Tas-Kichu

Tas-Kichu was a fortified caravanserai beside a stone ford on the Sagiz River. It stood on the road from Khwarazm across Ustyurt to Saraychik and the lower Volga, a chain of wells and stopping places through the dry steppe. Built of fired brick, the square building had round corner towers, rooms opening onto a central courtyard, and stoves to warm its guests.

Coins from the 1330s to the 1390s found at the site place its use in the age of the Golden Horde. Travellers crossing the Sagiz could shelter here before continuing towards the springs of Ushkan or the markets of Saraychik. Its stone ford gave the stopping place its name and made the river crossing part of the road's enduring infrastructure.