DEHISTAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

The main archeological remains date from the third phase of development of the region, between the Xe and the xivth century. The city covered an area of 200 ha and included a citadel surrounded by residential quarters. The citadel was apparently protected by two rows of ramparts with guet towers. These protections did not allow Khorezm Shahs who lived in the place to resist the Mongolian armies, who were largely devastated in the thirteenth century. Mistriane, however, managed to recover after the Mongols, but only to settle around a century later, terrassed by a much more ruthless enemy than the Mongols: desertification.
From this past splendor, few remains are still standing. Nevertheless, some of the ramparts were retained. Two xiiith century minarets are still in good condition, and mosque doors are still in the middle of the desert.