Urgench, Uzbekistan

Urgench, Uzbekistan

Geographical coordinates: 41°33′N 60°38′E
Former names: Gurgandj, New Urganch
Elevation: 91 m
Popular languages Uzbek, Russian, Karakalpak
Time zone: UTC+5
Population: 190 000 (2018) - wiki2.org/en
Nationals: Uzbek, Tajik, Russian, Tatar
Phone code: +998 62
Zip code: 2201XX
Automobile codes: 90

Urgench is a small town in western Uzbekistan, the center of Khorezm region and transport hub for the entire area. It can serve as a great starting point for travel in Western Uzbekistan for anyone looking to explore the farther reaches of the country. Just thirty kilometers southwest of Urgench is the ancient city of Khiva, which some have likened to a live museum. Fifty kilometers to the north you’ll find the ruins of several thousand-year-old fortresses, including Toprak-Kala, Kyzyl-Kala and Ayaz-Kala.

The city of Urgench, Uzbekistan should not be confused with Kunya-Urgench in Turkmenistan. Kunya-Urgench was once a thriving city on the banks of the Amu-Darya, but the city began to die. Amu-Darya then founded New Urgench there in 1646, and in 1929, the New Urgench began to simply be called Urgench.

In Urgench there are no historical or cultural attractions, and the city serves mainly as a transport hub – there’s a railway station and an international airport, to which regular flights from Tashkent and Moscow are made. From Urgench tourists in Uzbekistan can easily travel to Khiva, to the fortresses of Khorezm, to Dashoguz (Turkmenistan) and further on to Kunya-Urgench.