Toprak — kala (I-IV century AD) — Asia Travel

karakalpakstan8Toprak — kala is a ground a fortress, dubbed so by the local population, the ruins of once majestic building. The town was located on the territory of Ellikalin area, excavations began in 1940 year. Its name (ellik — fifty, kala — castle) the district received because of the many castles that were concentrated close to each other. Now, the damaged by time, the castle is a rectangular structure with dimensions of 500 x 350 meters. The total length of the perimeter walls is more than a kilometer, and the height reaches 8-9 meters in some places. The castle was severely damaged. Only the south — east corner is well preserved, but even seeing only this, it is easy to imagine the grand scale of the ancient building. Several buildings survived on the territory, suggest that one of the neighborhoods was traditionally built up with the temple buildings. During the excavations of one of them many interesting artifacts ware found: the horns of argali-sheep, decorated with gold bracelets, around which numerous tributes laid, glass vessels, fragments of alabaster sculpture, ornaments. Here and there wall paintings depicting figures of warriors in the hall of kings the fragments of statues of emperors of unfired clay preserved.