Lost in the sands of the Kyzyl Kum desert, around 50 citadels once constituted a defence network for the province of Khorezm and played a trading role between the sedentary population and nomadic groups. All of them disappeared during the Mongol invasions, and the ruins have now lost much of their original military architecture to the whims of erosion. Often in elevated positions, as with Ayaz Kala Djambaz Kala, they preside over spectacular desert landscape that is conducive to hiking and camel rides.