Why this ride
The stops in between: Garam koshk, Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi and back through Garam koshk. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Durnali koshk and Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 123 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 44
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. 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. Durnali koshk
Merv was once one of the largest cities in the world, and what is left of it lies scattered across a desert plain in southern Turkmenistan. In the twelfth century, under the Seljuk sultans, it was a major capital, with libraries, mosques and markets, and travellers called it the mother of the world. In 1221 the Mongols took it after a siege and, according to the old chronicles, killed a huge proportion of its inhabitants, and the city never recovered. UNESCO listed the park of ancient Merv in 1999.
Read the complete Durnali koshk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Durnali koshk is where the day begins. Next is Garam koshk.
2. Garam koshk
Out on the edge of the Karakum desert near the oasis city of Merv, odd buildings rise from the plain like giant sandcastles with ribbed sides. These are koshks, fortified mansions built of mud brick, their walls shaped into deep vertical corrugations that gave strength and shade and kept the interiors cool. Garam koshk is one of them, battered by centuries of wind and the occasional rainstorm, but still impressive in its bulk. They belong to the world of medieval Merv, and the most famous, the Kyz Kala, stand within the vast archaeological park that UNESCO inscribed in 1999.
Read the complete Garam koshk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Garam koshk comes up about 32 km into the recorded legs. Next is Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi.
3. 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
about 62 km into the recorded legs you reach Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi. Next is back through Garam koshk.
4. back through Garam koshk
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Garam koshk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Garam koshk, late in the day. Next is Durnali koshk.
5. Durnali koshk
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Durnali koshk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Durnali koshk. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Durnali koshk to Garam koshk
Durnali koshk → Garam koshk is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Garam koshk to Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi
Garam koshk → Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi to back through Garam koshk
Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi → back through Garam koshk is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Garam koshk to Durnali koshk
back through Garam koshk → Durnali koshk is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.