The Karakum desert covers most of Turkmenistan, and its eastern edge is where the Murghab river fans out into the oasis of Merv, one of the great cities of the ancient world. In the Seljuk age, in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Merv was said to be among the largest cities on earth, and the countryside around it was threaded with canals, fortresses and the roadside inns the Persians called caravanserais. This point lies in that old orbit, in the plain near Bayramaly, where the desert and the irrigated fields meet.
Caravanserais were practical buildings. A square or rectangular mud-brick wall enclosed a courtyard with stables, storerooms and rooms for merchants, all behind a single gate that could be shut at night. Water came from a well or cistern, and they were spaced about a day's travel apart. What you see now is usually a ruin, with eroded walls and a mound of collapsed brick, but the proportions are still legible, and the horizon is huge. Treat the site gently. The brick is fragile and there is little supervision.
Riding in Turkmenistan has its own character. Main roads are generally wide and sometimes beautifully surfaced, with long straights across the steppe, but side roads can be rough, and sand drifts across the asphalt on windy days. Police checkpoints are frequent, and foreign travellers normally need a transit or tourist visa and a registered itinerary, often with a guide, so plan the bureaucracy well before you arrive. Spring is the best season, with green grass and mild days, and autumn follows. Summer temperatures in the Karakum rise above forty degrees, which is dangerous for riders.
No town is named near the point, but Bayramaly and Mary are not far, and Mary has fuel, shops, restaurants and hotels. Turkmen petrol is exceptionally cheap by world standards, though supply and quality vary and rules for foreigners can change, so ask locally. Take more water than you think you need, a hat, a scarf for dust, and a charged phone. Tea and flatbread are the universal refreshments, and a roadside stall selling melons in late summer is a treat worth stopping for.