About 35 km northwest of Turkestan, the ruins of Sauran stand on a flat plain — a ghost city that was once one of the most important stops on the Silk Road through Central Asia. At its peak in the 13th and 14th centuries, Sauran had a population of tens of thousands and was protected by a system of double walls that still survive in substantial sections. The distinctive qanat (underground irrigation canal) system that supplied the city's water can still be traced on the surface.
Sauran is not heavily visited and there is almost nothing in the way of interpretation on site, which gives it an atmosphere that is very different from the polished UNESCO complex in Turkestan. You walk among the ruins largely alone, which takes some imagination but rewards it. The city was gradually abandoned after the Silk Road trade shifted routes in the 15th and 16th centuries. Getting there requires a car; there is no public transport. The drive from Turkestan takes about 40 minutes.