Gurgānj Dam

The dam was constructed on the Amu Darya (Oxus) river, near what is now called Konye-Urgench ("Old Gurgānj") in northern Turkmenistan.

[3][4][page needed] The dam diverted the flow of the previously forked river entirely to the Aral Sea.

[7] The dam was just one part of the city's waterworks, which included irrigation canals watering expansive agricultural fields.

[7] Destroying the dam washed away the city, the entire metropolitan area, and any surviving residents, which contributed to the overall death toll from the conquest period of the Mongol Empire.

[8] The destruction of the dam changed the course of the Oxus towards Sarygamysh Lake; it is believed that this contributed to the recession of the Aral Sea in the medieval period, although this is disputed.