Kyzylkala, or Kzylkala (Red Fortress), was a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

trading settlement on the Silk Road, situated close to the mountain

Sherkala Sherkala ( kk, Шерқала, Şerqala, شەرقالا) is a mountain in Mangystau Province, western Kazakhstan, close to the town of Shetpe (Шетпе, ''Şetpe'', شەتپە). It has been described as looking like a piala, yurt or Sphinx w ...

. The town developed around the 10th century with the arrival of settlers from

Khorezm Khwarazm (; Old Persian: ''Hwârazmiya''; fa, خوارزم, ''Xwârazm'' or ''Xârazm'') or Chorasmia () is a large oasis region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia, bordered on the north by the (former) Aral Sea, on the ...

, and declined in the 13th century after the

Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...

conquest of Khorezm. This decay was reinforced by changes in the level of the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

, which caused caravans to take a new route, bypassing Kyzylkala. According to

al-Khwārizmī Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī ( ar, محمد بن موسى الخوارزمي, Muḥammad ibn Musā al-Khwārazmi; ), or al-Khwarizmi, was a Persian polymath from Khwarazm, who produced vastly influential works in mathematics, astronom ...

Kyzylkala was founded by the invading Sheikh of Khorezm Astsyz after conquering Mankashlak in 1138. Remains of several buildings including fortifications, an extensive caravanserai, mausoleum and three ovens have been identified. Remains of Oguz,

pottery and stone

talc Talc, or talcum, is a clay mineral, composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with the chemical formula Mg3Si4O10(OH)2. Talc in powdered form, often combined with corn starch, is used as baby powder. This mineral is used as a thickening agent a ...

vessels originating from Sultan-Uizdag mountain have been found. But coins have never been found either here or at Sherkala, implying that only

barter In trade, barter (derived from ''baretor'') is a system of exchange in which participants in a transaction directly exchange goods or services for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money. Economists disti ...

ing occurred.

References

Former populated places in Kazakhstan {{Kazakhstan-geo-stub