Urganch District

Setting and history

The district borders Xonqa to the east, Qo‘shko‘pir and Shovot to the west, Yangibozor to the northwest, Karakalpakstan across the Amu Darya to the north and Khiva District to the south. It is low-lying, about 100 metres above sea level, on soils laid down by the river. Formed in the 1920s–30s, it was briefly abolished in the early 1960s and restored in 1964. Its centre is the village of Qorovul, and Chalish on the Amu Darya is its only urban settlement.

With 223,700 people at the start of 2026 it is Khorezm’s most populous district, living from cotton, grain, rice, orchards and livestock.

What to see

In the Turkmenlar quarter of Gaybu village stands Ulli Hovli, a 17th-century earthen compound restored in 2013–2015 as an ethnographic attraction. Near Chalish you can get down to the banks of the Amu Darya.