Merv is one of the key highlights of a trip to Turkmenistan, being one of the oldest oasis-cities on the Silk Road. There are many reasons for visiting the archaeological site, despite the long journey involved in getting there.
What fascinated many tourists including me, is that, during the course of the city’s governance by a series of rulers, it developed through the addition of a new town next to the previous ruler’s town.
If you’ve previously traveled to other ancient cities, you’d be familiar with the typical history, where a new ruler would destroy the previous town and develop his own on top of it as a way of demonstrating his conquest.
Yet this has generally not been the case throughout Merv’s history. Every time a new ruler came in, he neither destroyed nor abandoned the town built by the previous ruler, but instead developed his own town alongside the former one. This may suggest that, first, political and merchant activities were conducted separately in this region, and second, the benefits derived from the huge trade volumes carried out in this Silk-Road region were too large for any of the successive rulers to ignore.
As a result, this historical site contains the ruins of five successive towns at one site. With traders from many countries and regions, including Persians, Arabs, Turks, Mongols, Uzbeks, and Sughds, alongside people from all over the world, this city must have been an exciting metropolis throughout its long history!
Getting on the dusty roads to Merv
The process for obtaining a visa and entering Turkmenistan is a little tedious. Additionally, getting to Merv is not a quick and easy journey. Located 40km away from Mary, a bumpy and dusty drive, although the countryside scenery continuously caught my eyes.
Start with Erk-Kala and Gyaur Kala, the oldest towns in its history
The oldest remains in Merv date back to the Bronze Age (25-12th centuries BC). The first written references of the city were found in Avestian chronicles from the 8-6th centuries B.C. It’s interesting to note that Zoroastrianism was the oldest religion here, which is Erk-Kala (6-4th centuries BC). The round shape of the entire wall, of which can be seen from the top of the hill, is very beautiful.
Gyaur Kala is situated to the south of Erk-Kala, surrounded by 2km-long walls. According to the guide book, a number of important artifacts have been found here to support the notion that multiple religions once existed here (and although they may not all have been founded during the same area, they did co-exist over generations) – from mosques, to a Zoroastrian holy place, a Christian temple, and a Buddhist monastery.
Probably the most magnificent buildings – Kyz Kala
Great Kyz Kala and Little Kyz Kala are two of the most outstanding fortified buildings in the historical park. Dating back to the 8-9th century, they have a very unique and distinctive exterior design. The guide told us it is still not known what the buildings were used for, although they were thought to have served as both a rule’s residence and as offices.
Find the jewel of Islamic arts on the Silk Road
Lastly, Medieval Sultan Kala was walled in the 11th century, with many religious monuments constructed within the complex. Mauseleum of Sultan Sanjar is one such monument, which we are actually able to visit today as a result of restoration works. The building is a simple cube topped by a two-layered-dome. While the interior certainly feels a little sparse today, we can nevertheless imagine how beautifully it would have been decorated with Islamic geometric and symmetrical design at that time.
There are also various other interesting spots to drop by within the cultural site, for example, many mausoleums and ruins. There are also hills that you can climb for a view of the walls of Kala. Here is a modern mosque situated in the park, which the people of today go to and pray. It’s decorated with beautiful Islamic patterns in the typical color combinations used in present-day Turkmenistan, and future generations may come to discover it as a historical spot from the town.
Getting there: First, get to Mary, which is served by domestic flights from Ashgabat. Merv is then 40km from Mary. It’s highly recommended to hire a local guide and a driver to take you from Mary to Merv.
How long to spend there: It’s possible to travel from Mary to Merv and come back again in half a day. However, since Mary has a few things to see and do, it’s a good idea to spend a whole day on the trip to Merv, spending as much time as you would like in the cultural park.
Activity keywords: Silk Road, Ancient City, Islamic Art, UNESCO World Heritage