Can tourists visit Mizdakhan Necropolis?

The Mizdakhan Necropolis sits just outside Nukus, in the Karakalpakstan region, and it is now fully open for tourists to come see it. It’s one of the most striking and also pretty expansive ancient pilgrimage places across Central Asia.

Spread over three hills, this sprawling city of the dead has this odd but compelling mix of Zoroastrian and Islamic burial customs. Guests can wander freely between thousands of graves, old mausoleums, and the crumbled Madrasah of Yerezhep Khalfa. People also talk about it like it has real myth weight; locals say the “World Clock” structure up on the hill is slowly shedding bricks, and the world will end once the very last brick drops.