The exact period when Old Urgench (Kunya Urgench) was founded is unknown. The city is mentioned in Avesta, the holy book of Zoroastrians. It is definitely much older than 2500 years old. At different times it has different names, such as Urva, Khangird, Gurganj, and Urgench.
Old Urgench witnessed Alexnder the Great, Genghiz Khan and Tamerlane and survived their raids. The only reason that caused final fall of the great city was the change in the course of Amudarya, one of the two great rivers in the region. The river moved to the north and so did the people, leaving the old city to slowly die in the desert.
Now the ruins of Old Urgench is a magnet attracting thousand of tourists annually. The site is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
