip with a travel agency, the agency normally obtains the permits needed. (Turkmenistan: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise, , translated by the editor; checked · next check due )
  • Visiting border zones (including the national tourist zone "Avaza" on the Caspian Sea) requires a special permit. (МИД России, Консульский департамент: «Туркменистан — Информация о стране», translated by the editor; checked · next check due )

Restricted border areas: every government's list, with its date

Before you go: safety, laws and photography

Access

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