Why this ride
It goes by way of Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of, Gyzylja Gala Caravanserai and back through Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Gonur Tepe and Gyzylja Gala Caravanserai
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 754 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 13 h 01
- 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: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Gonur Tepe
Gonur Tepe lies deep in the sands north of Mary, at the end of a long track into what was once the delta of the Murghab river. Today the river runs dry long before it gets here and the desert has taken over, but four thousand years ago this was the capital of a Bronze Age civilisation that archaeologists call Margiana, or the Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex. Palaces, temples, fortifications and huge cemeteries have been excavated from the mounds, and walking among the mud-brick foundations in the silence of the desert is eerie and moving.
Read the complete Gonur Tepe write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gonur Tepe is where the day begins. Next is Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of.
2. Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of
The oasis of Merv, in south-eastern Turkmenistan, was for centuries one of the great cities of Central Asia, a stop on the Silk Road and at one point, under the Seljuks in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, possibly one of the largest cities in the world. Today its ruins are spread over a vast area of desert and farmland near the town of Bayramaly, and they form the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ancient Merv. Scattered among them are small mausolea, tombs of holy men and companions of the Prophet, and the Mausoleum of Huday Nazar is one of these, a modest brick structure that has long been a place of local pilgrimage.
Read the complete Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of comes up about 184 km into the recorded legs. Next is Gyzylja Gala Caravanserai.
3. Gyzylja Gala Caravanserai
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.
Read the complete Gyzylja Gala Caravanserai write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 377 km into the recorded legs you reach Gyzylja Gala Caravanserai. Next is back through Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of.
4. back through Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of, late in the day. Next is Gonur Tepe.
5. Gonur Tepe
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gonur Tepe write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Gonur Tepe. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Gonur Tepe to Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of
Gonur Tepe → Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of is 184 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of to Gyzylja Gala Caravanserai
Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of → Gyzylja Gala Caravanserai is 193 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gyzylja Gala Caravanserai to back through Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of
Gyzylja Gala Caravanserai → back through Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of is 193 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of to Gonur Tepe
back through Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of → Gonur Tepe is 184 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.