Little Kyz Kala

Little Kyz Kala stands in the western outskirts of the ancient city of Merv, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Turkmenistan's Mary region, roughly 140 metres from its larger counterpart, the Great Kyz Kala. Both structures were built in the late 8th or early 9th century, during the period when Merv lay under Abbasid Caliphate rule, and are believed to have served as fortified residences for members of the city's ruling class. The name, Turkic for 'Maiden Fortress,' is attached to both buildings. Little Kyz Kala was roughly a quarter of the size of its neighbor, about 20 by 20 metres, and like it was originally two storeys tall, constructed from raw and fired brick in the distinctive corrugated-wall style characteristic of Merv's castle architecture. Unlike the comparatively well-preserved Great Kyz Kala, centuries of erosion have reduced Little Kyz Kala to fragmentary walls and the remains of its internal corridors.