Why this ride
209 km from Bayramaly to Bayramaly, about 5 h 50 of riding. The stops in between: Bairam Ali Ding, Besh Agyz koshk, Kurtly ‘caravanserai’ and back through Besh Agyz koshk.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba and Kurtly ‘caravanserai’
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 209 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 50
- 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. Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba
The Karakum desert surrounds the oasis of Merv on three sides, and the Murghab river, which feeds the oasis, ends in the sand a little downstream. Talkhatan Baba, a brick mosque and mausoleum in the area of Mary, belongs to the medieval Islamic centuries when Merv was one of the great cities of the world, a Seljuk capital with libraries, observatories and a population that rivalled any in Europe.
Read the complete Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba 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 26 km in. Next is Besh Agyz koshk.
3. Besh Agyz koshk
Out on the edge of the Merv oasis in southeastern Turkmenistan, where irrigated fields fade into the sand of the Karakum desert, stand the ruins of buildings known as koshks. These were fortified mansions of mud brick, with heavily ribbed walls that look like giant corrugated cardboard, built in the early medieval period by the landed gentry of Merv. Besh Agyz, which means five mouths, is one of them, and it is part of the UNESCO listing of the Silk Roads, alongside the vast ruined cities of Ancient Merv, a World Heritage Site since 1999. Merv was for centuries one of the great cities of the Islamic world and a key stop on the routes between China and the Mediterranean, until the Mongols destroyed it in the thirteenth century.
Read the complete Besh Agyz koshk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
51 km in you reach Besh Agyz koshk. Next is Kurtly ‘caravanserai’.
4. Kurtly ‘caravanserai’
Kurtly sits on the flat plain near Merv, in the south of the Karakum, and the caravanserai that gives the place its label is a reminder that the old Silk Road was a network of small stops as much as great cities. A caravanserai was a fortified inn where merchants and animals could rest, drink and sleep within walls, usually a day's travel from the next one. Some were grand, with arcades and domed rooms. Others were simple compounds of mud brick. Few survive intact, and the ones in Turkmenistan are often reduced to low walls and mounds.
Read the complete Kurtly ‘caravanserai’ write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kurtly ‘caravanserai’, about halfway. Next is back through Besh Agyz koshk.
5. back through Besh Agyz koshk
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Besh Agyz koshk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Besh Agyz koshk sits at 102 km, about halfway. Next is back through Bairam Ali Ding.
6. 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 comes up 128 km in. Next is Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba.
7. Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba closes the day.
Leg by leg
Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba to Bairam Ali Ding
Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba → Bairam Ali Ding is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bairam Ali Ding to Besh Agyz koshk
Bairam Ali Ding → Besh Agyz koshk is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Besh Agyz koshk to Kurtly ‘caravanserai’
Besh Agyz koshk → Kurtly ‘caravanserai’ is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Kurtly ‘caravanserai’ to back through Besh Agyz koshk
Kurtly ‘caravanserai’ → back through Besh Agyz koshk is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Besh Agyz koshk to back through Bairam Ali Ding
back through Besh Agyz koshk → back through Bairam Ali Ding is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Bairam Ali Ding to Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba
back through Bairam Ali Ding → Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.