Why this ride
From Murgab it runs 776 km to Murgab; allow about 13 h 24 of riding. On the way it passes Yaki Pir koshk, Tahmalaj and back through Yaki Pir koshk.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Ovliali koshk and Tahmalaj
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 776 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 13 h 24
- 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: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. 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
Ovliali koshk is where the day begins. Next is Yaki Pir koshk.
2. Yaki Pir koshk
Yaki Pir koshk is a name that points to a ruined building, probably a fortified house or pavilion of the kind that medieval rulers and landowners built in the Merv oasis, and it stands close to Takhirbaj Tepe, the other ride mentioned here. The word koshk comes from the Persian for a palace or pavilion, and in the Karakum world it often means a strongly built mudbrick residence with towers.
Read the complete Yaki Pir koshk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Yaki Pir koshk comes up about 192 km into the recorded legs. Next is Tahmalaj.
3. Tahmalaj
Nobody comes to Tahmalaj by accident. For centuries, merchants travelling the Silk Road crossed this stretch of sand and clay, stopping at caravanserais, fortified enclosures and wells along the way, some of which still stand as ruined walls in the desert. The ride names nearby sites such as the Nagym Kalas and the Mansaf caravanserai, part of a cluster of monuments along this old route, and little is known about many of them beyond their names and outlines.
Read the complete Tahmalaj write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 390 km into the recorded legs you reach Tahmalaj. Next is back through Yaki Pir koshk.
4. back through Yaki Pir koshk
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Yaki Pir koshk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Yaki Pir koshk, late in the day. Next is Ovliali koshk.
5. 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
Back at Ovliali koshk. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Ovliali koshk to Yaki Pir koshk
Ovliali koshk → Yaki Pir koshk is 192 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Yaki Pir koshk to Tahmalaj
Yaki Pir koshk → Tahmalaj is 198 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tahmalaj to back through Yaki Pir koshk
Tahmalaj → back through Yaki Pir koshk is 198 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Yaki Pir koshk to Ovliali koshk
back through Yaki Pir koshk → Ovliali koshk is 192 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.