Why this ride
From Bayramaly it runs 80 km to Bayramaly; allow about 1 h 53 of riding. On the way it passes Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi, Ovliali koshk and back through Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Koshk Imaret near Abdullah Khan Kala and Ovliali koshk
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 80 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 53
- 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. Koshk Imaret near Abdullah Khan Kala
Merv was one of the great cities of the world, and today it is a field of mud-brick walls in the Karakum desert. At its height in the twelfth century, under the Seljuk sultan Sanjar, Merv was among the biggest cities on Earth, a Silk Road oasis with libraries, mosques, markets and an elaborate water system fed by canals from the Murghab river. The Mongols destroyed it in 1221, and although a later city grew nearby, the old centre never recovered. The ancient cities of Merv, which spread across a series of walled sites from the time of the Persians to the fifteenth century, were inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1999.
Read the complete Koshk Imaret near Abdullah Khan Kala write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Koshk Imaret near Abdullah Khan Kala is where the day begins. Next is Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi.
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 about 18 km into the recorded legs. Next is Ovliali koshk.
3. Ovliali koshk
In the oasis of Merv, in southern Turkmenistan, the landscape is dotted with strange buildings of mud brick with walls that look like they have been folded or pleated, rising like fortresses from the fields. These are koshks, fortified manor houses built by the landed elite in the early Islamic period, from about the seventh to the tenth centuries, and the corrugated walls were not just decorative: they strengthened the structure and cast shadows that kept the interior cool. Ovliali koshk, near the town of Murgab, is one of them, and like the others it is part of the World Heritage site of Ancient Merv, one of the great cities of the Silk Road.
Read the complete Ovliali koshk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 40 km into the recorded legs you reach Ovliali koshk. Next is back through Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi.
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 Koshk Imaret near Abdullah Khan Kala.
5. Koshk Imaret near Abdullah Khan Kala
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Koshk Imaret near Abdullah Khan Kala write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Koshk Imaret near Abdullah Khan Kala. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Koshk Imaret near Abdullah Khan Kala to Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi
Koshk Imaret near Abdullah Khan Kala → Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi to Ovliali koshk
Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi → Ovliali koshk is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Ovliali koshk to back through Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi
Ovliali koshk → back through Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi to Koshk Imaret near Abdullah Khan Kala
back through Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi → Koshk Imaret near Abdullah Khan Kala is 18 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.