Why this ride
It goes by way of Mansaf Caravanserai, Akja Gala Caravanserai, Thulli koshk and Garam koshk. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Repetek and Garam koshk
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 1500 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 25 h 52
- 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. Repetek
Repetek has the reputation of being one of the hottest places in the former Soviet Union, and on a summer afternoon in the Karakum desert, standing among the dunes with the air shimmering, you will not doubt it. A desert research station was founded here in 1912, and the surrounding area became a nature reserve, later a biosphere reserve, protecting a typical stretch of the sandy desert of Turkmenistan. Scientists have studied the plants, animals and dunes here for over a century, and the station has been a pioneer in understanding how life survives in extreme heat and drought.
Read the complete Repetek write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Repetek is where the day begins. Next is Mansaf Caravanserai.
2. Mansaf Caravanserai
Out in the Karakum, the great black-sand desert that covers most of Turkmenistan, the old caravan route between Merv and Amul on the Amu Darya crossed some two hundred kilometres of sand, and along it, at intervals of a day's march, stood caravanserais where travellers could rest, water their animals and find shelter. The ruins of the Mansaf caravanserai lie on this route, a crumbling square of brick walls and gateways in an empty landscape of dunes and saxaul shrubs. They are part of the Silk Roads heritage of Central Asia, and the corridor is on Turkmenistan's list of sites proposed for UNESCO recognition.
Read the complete Mansaf Caravanserai write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mansaf Caravanserai comes up about 291 km into the recorded legs. Next is Akja Gala Caravanserai.
3. Akja Gala Caravanserai
The Silk Road across the Karakum was never a single road. It was a series of wells, forts and caravanserais, a day's travel apart, where camels could drink and merchants could sleep behind walls. Akja Gala is one of these shelters, a square brick building with a central courtyard and rooms around it, set in sand and saxaul scrub between Merv and the Amu Darya, the river called the Oxus by the Greeks.
Read the complete Akja Gala Caravanserai write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 427 km into the recorded legs you reach Akja Gala Caravanserai. Next is Thulli koshk.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is Garam koshk.
5. 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 sits at 750 km, about halfway. Next is back through Thulli koshk.
6. back through Thulli koshk
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Thulli koshk comes up about 894 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Akja Gala Caravanserai.
7. back through Akja Gala Caravanserai
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Akja Gala Caravanserai write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 1073 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Akja Gala Caravanserai. Next is back through Mansaf Caravanserai.
8. back through Mansaf Caravanserai
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Mansaf Caravanserai write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Mansaf Caravanserai, late in the day. Next is Repetek.
9. Repetek
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Repetek 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 1500 km.
Leg by leg
Repetek to Mansaf Caravanserai
Repetek → Mansaf Caravanserai is 291 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Mansaf Caravanserai to Akja Gala Caravanserai
Mansaf Caravanserai → Akja Gala Caravanserai is 136 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Akja Gala Caravanserai to Thulli koshk
Akja Gala Caravanserai → Thulli koshk is 180 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Thulli koshk to Garam koshk
Thulli koshk → Garam koshk is 144 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Garam koshk to back through Thulli koshk
Garam koshk → back through Thulli koshk is 144 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Thulli koshk to back through Akja Gala Caravanserai
back through Thulli koshk → back through Akja Gala Caravanserai is 180 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Akja Gala Caravanserai to back through Mansaf Caravanserai
back through Akja Gala Caravanserai → back through Mansaf Caravanserai is 136 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Mansaf Caravanserai to Repetek
back through Mansaf Caravanserai → Repetek is 291 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Mansaf Caravanserai and Thulli koshk · 157 km
- Konegala Caravanserai and Thulli koshk · 149 km
- Yeradzhi and Garam koshk · 399 km