Dzhanbas-Kala

(Dzhanbaskala), the ruins of a fortress that existed from the fourth century B.C. to the first century A.D. in the desert of Kyzylkum in Turtkul’ Raion, Kara-Kalpak ASSR. The stronghold’s defensive walls form a rectangle with dimensions of 200 m by 170 m. The rectangle, which is occupied by residential buildings, is divided into two large blocks. Excavations in 1939 under S. P. Tolstov cleared living quarters and the remains of a communal sanctuary of fire. The population of Dzhanbas-Kala engaged in agriculture and the raising of livestock. In the region of the fortress, dwelling sites of the primitive age, including the Kel’teminar culture (Dzhanbas-4), have been discovered.