Mizdakhan

Mizdakhan spreads over low hills near the border with Turkmenistan, a short drive from Nukus. People have buried their dead here for a very long time, from Zoroastrian times through the Islamic centuries to the present, and the slopes are covered with graves old and new.

Among the buildings, the half-underground mausoleum of Mazlum Khan Sulu stands out for its tiled interior, reached down a short flight of steps. On another hill, the long tomb attributed to Shamun Nabi is a focus of local pilgrimage.

A local legend says that a ruined mausoleum here is the world's clock: visitors add a brick to it, and when it is rebuilt completely the world will end. You will see small piles of bricks left by pilgrims. Nearby rise the walls of Gyaur-Kala, the fortress of the old town.