Why this ride
197 km from Bayramaly to Bayramaly, about 4 h 56 of riding. It goes by way of Yusuf Hamdani, Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas, Takhirbaj Tepe and back through Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi and Takhirbaj Tepe
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 197 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 56
- 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. 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 28 km in. 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
57 km in you reach Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas. Next is Takhirbaj Tepe.
4. 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, 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 113 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 142 km in. 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 24 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 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas to Takhirbaj Tepe
Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas → Takhirbaj Tepe is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Takhirbaj Tepe to back through Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas
Takhirbaj Tepe → back through Greater and Lesser Nagym Kalas is 32 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 29 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 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.