Why this ride
A 399 km round trip from Bayramaly - roughly 10 h 58 in the saddle. On the way it passes Bairam Ali Ding, Ovliali koshk, Garam koshk and Thulli koshk. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi and Thulli koshk
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 399 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 10 h 58
- 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 Bairam Ali Ding.
2. 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
Bairam Ali Ding comes up 36 km in. Next is Ovliali koshk.
3. Ovliali koshk
In the oasis of Merv, in southern Turkmenistan, the landscape is dotted with strange buildings of mud brick with walls that look like they have been folded or pleated, rising like fortresses from the fields. These are koshks, fortified manor houses built by the landed elite in the early Islamic period, from about the seventh to the tenth centuries, and the corrugated walls were not just decorative: they strengthened the structure and cast shadows that kept the interior cool. Ovliali koshk, near the town of Murgab, is one of them, and like the others it is part of the World Heritage site of Ancient Merv, one of the great cities of the Silk Road.
Read the complete Ovliali koshk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
73 km in you reach Ovliali 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 Thulli koshk.
5. 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
Thulli koshk sits at 146 km, about halfway. Next is back through Garam koshk.
6. back through Garam koshk
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Garam koshk comes up 182 km in. Next is back through Ovliali koshk.
7. back through Ovliali koshk
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Ovliali koshk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
218 km in you reach back through Ovliali koshk. Next is back through Bairam Ali Ding.
8. back through Bairam Ali Ding
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Bairam Ali Ding, late in the day. Next is Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi.
9. 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
The route ends here after 399 km.
Leg by leg
Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi to Bairam Ali Ding
Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi → Bairam Ali Ding is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bairam Ali Ding to Ovliali koshk
Bairam Ali Ding → Ovliali koshk is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Ovliali koshk to Garam koshk
Ovliali koshk → Garam koshk is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Garam koshk to Thulli koshk
Garam koshk → Thulli koshk is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Thulli koshk to back through Garam koshk
Thulli koshk → back through Garam koshk is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Garam koshk to back through Ovliali koshk
back through Garam koshk → back through Ovliali koshk is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Ovliali koshk to back through Bairam Ali Ding
back through Ovliali koshk → back through Bairam Ali Ding is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Bairam Ali Ding to Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi
back through Bairam Ali Ding → Mausolea of Imam Bakr and Shafi is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.