Why this ride
The stops in between: Tahmalaj, Thulli koshk and back through Tahmalaj. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Mansaf Caravanserai and Thulli koshk
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 1024 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 17 h 37
- 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. Mansaf Caravanserai
Out in the Karakum, the great black-sand desert that covers most of Turkmenistan, the old caravan route between Merv and Amul on the Amu Darya crossed some two hundred kilometres of sand, and along it, at intervals of a day's march, stood caravanserais where travellers could rest, water their animals and find shelter. The ruins of the Mansaf caravanserai lie on this route, a crumbling square of brick walls and gateways in an empty landscape of dunes and saxaul shrubs. They are part of the Silk Roads heritage of Central Asia, and the corridor is on Turkmenistan's list of sites proposed for UNESCO recognition.
Read the complete Mansaf Caravanserai write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mansaf Caravanserai is where the day begins. Next is Tahmalaj.
2. 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
Tahmalaj comes up about 176 km into the recorded legs. Next is Thulli koshk.
3. Thulli koshk
Koshk is the local word for a fortified house, and around the oasis of Merv, in south-eastern Turkmenistan, dozens of these buildings survive from the early medieval period. Thulli koshk is one of them, a mud-brick structure with walls built in a distinctive corrugated pattern, like the folds of a curtain, which made them both stronger and more striking. These buildings were probably the homes of wealthy landowners, built to defend against raids, with rooms on two floors around a central hall.
Read the complete Thulli koshk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 509 km into the recorded legs you reach Thulli koshk. Next is back through Tahmalaj.
4. back through Tahmalaj
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Tahmalaj, late in the day. Next is Mansaf Caravanserai.
5. Mansaf Caravanserai
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Mansaf Caravanserai write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Mansaf Caravanserai. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Mansaf Caravanserai to Tahmalaj
Mansaf Caravanserai → Tahmalaj is 176 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tahmalaj to Thulli koshk
Tahmalaj → Thulli koshk is 333 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Thulli koshk to back through Tahmalaj
Thulli koshk → back through Tahmalaj is 333 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Tahmalaj to Mansaf Caravanserai
back through Tahmalaj → Mansaf Caravanserai is 176 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
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- Yeradzhi and Garam koshk · 399 km