Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi and Bairam Ali Ding

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Koshk Imaret near Abdullah Khan Kala.

2. 2. 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 comes up about 18 km into the recorded legs. Next is Bairam Ali Ding.

3. 3. Bairam Ali Ding

   North of Bayramaly, toward the edge of the irrigated land of the Merv oasis, the remains of a ding stand on the flat plain: a fortified building of mud brick, often square or rectangular, with thick walls and corner towers, used as a manor, a refuge or a watch post. The oasis is scattered with structures like this, from medieval times to the more recent past, and many are associated with the defence of farmland and water channels against raiders from the desert. They are part of the wider archaeological landscape of Merv, one of the richest in Central Asia, where every mound and wall has a story, even if not all of them have been told yet.

   Read the complete Bairam Ali Ding write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 35 km into the recorded legs you reach Bairam Ali Ding. Next is back through Koshk Imaret near Abdullah Khan Kala.

4. 4. back through 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 through Koshk Imaret near Abdullah Khan Kala, late in the day. Next is Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi.

5. 5. 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 at Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi. That is the ride.