This fortress was built in the IV-III century BC, XII-XIII century AD. Guldursun is located 20 kilometers in the east of Beruniy city and 26 kilometers in the north-east of Turtkul city in Karakalpakstan. Large Guldursun is one of the largest border fortresses of Khorezm, which was built on an ancient place, empty fortress. This fortress is an irregular rectangle of 350×230 meters in a shape, the corners oriented to the cardinal. Outer wall of mud and large format bricks preserved well till present days. The corners together with semicircular towers protrude from the wall about 18 meters. During archaeological excavations a number of ancient and medieval pottery, bronze crafts and decoration, antique and medieval coins were found there. According to finds, the last period of the habitation refers to 1220 year, Muhammad Khoresmshakh’s rule, Mongols invasion to the ancient Khorezm.
And name of this fortress is associated with one of the scariest legends about love Guldursun. Once Guldursun called Gulistan – flower petals. It was a very beautiful city, which was ruled by old Sultan, who had a beautiful daughter. But suddenly the trouble came from the step, sweeping away everything in its way.
Inhabitants courageously fought against them, but day after day, all stocks were eaten famine. People fed one bull to dump with remaining grain from the royal granaries and released outside the city wall. Kalmyks also ranked raging hunger, caught and stabbed it, and when they saw that its stomach was stuffed with selected grains, military commanders demanded to lift the siege. Because if they so fed cattle, then didn’t anything, and therefore, the city unapproachable. But daughter of Sultan – Guldursun fell in love with the leader of Kalmiks, sent him letter. There she described the true situation. Kalmyks remained; the city fellwas burned and looted. And when traitor led to Kalmyk leader, he looked at her and said, “If she had betrayed his father’s enemies and his people because of her feelings, what can wait for me when someone else will awaken her heart? Tie it to the tails of wild stallions, anyone else she could not betray. ”
Terrible death befell perfidious beauty, but since this place has been called in her honor – Guldursun.
