Kirk Keyes Fortress

The unique building "Kirk Keys" ("Forty Girls"), which has been attracting the attention of researchers for a long time, was at various times considered a palace, a monastery, a caravanserai, a khanaka, or even just an ordinary civilian building. Kirk Keys Complex is located 3 km from the ancient city of Termez. Traditions associate it with the famous folk legend about how Princess Gulayim and her forty girls bravely fought against the attacking nomads.

Kirk Keys is a square-shaped building with brick walls 54 meters long. The building was protected from all sides by powerful towers. The building is criss-crossed by two passageways and divides it into four equal parts. In the middle of the building there is a small courtyard (11.5x11.5m), which according to some scientists was covered with a dome, according to others was an open courtyard.

Almost all parts of the building have an identical architectural plan. They consist of five rooms that open onto the front hall. Only in the south-western part there was a large room that was used as a living room.

Time has not spared the building. The plaster from the walls has long been crumbling, but there are still traces of intricate paintings on the vaults of the ceilings. When you inspect the ruins of the fortress, you can't help but be surprised by the variety of masonry vaults, arches, domes, and the complex architectural design of walls, interiors, friezes, niches, and openings.…