Why this ride
On the way it passes Takhirbaj Tepe, Durnali koshk, Garam koshk and back through Durnali koshk.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Kushmeihan and Garam koshk
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 211 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 47
- 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. Kushmeihan
The Murghab river comes out of the Afghan hills and dies in the sands of the Karakum, and where it spreads out near the town of Mary it created the oasis of Merv, one of the great cities of the medieval world. Kushmeihan is one of the sites scattered across that oasis, a low ruin in the flat, brown country east of the more famous monuments. The ancient Merv complex is listed by UNESCO, and the label here belongs to the same landscape of ramparts, mounds and mudbrick that stretches for many kilometres.
Read the complete Kushmeihan write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kushmeihan is where the day begins. Next is Takhirbaj Tepe.
2. 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 comes up 26 km in. Next is Durnali koshk.
3. 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
53 km in you reach Durnali koshk. Next is Garam koshk.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is back through Durnali koshk.
5. back through 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 through Durnali koshk sits at 105 km, about halfway. Next is back through Takhirbaj Tepe.
6. back through Takhirbaj Tepe
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Takhirbaj Tepe comes up 132 km in. Next is Kushmeihan.
7. Kushmeihan
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Kushmeihan write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kushmeihan closes the day.
Leg by leg
Kushmeihan to Takhirbaj Tepe
Kushmeihan → Takhirbaj Tepe is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Takhirbaj Tepe to Durnali koshk
Takhirbaj Tepe → Durnali koshk is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Durnali koshk to Garam koshk
Durnali koshk → Garam koshk is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Garam koshk to back through Durnali koshk
Garam koshk → back through Durnali koshk is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Durnali koshk to back through Takhirbaj Tepe
back through Durnali koshk → back through Takhirbaj Tepe is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Takhirbaj Tepe to Kushmeihan
back through Takhirbaj Tepe → Kushmeihan is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.