The number of Forty in the East has always been mystic and sacral number. Everything could be divided by forty – number of warriors, presents and days of sacred prayers. Number of Forty provides holiness to any place, and generated amazing legends, where truth and fiction intertwined so closely, that it was not possible to distinguish the edge, where the history ended and fairy tales began.

Kyrk-Kyz – Forty Girls Palace keeps many secrets of its history of architecture. Its mudbrick walls still keep shape of former greatness, and ruins impress. Narrow passages, halls, arcs, levels – with rich imagination it is possible to see the entire beauty of the construction, located under the hot sky of Termez.

It is more than thousand years old, and it can be excused for these ruins. What modern building could stand for so many centuries? Even walls, remains of grand passages and arcs, petrified in inconceivable curves and countervailing atmospheric pressure …

Who has built it – it is unknown. For whom it was built – the same. Designation is dim – either the palace, or khanaka, or monastery, or caravansary. But history doesn’t stand the emptiness, and is filled with fairy tales and legends, and some of them are fairly fanciful and unconventional.

Rumors persistently inhabit the tower with forty girls and according to different versions these girls were either daughters of padishah or forty beautiful warrioresses.

Forty beautiful Amazons, protecting Termez  from cruel conqueror. How do you like this legend? The siege of the castle lasted for forty days, and girls died one after another, each, taking with her forty enemies to kingdom come– they were fighting so fearlessly. And only one heretog left, who was fighting to the last.  The castle was fired from all the sides, and wounded Amazon came out of the castle, in full military vestment and with the armory in hands, and looking bravely at the eyes of the conquerors, dared him to a fight. The last and deadly one. No doubts, that she would be the winner. And that was what the conqueror thought about – is it so honorable to win wounded girl? But if this tigress would kill him during the battle, the dishonor would fall on his troops and state.

He gave a bow to the warrioress and quit a siege, leaving the castle Kyrk-Kyz. Did this really happen that way, or elsewise – we do not know. But you should admit that the legend is harmonious and beautiful.

But most of the history scientists abandon themselves to the idea, that this citadel accommodated women’s university. Yes, you didn’t mishear, medieval Moslems were very educated, versified and knew algebra. The time saved the name of tutoress Rukhaida Binti Varok, poetess, expert of Koran, the most educated woman.

Termez is full of secrets. And this version seems the most approximating to the truth. What had happened with the women’s university – it is difficult to say. Perhaps, times of reactions came, when women were muffled up in black rags and were prohibited to touch books. Perhaps, the fortress was attacked. Maybe, it was burnt. Its sun-dried walls keep silence, allowing us only to touch them and speculate.