OXUS
Three Women, One River
OXUS
Three Women, One River
OXUS
Three Women, One River
OXUS
Three Women, One River
OXUS
Three Women, One River

The history of the Amul Fortress

Rising above the landscape on the southern outskirts of the modern settlement of Turkmenabat is a prominent flat-topped hill. It looks as if it could be a mesa, a landform typical of the deserts of North America. On closer inspection, however, and particularly when it is viewed from the air, it becomes clear that this is no natural hill because it is just too regular. It is, in fact, what remains of one of the most significant settlements on the Oxus/Amu Darya River and a key trading post on the Silk Route. It is Amul. 

On the evidence of archaeological discoveries of coins of the Kushan Kingdom, it is believed that Amu was founded in the 1st century CE. It grew significantly after the Arab Conquest and, by the 9th century, was a bustling and wealthy trading centre. Mediaeval authors such as Al-Istakhri, Yakut Hamawi, Al-Masut, Ibn-Khordabeg, and Al-Maqdis all wrote about the rich bazaars of Amul.

What was the secret of its success? It was a node along two trading routes, both related to the Oxus/Amu Darya River. All along this river, crossing points were typified by pairs of fortresses either side of the channel (in this case, Amul’s twin fortress on the other bank was Farap), and trading caravans were therefore funnelled and controlled in specific locations. From Amul/Farap, a land route went westwards through Merv to Persia and the Mediterranean; and eastwards through Bukhara and eventually to China. The second trade route through Amul was the river itself, with goods being brought down it from Afghanistan, many of which had originated in India. In short, therefore, Amul was a focus for the trade that reached across a continent. 

The importance of Amul is further exemplified by the fact that it is likely to have been the origin of the very name of the river that flows past it. As is common in this region and over time, the name “Amul” has varied, sometimes being Amuya, Amuye and often Amu. From these names, the river became the Amu Darya, literally the “Amul River”. 

Destroyed in 1220 by the Mongols, Amul rose to flourish again by the 15th century, by which time it had acquired a new name: Chajui (Chardzhui), which means “Four Streams”. From the 16th century, it was under the rule of the Bukhara Khanate, and a palace known as “Bek’s Fortress” was built on top of the flat-topped citadel. Interestingly, despite its name change, by the time that Europeans were exploring the region in the 18th and 19th centuries, the location on their maps was again being called “Amul” in addition to Chardzhui. 

British army officer Alexander Burns, visiting in 1832, wrote that Amul/Chardzhui was protected by “a beautiful fortification standing on a hill dominating the city.” He estimated the number of residents of the town to be 4–5 thousand people. By the 1890s, photographs were even being taken of the old structures, most notably by one of the early pioneers of the medium, Frenchman Paul Nadar. What now remains, significantly diminished from its heyday thanks to neglect and stripping for building material, is a 9-hectare ruin, the centre of a 50-hectare site that has UNESCO World Heritage List status as a transnational nomination.