Arandjan tugai, with the ruins of Uch-Keran (seemingly
also called Kavakli), on the left bank, whilst
opposite are two ruined castles, with a legend worthy
of the banks of the Rhine.
One is called Kyz-kala, or Maiden fortress, and the
other that of her lover, Im- or Djiguitt-kala. Kyz-
kala is an extensive ruin, situated on the top of a hill
about a mile from the river, and enclosing 13 acres of
land. W e could discern from the river the remains
of a gateway, apparently of burnt brick, and we were
told that it contains still a bath and a prison. There
is a subterranean aqueduct from this ruin to the river,
and a well inside the fortress. Even the woodwork
may be seen, and the well, being built of baked brick,
is admirably preserved. The ruins on the banks of
the Amu are said to be of two kinds, namely, fortresses
o f considerable strength, such as Kyz-kala, for the protection
of the frontier, and fortified caravansaries to
afford shelter to passing caravans. Somewhat to the
south, and near the Amu, is the ruin of the fortress
of Djiguitt-kala, anciently enclosing 8, but now 3,
acres of land. Here also was visible a cupola over
the bath, but both places are uninhabited. The
legendary origin o f these two was given me as follows :
About 400 years ago there lived a princess, who did
not wish to be married, whereupon she ran away into
the Steppe, and built Kyz-kala, wherein to live in single
blessedness. Her lover followed, and erected Djiguitt-
kala near, but to no purpose ; for the damsel remained
obdurate. Soon, however, it came to pass that she
was at a loss for water, and determined to excavate a
subterranean way to the river ; but the lover discovered
this, and stopped it up, whereupon the princess fled, and
her lover after her, and they were never heard of more 1
A t 10.15 we came to three boats near the bank, and
8 miles from the lovers’ fortresses we passed, on the
left hand, the ruins of Eshik-rabat, in a tugai of that
name, and, on the opposite bank, Kheik tugai. A t
1.45 I judged the cliffs on our right to be from 60
to 80 feet high, and half an hour later we passed, on
the left bank, a wood of small deciduous trees, within
sight of the ruined town of Daiakatyn-kala, said to
have been built in the time of Abdullah Khan. The
mud walls and a high gateway, apparently of burnt
brick, were visible, and on the opposite bank was a
stone erected in memory of a hero, who, it was said,
used to ride across the river (from Kok-oguz-kala ?) to
the town. A little further on were the ruins of a
fortress and tomb, named after a saint, one Kitmenchi-
baba. Opposite is the large Shurtankali tugai, 4 versts
along the bank, and on the map is marked the T ek ke
ferry, the first below the' one at Kabakli, where, by
the side of the place we landed, we had seen a
Turkoman barge proceeding in the same direction as
ourselves. A t 3.20, the banks on the right I judged
to be from 40 to 50 feet high, and sandy. Yakoob
here went ashore to find some large stones, if possible,
whereon to rest his kettle in the boat during cooking
operations, but he was obliged to return with lumps
of earth. A t 4.15 we had on our right the Gurli
tugai, where we saw a shepherd with a staff indeed,
but straight, the Bokhariot staff having no crook. A t
5 o’clock we were floating between lofty banks on
either side of the river, the right cliff some distance
from the water now j though I should suppose, when
the river is high, the stream touches both cliffs.
A t sunset the men wished to stop. This I endeavoured
to prevent, reminding them that my reward