Why this ride
It goes by way of Abdullah Khan Kala, Konegala Caravanserai and back through Abdullah Khan Kala. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Takhirbaj Tepe and Konegala Caravanserai
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 346 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 58
- 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. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Abdullah Khan Kala.
2. Abdullah Khan Kala
Abdullah Khan Kala is a mud-brick fortress on the edge of the Merv oasis, about five kilometres from the town of Bayramaly, and it makes a surprising amount of noise for something so silent. Its walls are enormous, rising out of the flat desert plain, and from the top you can see the pale shapes of other Merv monuments far away, all of them made from the same earth.
Read the complete Abdullah Khan Kala write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Abdullah Khan Kala comes up about 61 km into the recorded legs. Next is Konegala Caravanserai.
3. Konegala Caravanserai
What I can tell you is what a caravanserai was, because the answer explains the place. Along the Silk Road, travellers needed to eat, sleep and water their animals every day or two, and rulers and merchants built fortified inns at intervals along the way, with thick walls, a single gate, a central courtyard and small rooms around the edge for people, with stables and storerooms.
Read the complete Konegala Caravanserai write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 173 km into the recorded legs you reach Konegala Caravanserai. Next is back through Abdullah Khan Kala.
4. back through Abdullah Khan Kala
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Abdullah Khan Kala write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Abdullah Khan Kala, late in the day. Next is Takhirbaj Tepe.
5. Takhirbaj Tepe
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
Back at Takhirbaj Tepe. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Takhirbaj Tepe to Abdullah Khan Kala
Takhirbaj Tepe → Abdullah Khan Kala is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Abdullah Khan Kala to Konegala Caravanserai
Abdullah Khan Kala → Konegala Caravanserai is 112 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Konegala Caravanserai to back through Abdullah Khan Kala
Konegala Caravanserai → back through Abdullah Khan Kala is 112 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Abdullah Khan Kala to Takhirbaj Tepe
back through Abdullah Khan Kala → Takhirbaj Tepe is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.