Merv: the ruins of one of the great cities of the Silk Road

At a glance

• Where: in south-eastern Turkmenistan, about 30 km east of the city of Mary.
• How long: a half-day to a full day.
• Best time: April–May and September–October; start early in the warm months.
• Getting there: about 3.5 hours by road from Ashgabat, or from the Farap border near Bukhara.

Interesting facts

• UNESCO listed the State Historical and Cultural Park "Ancient Merv" in 1999.
• Merv is not one city but several, built side by side over 2,000 years: Erk Kala goes back to the Persian Achaemenid empire (6th–4th century BC), Gyaur Kala was rebuilt by the Greek Seleucid king Antiochus I in the 3rd century BC, and Sultan Kala was walled by the Seljuk sultans in the 11th and 12th centuries.
• Around 1150 Merv may have had some 200,000 people, which would have made it the largest city in the world at the time.
• In 1221 Merv surrendered to Tolui, son of Genghis Khan. The Mongols sacked it, and the city never fully recovered.
• The mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, built around 1157, is about 38 m high and has a double dome, one inside the other.

What to see

Begin at the mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, the last great Seljuk ruler, a massive brick cube whose dome survived the Mongols and centuries of earthquakes. Then drive between the long earth walls of Sultan Kala and Gyaur Kala to the citadel of Erk Kala, from whose rim you can see the whole site.

Most striking of all are the two Kyz Kalas, the Great and the Small "maiden's castles": early medieval fortified palaces whose mud-brick walls are folded into deep vertical ribs. Finish at the mausoleum of Muhammad ibn Zeyd, still a place of pilgrimage. With more time, Gonur Depe, about 60 km north of Mary, is a Bronze Age city from around 2400–1600 BC.

Important notes

• Sun and distance: the site is spread over many kilometres with little shade. You travel between the monuments by car.
• Pilgrimage sites: some mausoleums are holy places; dress modestly and follow your guide's lead.
• Do not climb the walls: the mud brick is fragile.
• Photographs: allowed at the monuments, but not of police or official buildings in Mary.

What to bring

• A sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen.
• Plenty of water.
• Comfortable shoes for sandy, uneven ground.
• Modest clothes for the mausoleums.

Merv is on our 4-day crossings between Khiva and Bukhara and the 5-day tour from Ashgabat.