Great Kyz Kala, Merv, Turkmenistan: Iconic Caravanserai on the Ancient Silk Road

In this fourth chapter of our Turkmenistan odyssey, we shift gears from blazing craters to the beating heart of history itself. We travel through time, retracing the dusty arteries of the ancient Silk Road, where emperors ruled, merchants thrived, prophets were revered and cities like Merv once stood as beacons of civilization. From the ruins of Parthian Nisa to the mighty remains of the world’s largest medieval city of Merv, this leg (MAP) is an archaeological and cultural feast, full of camel rides, mythologies, mausoleums and the undying spirit of human exchange.

And yes, we almost got sunstroke again.

If you missed our previous leg, catch up on the fire, fury and fun at the Darvaza Gas Crater in [Episode 3].

Nisa: Where the Parthians Dreamed

Ancient Parthian city of Old Nisa

We left Ashgabat’s marble fantasy behind for a place far older and, frankly, way dustier: Old Nisa - Konye-Nisa - the first capital of the Parthian Empire. It's perched on a small rise just outside the modern city, surrounded by dramatic views of the Kopet Dag Mountains, which also form the rugged natural border between Turkmenistan and Iran. The site is serene and deceptively understated - until you start to understand what happened here. This Parthian Fortresses of Nisa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ancient Parthian city of Old Nisa

Founded sometime around the 3rd century BCE, Nisa was a major center of the Parthian dynasty, which at its peak stretched from modern-day Turkey to Pakistan. These were the guys who famously gave the Romans a serious headache - especially with the infamous "Parthian shot", a move where they’d ride away at full gallop and fire arrows backward with freakish accuracy. You can still imagine the dust kicking up from hooves here.

Ancient Parthian city of Old Nisa

Archaeological excavations (largely under the auspices of joint Turkmen-Italian teams and supported in significant part by U.S. cultural preservation programs) have uncovered immense treasures: ivory rhytons (ceremonial drinking horns), wine vessels inscribed in Aramaic, Hellenistic-style statues and architectural fragments that suggest a cosmopolitan empire fluent in art, religion and multiculturalism.

The round columns at Old Nisa are what’s left of a once-magnificent palace from over 2,000 years ago. Back in the day, these columns would have held up huge halls and fancy buildings, showing off a cool mix of Greek and Persian styles. The Parthians, who ruled this part of the Silk Road, loved blending cultures.

Ancient pillars showing mixed Greek and Persian architecture at old Parthian fortress of Nisa

You can still see the remains of them today, mostly the lower parts, in places like the Square House, which might have been a royal treasury or a big ceremonial space. They were probably smooth plastered mudbrick, maybe even painted and designed in those classic Greek looks - think Doric or Ionic, like something out of ancient Athens.

Ancient pillars showing mixed Greek and Persian architecture at old Parthian fortress of Nisa

Standing among the remaining mud-brick fortifications and crumbled granaries, we tried to picture what Nisa was like at its peak - grand halls bustling with traders, foreign emissaries exchanging gifts, scholars debating theology and somewhere a tired camel just wanting a break.

Ancient Parthian city of Old Nisa

Nisa eventually declined after repeated invasions and shifts in trade routes and what remains is a ghost of its glory - still proud, but humbled by time.

Southbound and Eastbound: Hugging the Border to Mary over M37 Motorway & Turkmen Autobahn

After soaking up ancient history and more than a bit of desert sun, we hit the M37 highway heading east. Our route to Mary traced the Turkmen-Iranian border, skirting through arid flatlands and passing occasional military checkpoints that were thankfully more curious than obstructive. This region is barren but not empty: scattered shepherds with their flocks, a few tiny villages stubbornly clinging to wells and the occasional flutter of a Turkmen flag atop a weathered building.

Kopet Dag Mountains, Turkmenistan. Mashhad, Iran is directly south across from here.

For a significant stretch, we were on the new Turkmen Autobahn - an immaculate highway that seems almost otherworldly against the desert backdrop. It’s like someone dropped a slice of Germany in the middle of Central Asia. But just like German Autobahns, it quickly gives way to potholes the size of bathtubs once you veer off route.

Besides the Autobahn, it would be proper here to write an ode to the mighty M37 Motorway for what it covers and where it goes. A key segment of the old Silk Road, today's M37 is a part of European E60 as well as Asian Highway AH5, a road system connecting Brest, France to Irkeshtam, Kyrgyzstan on the border with the People's Republic of China! The M37 segment of this trans-Eurasian highway system connects most of the major Silk Road cities from Türkmenbasy on the Caspian Sea on the west coast to Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

We finally roll into the contemporary city of Mary (pronounced Mar-ee, not like the lady next door), the modern jumping-off point for exploring one of the Silk Road’s crown jewels - Merv.

As we drive into Mary, we see the striking three-level permanent yurt - affectionately nicknamed the "White House" by locals - standing as a modern tribute to the nation’s nomadic heritage. Unlike traditional portable yurts, this grand structure is a fixed architectural marvel, built with a contemporary twist while preserving classic design elements like its circular shape and ornate white facade. The multi-tiered layout hosts cultural events, official gatherings and celebrations, offering a majestic setting that blends tradition with functionality.

Three-level permanent Yurt at Mary for events. Locals call it the "White House."

Inside, lavish carpets, handcrafted decorations and spacious interiors reflect Turkmen craftsmanship, making it a symbol of national pride. A must-see in Mary, the "White House" yurt bridges the past and present, showcasing Turkmenistan’s enduring connection to its nomadic roots in a bold, innovative way.

Karakum Canal Bridge on M37 motorway at Mary, Turkmenistan

Continuing east towards Merv, we cross the famous Karakum Canal at Mary. The massive Karakum Channel is one of the world's longest irrigation channels, stretching over 1,300 km, diverting water from the Amu Darya River (Oxus River) to bring life to the surrounding desert by supplying irrigation to farms and cities. Drivers on the M37 get a striking view of the canal's turquoise waters contrasting with the arid landscape from here, as well as from Zahmet further east where the M37 highway, heading towards ancient Amul and modern Turkmenabat, crosses the canal again. The canal is a reminder of ambitious efforts to tame the Karakum Desert.

But we don't stop at Mary now; we will return to Mary in the evening to spend the night after exploring Merv.

Merv: The Once and Future Megapolis

Ah, Merv. 4,000 years of human history!

Walls of Ancient Merv seen from near Askhab Mausoleum inside the city

The State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancient Merv” in Turkmenistan is one of Central Asia’s most extraordinary historical treasures, often called the "Queen of the World" for its ancient grandeur.

Entrance to Merv

Once a flourishing Silk Road metropolis, this UNESCO World Heritage Site spans over 4,000 years of history, with ruins from Achaemenid, Hellenistic, Sassanian and Islamic eras. Visitors can explore the vast remains of fortified cities like Erk Kala, Gyaur Kala and Sultan Kala, featuring crumbling walls, towering mausoleums and the iconic Great Kyz Kala with its distinctive ribbed mud-brick architecture.

The site also includes the haunting Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar and the remnants of bustling bazaars and libraries that once made Merv a center of learning and trade. Walking through this open-air museum, you’ll feel the echoes of empires that rose and fell in the heart of the Karakum Desert - a must-visit for history lovers and adventurers alike.

Merv Archeological Complex

It's hard to overstate how enormous this place once was. At its height in the 12th century, Merv was the largest city in the world. Not just in Central Asia, the world! Bigger than Rome and Baghdad, bigger than even Constantinople (Istanbul). This was a metropolis where merchants from across continents traded silks, spices, silver, horses, paper and ideas. Jewish, Zoroastrian, Christian and Islamic communities coexisted and sometimes argued loudly. It was a brain trust, a bustling market, a city of mosques and bathhouses and libraries so large they'd make Borges weep.

But, of course, that couldn’t last. Enter Tolui Khan (1191-1232), son of Genghis Khan, brother of Ögedei Khan and father of Kublai Khan, in 1221. The Mongols showed up and the resulting massacre is still one of the most horrific in world history. Some say over 700,000 people were killed in a single week.

That’s not a typo. Among numerous massacres, Tolui also devastated Nishapur (in modern Iran) and Herat (in modern Afghanistan), killing over 3 million people in Merv and Nishapur alone.

Merv never fully recovered. The libraries were burned, the aqueducts destroyed and the Silk Road shifted elsewhere. What was once the gem of the desert became a sleeping ruin.

Exploring the Ghost of an Empire

Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum

Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, Merv

Our first stop was the stunning Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum. This massive cube with a turquoise-tiled dome once towered over the city, a symbol of Seljuk might. Sultan Sanjar was no ordinary ruler - he presided over a vast empire stretching from Afghanistan to the Mediterranean.

Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, Merv

Inside, the air is cooler and hushed, almost reverent. The architecture is mathematically precise and spiritually resonant, the brickwork forming geometric patterns that somehow feel both rigid and organic.

Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, Merv (composite)

Sanjar’s tombstone lies under the dome, plain and powerful, surrounded by silence.

Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, Merv

Legend has it that his ghost still roams the ruins at night, searching for the keys to Merv’s lost library.

The Great Kyz Kala

Great Kyz Kala, Merv

Next up was the Great Kyz Kala - a massive clay fortress with iconic ridged walls that look like giant hands pressed them into shape. Its purpose is debated - some say it was a palace, others a caravanserai, still others a fortress. Given the Silk Road traffic through Merv, we lean toward all of the above. Inside, you can almost hear the clatter of hooves and the haggling of traders speaking a dozen languages, smells of curry and camel wafting through the air.

Great Kyz Kala, Merv

If this was indeed a thriving caravanserai, imagine a night on the Silk Road. The sun sinks behind the dunes, casting long shadows over the towering mud-brick walls of the Great Kyz Kala, its corrugated ridges glowing amber in the fading light.

Great Kyz Kala, Merv

Tonight, it is not merely an ancient fortress but a bustling caravanserai - a sanctuary for weary travelers, their beasts and their treasures.

Great Kyz Kala

The great arched gate stands open, welcoming merchants from Samarkand, Persia, China and beyond. The air hums with a dozen tongues - Sogdian traders haggling in rapid bursts, Persian poets reciting verses by the fire, Turkic horsemen laughing over cups of fermented mare’s milk. The scent of roasting lamb and cumin-rich pilaf drifts from the central courtyard, where a massive fire pit crackles, its flames licking at the copper pots tended by broad-faced Uyghur cooks.

Great Kyz Kala, Merv

Camels groan as they kneel in the dusty enclosures, their saddlebags still heavy with indigo-dyed silks, sacks of Kashmiri saffron and jade from Khotan. Nearby, Turkic stallions stamp and snort, their coats brushed sleek by attentive grooms, while Bactrian traders unload bundles of felt and silver-inlaid bridles. A group of Sogdian musicians pluck the strings of their dutar, their voices rising in a mournful maqam that mingles with the rhythmic clap of a Khwarazmian dancer’s hands.

Great Kyz Kala, Merv

In the shadows of the Kyz Kala’s undulating walls, a Chinese merchant unrolls a bolt of shimmering brocade for a Byzantine buyer, their negotiations swift and sharp-fingered. A Tocharian monk, robed in faded crimson, quietly barters for a vial of Persian rose attar, while a group of laughing Arab horse traders pass around a skin of date wine.

Great Kyz Kala, Merv

As the stars emerge, the caravanserai thrums with life - stories exchanged in broken tongues, alliances forged over shared bread and the ever-present whisper of the wind through the ruins. For one night, the Great Kyz Kala is no longer a silent sentinel of the past but a living crossroads of the world, where the Silk Road’s spirit burns bright beneath the vast, watchful sky.

Great Kyz Kala, Merv

By dawn, the travelers will disperse, their footprints erased by the desert wind - but the memory of the music, the firelight and the mingled voices will linger in the ancient walls, waiting for the next caravan to breathe life into them once more.

The Little Kyz Kala

Little Kyz Kala (Lesser Kyz Kala), Merv

The Lesser Kyz Kala, or Little Kyz Kala, is like a younger sibling - smaller but with the same ribbed architecture and weathered dignity of the Great Kyz Kala. Possibly the home of a wealthy merchant or minor noble, it’s an architectural twin but cozier.

Little Kyz Kala (Lesser Kyz Kala), Merv

If Great Kyz Kala was the Grand Hyatt, this was the boutique hotel with really good breakfast. However, little except two crumbling rooms is left of it due to time and erosion.

Askhab Mausoleums

Askhab Mausoleum, Merv

Then came the Askhab Mausoleums, "Iki Askhab Türbesi", honoring two companions of the Prophet Muhammad - Buraida ibn al-Husayb and Al-Hakam ibn Amr al-Ghifari.

Askhab Mausoleum, Merv

These are deeply spiritual places, venerated by Sufis and Islamic pilgrims alike.