Nukus

Setting and history

Nukus lies in central Karakalpakstan on the right bank of the Amu Darya at 109 metres above sea level, hemmed in by the Kyzylkum to the south and east and the river delta to the north, and crossed by the Kyzketken canal. It had 349,400 residents at the start of 2026, and its name is thought to come from the old Karakalpak Nukus clan.

In November 1930 the decision was taken to move the seat of the autonomy from Turtkul to Nukus, which became the capital on 1 April 1932. By the 1950s the small settlement had grown into a modern city of wide avenues and large public buildings.

What to see

The headline sight is the Savitsky State Museum of Arts. The city also has the State Museum of History and Culture of Karakalpakstan, the Berdakh museum of Karakalpak literature, the Berdakh music theatre and Karakalpak State University. The Mizdahkan complex lies about 20 km to the west.