Why this ride
The stops in between: Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of, Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala, Ovliali koshk and back through Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Thulli koshk and Ovliali koshk
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 151 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 36
- 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. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of.
2. Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of
The oasis of Merv, in south-eastern Turkmenistan, was for centuries one of the great cities of Central Asia, a stop on the Silk Road and at one point, under the Seljuks in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, possibly one of the largest cities in the world. Today its ruins are spread over a vast area of desert and farmland near the town of Bayramaly, and they form the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ancient Merv. Scattered among them are small mausolea, tombs of holy men and companions of the Prophet, and the Mausoleum of Huday Nazar is one of these, a modest brick structure that has long been a place of local pilgrimage.
Read the complete Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of comes up about 25 km into the recorded legs. Next is Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala.
3. Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala
Two squat, ribbed fortresses stand on the plain outside ancient Merv, and they have kept their purpose a mystery. Greater Kiz Kala and Lesser Kiz Kala, the Maiden Fortresses, are fortified buildings dating from the sixth to the seventh century AD, when Merv was a provincial capital of the Sasanian Persian Empire, and they are a fine example of the fortified country house of the period. The larger one is about thirty metres square, with massive walls, rounded corner towers, and a surface made of shallow vertical grooves and arrow slits that give it a corrugated look, and the smaller one stands a short distance away, built in much the same style.
Read the complete Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 50 km into the recorded legs you reach Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala. Next is Ovliali koshk.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is back through Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala.
5. back through Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala sits at 101 km, about halfway. Next is back through Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of.
6. back through Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of comes up about 125 km into the recorded legs. Next is Thulli koshk.
7. 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
Thulli koshk closes the day.
Leg by leg
Thulli koshk to Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of
Thulli koshk → Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of to Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala
Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of → Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala to Ovliali koshk
Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala → Ovliali koshk is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Ovliali koshk to back through Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala
Ovliali koshk → back through Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala to back through Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of
back through Greater and Lesser Kiz Kala → back through Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of to Thulli koshk
back through Mausoleum of Huday Nazar; the Mausolea of → Thulli koshk is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.