Yeradzhi and Mansaf Caravanserai

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Yeradzhi

   Yeradzhi is a name on the map in the middle of the Karakum, the Black Sand desert that covers most of Turkmenistan. There is no town in the nearby list, which tells you most of what you need to know. The Karakum is one of the largest sand deserts in the world, with ridges, hollows, saxaul scrub and takyrs, the flat clay pans that bake hard in summer. It is cold in winter, brutally hot in summer, and when it rains the clay turns to grease.

   Read the complete Yeradzhi write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Yeradzhi is where the day begins. Next is Mansaf Caravanserai.

2. 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 421 km into the recorded legs. Next is Tahmalaj.

3. 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 555 km into the recorded legs you reach Tahmalaj.

4. 4. 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

   Mansaf Caravanserai, about halfway. Next is back through Tahmalaj.

5. 5. back through Tahmalaj

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   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

   back through Tahmalaj sits at 922 km, about halfway. Next is back through Mansaf Caravanserai.

6. 6. 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 comes up about 957 km into the recorded legs. Next is Yeradzhi.

7. 7. Yeradzhi

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Yeradzhi write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Yeradzhi closes the day.