Why this ride
The stops in between: Besh Agyz koshk, Bairam Ali Ding, Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba and back through Bairam Ali Ding.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Togoluk and Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 241 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 29
- 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. Togoluk
What I can say is that the surrounding land belongs to the Murghab oasis, where a river born in the Afghan mountains fans out into irrigated fields, then dies in the sand. This is one of the oldest farming and trading landscapes in Central Asia, and everything around here is shaped by water and by the lack of it.
Read the complete Togoluk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Togoluk is where the day begins. Next is Besh Agyz koshk.
2. 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
Besh Agyz koshk comes up 28 km in. Next is Bairam Ali Ding.
3. 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
55 km in you reach Bairam Ali Ding. Next is Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is back through Bairam Ali Ding.
5. 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 sits at 110 km, about halfway. Next is back through Besh Agyz koshk.
6. 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 comes up 138 km in. Next is Togoluk.
7. Togoluk
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Togoluk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Togoluk closes the day.
Leg by leg
Togoluk to Besh Agyz koshk
Togoluk → Besh Agyz koshk is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Besh Agyz koshk to Bairam Ali Ding
Besh Agyz koshk → Bairam Ali Ding is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bairam Ali Ding to Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba
Bairam Ali Ding → Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba to back through Bairam Ali Ding
Mosque/Mausoleum of Talkhattan Baba → back through Bairam Ali Ding is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Bairam Ali Ding to back through Besh Agyz koshk
back through Bairam Ali Ding → 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 Togoluk
back through Besh Agyz koshk → Togoluk is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.