Nomadic Melodies Under the Ayaz Kala Sun:

Dambra under the Ayaz Kala Sun

Since the dawn of the Neolithic period, music has been the soul of the Karakalpak people. Beginning with the whisper of the winds, it has woven through the centuries a tapestry of melodies that dance with time.

Among the plucked string instruments, the dombra sings with a voice that captivates. It's a type of oval lute whose long neck and resonance box hold the echo of an infinity of sounds, capable of telling the most ancient stories.

Musician playing the dombra

Karakalpakstan, a jewel now part of the Republic of Uzbekistan, stretches across the northwest of the country, covering the legendary land of Khorezm. Known to the Greeks since the 5th century BC, before the brilliance of Alexander the Great, its secrets were guarded by the fortress of Ayaz Kala, a stone sentinel that watched over the horizon from the 2nd to the 4th centuries AD.

Ayaz Kala, one of the most beautiful corners of the region, invites the soul to find peace. It is the perfect place to get lost in reverie and listen to the echo of Karakalpak nomadic music, with one's gaze lost in the majesty of its archaeological complex.

The path to this paradise is a journey in itself. Just a two-hour drive from Khiva, one enters the heart of the Kyzyl Kum desert, following the course of the great Amu Darya river. Along this route, the traveler is not alone: herds of camels and dromedaries, guardians of time, parade just as they did over three thousand years ago, their steps marking the eternal rhythm of the Silk Road.

Photos: © S&P Travel. All rights reserved.