Besh Agyz koshk and Tahmalaj

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Besh Agyz koshk

   Out on the edge of the Merv oasis in southeastern Turkmenistan, where irrigated fields fade into the sand of the Karakum desert, stand the ruins of buildings known as koshks. These were fortified mansions of mud brick, with heavily ribbed walls that look like giant corrugated cardboard, built in the early medieval period by the landed gentry of Merv. Besh Agyz, which means five mouths, is one of them, and it is part of the UNESCO listing of the Silk Roads, alongside the vast ruined cities of Ancient Merv, a World Heritage Site since 1999. Merv was for centuries one of the great cities of the Islamic world and a key stop on the routes between China and the Mediterranean, until the Mongols destroyed it in the thirteenth century.

   Read the complete Besh Agyz koshk write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Besh Agyz koshk is where the day begins. Next is Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi.

2. 2. Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi

   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.

   Read the complete Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi comes up 83 km in. Next is Tahmalaj.

3. 3. Tahmalaj

   Nobody comes to Tahmalaj by accident. For centuries, merchants travelling the Silk Road crossed this stretch of sand and clay, stopping at caravanserais, fortified enclosures and wells along the way, some of which still stand as ruined walls in the desert. The ride names nearby sites such as the Nagym Kalas and the Mansaf caravanserai, part of a cluster of monuments along this old route, and little is known about many of them beyond their names and outlines.

   Read the complete Tahmalaj write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   167 km in you reach Tahmalaj. Next is back through Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi.

4. 4. back through Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi, late in the day. Next is Besh Agyz koshk.

5. 5. Besh Agyz koshk

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Besh Agyz koshk write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Besh Agyz koshk. That is the ride.