The Merv oasis in southern Turkmenistan was once one of the greatest cities of the medieval world. Watered by the Murghab river, which flows north from Afghanistan and fans out into the Karakum desert, it was a capital of the Seljuk sultans in the eleventh and twelfth centuries and a key stop on the Silk Road. The Mongols destroyed it in 1221, and the ruins of successive cities, spread over a huge area, now form the Ancient Merv archaeological park, inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1999. Among the ruins stand several mausolea of revered figures, small domed buildings that have drawn pilgrims for centuries and still do today.
The most famous monument at Merv is the mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, a huge domed structure built in the twelfth century, which still stands proud above the plain. Around it lie the walls of the city of Sultan Kala, the older mounds of Erk Kala and Gyaur Kala, and the strange corrugated walls of the koshks, fortified mansions with ribbed facades that look like giant folded paper. Local people visit the shrines to pray, tie cloth to trees, and make offerings, and there is a strong sense of continuity between past and present.
Riding in Turkmenistan is a challenge, mostly for bureaucratic reasons. Independent travel is heavily restricted, visas are difficult to obtain, and tourists are usually required to travel with a guide, though transit visas are sometimes granted for overland travellers. Roads in the Mary region are flat and straight, with long stretches through cotton fields and desert, and surfaces that range from good to terrible. Police checkpoints are frequent. Summer heat is extreme, often well over forty degrees, so spring and autumn are the only sensible seasons.
The town of Bayramaly, about twelve kilometres away, has fuel and basic services, and the regional capital Mary, further west, is larger. Fuel is cheap, but quality can vary. Bring plenty of water to Merv, because the site is large, exposed and dusty, and there is little shade. Food in the region is simple: plov, grilled meats, bread and melons, which are excellent in late summer. Take your time among the ruins and shrines, and let the scale of the place sink in. A great city stood here, and the desert has slowly reclaimed it.