Why this ride
From Bayramaly it runs 203 km to Bayramaly; allow about 4 h 41 of riding. The stops in between: Yusuf Hamdani, Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas, State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancien and back through Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi and State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancien
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 203 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 41
- 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. 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 Yusuf Hamdani.
2. Yusuf Hamdani
The Yusuf Hamdani complex lies in the Merv oasis, just under seven kilometres from Bayramaly, among low walled courtyards and a handful of new-looking domes. Unlike most of Merv, which is ruin, this is a living shrine: pilgrims arrive from across Turkmenistan and beyond, women in colourful headscarves, men in lambskin hats, many tying cloth strips to trees and leaving small offerings.
Read the complete Yusuf Hamdani write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Yusuf Hamdani comes up about 26 km into the recorded legs. Next is Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas.
3. Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas
Two ruined buildings stand a short distance apart on the plain of Merv, and both are called Kyz Kala, the maidens' fort. The larger one is a vast square block of mud brick with walls that are corrugated, with a row of vertical flutes that give the surface a strange rhythmic texture, and the smaller one is a similar building on a smaller scale. They are among the best-preserved structures from the early Islamic period at Merv, probably dating from the sixth or seventh century or thereabouts, though historians still discuss their exact date and purpose.
Read the complete Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 62 km into the recorded legs you reach Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas. Next is State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancien.
4. State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancien
South of the Karakum and just outside the modern city of Mary, the ground is littered with the ghosts of cities. Nagym Kala, the Greater and Lesser forts, are two of the walled settlements that make up the old Merv oasis, one of the great cities of the Silk Road. The Murgab river spreads out here into a delta that has fed farmers for thousands of years, and Merv grew up where the water met the desert.
Read the complete State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancien write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancien, about halfway. Next is back through Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas.
5. back through Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas sits at 105 km, about halfway. Next is back through Yusuf Hamdani.
6. back through Yusuf Hamdani
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Yusuf Hamdani write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Yusuf Hamdani comes up about 178 km into the recorded legs. Next is Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi.
7. 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
Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi closes the day.
Leg by leg
Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi to Yusuf Hamdani
Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi → Yusuf Hamdani is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Yusuf Hamdani to Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas
Yusuf Hamdani → Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas to State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancien
Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas → State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancien is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancien to back through Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas
State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancien → back through Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas to back through Yusuf Hamdani
back through Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas → back through Yusuf Hamdani is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Yusuf Hamdani to Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi
back through Yusuf Hamdani → Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.