Why this ride
A 443 km round trip from Bayramaly - roughly 13 h 49 in the saddle. The stops in between: Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba, Thulli koshk, Takhirbaj Tepe and back through Thulli koshk. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Bairam Ali Ding and Takhirbaj Tepe
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 443 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 13 h 49
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Bairam Ali Ding
North of Bayramaly, toward the edge of the irrigated land of the Merv oasis, the remains of a ding stand on the flat plain: a fortified building of mud brick, often square or rectangular, with thick walls and corner towers, used as a manor, a refuge or a watch post. The oasis is scattered with structures like this, from medieval times to the more recent past, and many are associated with the defence of farmland and water channels against raiders from the desert. They are part of the wider archaeological landscape of Merv, one of the richest in Central Asia, where every mound and wall has a story, even if not all of them have been told yet.
Read the complete Bairam Ali Ding write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bairam Ali Ding is where the day begins. Next is Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba.
2. Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba
The Karakum desert surrounds the oasis of Merv on three sides, and the Murghab river, which feeds the oasis, ends in the sand a little downstream. Talkhatan Baba, a brick mosque and mausoleum in the area of Mary, belongs to the medieval Islamic centuries when Merv was one of the great cities of the world, a Seljuk capital with libraries, observatories and a population that rivalled any in Europe.
Read the complete Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba comes up 36 km in. Next is Thulli koshk.
3. Thulli koshk
Koshk is the local word for a fortified house, and around the oasis of Merv, in south-eastern Turkmenistan, dozens of these buildings survive from the early medieval period. Thulli koshk is one of them, a mud-brick structure with walls built in a distinctive corrugated pattern, like the folds of a curtain, which made them both stronger and more striking. These buildings were probably the homes of wealthy landowners, built to defend against raids, with rooms on two floors around a central hall.
Read the complete Thulli koshk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
72 km in you reach Thulli koshk. Next is Takhirbaj Tepe.
4. Takhirbaj Tepe
The Murghab river flows out of the mountains of Afghanistan and dies in the sands of the Karakum desert, and where it fans out into a delta lies the oasis of Merv, in what is now southern Turkmenistan. For thousands of years people have farmed here, building cities one beside another as rivers shifted and empires came and went. Takhirbaj Tepe is one of the oldest of these settlements, a mound in the northern part of the oasis dating back to the Bronze and Iron Ages, long before the great medieval city that made Merv famous. It forms part of the State Historical and Cultural Park Ancient Merv, listed by UNESCO in 1999, alongside sites such as Yaz Tepe and Gobekli Tepe nearby.
Read the complete Takhirbaj Tepe write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Takhirbaj Tepe, about halfway. Next is back through Thulli koshk.
5. back through Thulli koshk
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Thulli koshk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Thulli koshk sits at 144 km, about halfway. Next is back through Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba.
6. back through Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba comes up 180 km in. Next is Bairam Ali Ding.
7. Bairam Ali Ding
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Bairam Ali Ding write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bairam Ali Ding closes the day.
Leg by leg
Bairam Ali Ding to Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba
Bairam Ali Ding → Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba to Thulli koshk
Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba → Thulli koshk is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Thulli koshk to Takhirbaj Tepe
Thulli koshk → Takhirbaj Tepe is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Takhirbaj Tepe to back through Thulli koshk
Takhirbaj Tepe → back through Thulli koshk is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Thulli koshk to back through Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba
back through Thulli koshk → back through Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba to Bairam Ali Ding
back through Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba → Bairam Ali Ding is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.