In
1717, Russian Prince Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky landed and established a
secret fortified settlement on this location, where the dry bed of a former
mouth of the Amu-Darya River once emptied into the Caspian Sea. His intent was
to march an army up this dry riverbed and conquer the Khanate of Khiva. The
expedition failed, and the Russians abandoned the settlement for over 150
years. Krasnovodsk
In 1869, the Russians made a second and latest attempt. They named
