Dayahatyn Caravanserai entrance

We woke up in Mary before the sun. The desert air was still cool and the echoes of yesterday’s adventures in Merv (see Episode 4: The Silk Road’s Beating Heart - Nisa to Merv) were still buzzing in our bones. Ancient ruins do that to you — they sneak into your dreams and whisper secrets in languages long forgotten.

Outer Wall of Dayahatyn Caravanserai

We chucked our bags into the 4x4 still carrying a thin crust of Karakum dust and rolled out eastward on the M37 motorway. Our destination? The next legendary Silk Road city of Amul on the banks of Amu Darya (Oxus) river and the mysterious Dayahatyn Caravanserai, a fabled stop on the Silk Road that once catered to camel caravans and merchant lords journeying from China to the Mediterranean.

First, a detour to the historical city of Amul, now modern-day Turkmenabat, stretched along the mighty Amu Darya — once known as the Oxus, that great river of legend that shaped empires, fed kingdoms and drowned the ambitions of many. ( Track our journey: [MAP]).

The Karakum Canal

On eastbound M37 towards Turkmenabat, we crossed the Karakum Canal — or Karakum Channel, or Garagumskij Canal as it’s also known, once again. It is far wider here than the last time we crossed the Karakum Canal in Mary. It's no ordinary irrigation ditch. This thing is massive. Built during Soviet times, it slices the desert in two like a watery sword, delivering lifeblood to lands that would otherwise be barren.

Karakum Canal at bridge on M37 between Mary and Turkmenabat

Construction began in the 1950s and the canal eventually grew to over 1,300 kilometers, making it one of the longest in the world. It’s been controversial — lauded for greening the desert, but blamed for helping drain the Aral Sea. Still, seeing it up close, the canal looks more like a calm, meandering river than an engineered artery.

Crossing the canal, the scenery changed. Green strips of irrigated farmland replaced sand dunes. We passed shepherds tending flocks, women in bright embroidered dresses carrying bundles of herbs and kids racing donkeys along the road. Everyday life, timeless and beautiful.

Back on to Turkmen Autobahn from M37 Motorway

After a long and punishing stretch of potholes, sand patches and crumbling tarmac on the old M37 highway, we reached a rest stop at the hamlet of Bagtyýarlyk säherçesi (aka Uch-Adzhi or Üçajy) which felt like stumbling upon an oasis.

Bagtyýarlyk säherçesi M37 rest stop

This rest stop marks the point where the legendary but dilapidated M37 merges back with the gleaming, European-standard Turkmen Autobahn—a newly built, high-speed expressway that runs all the way to Turkmenabat.

Entry Ramp to Turkmen Autobahn from M37 Motorway at Uch-Adzhi

And then we hit Turkmenabat.

Turkmenabat: Echoes of Amul

We zipped past the Hippodrome, a grand oval arena where Ahal-Teke horses — Turkmenistan’s pride — gallop in front of cheering crowds. These horses aren’t just beautiful; they’re legendary. Sleek, golden-coated and fast as desert wind, they were once given as gifts to emperors and sultans. Local lore says that the Ahal-Teke can sense your soul — if it doesn’t like you, you’ll never ride it.

Turkmenabat Hippodrome

Horse racing here isn’t just a sport — it’s a celebration. Weddings, holidays, national parades — they all feature horses dancing and racing, their manes braided, their riders dressed in vibrant chapan robes.

Amul: A Crossroads of Kingdoms

But what made us hit the brakes was a stretch of ancient wall rising out of the city like a jagged scar. This was Amul, once a major Silk Road hub. Merchants from Egypt & Somalia, Morocco, India, Persia and China passed through here, carrying silk, jade, spices and stories. We traced the crumbling wall with our fingers, imagining a time when the gates teemed with caravans, languages and intrigue.

Walls of Silk Road fortress of Amul (now Turkmenabat, Lebap, Turkmenistan)

Local legend has it that a djinn once guarded Amul’s northern tower — invisible to all but the honest. They say if you stand still and listen, you can hear him whisper deals to travelers seeking safe passage.

Northward to Dayahatyn

From Turkmenabat, we turned north, following the bones of the ancient camel route. This path once shimmered with the bells of thousands of Bactrian camels, weaving through the deserts between Bukhara, Amul, Urugench, Khiva and beyond.

Marker for trail to Dayahatyn Caravanserai on the Ancient Silk Road Camel Route from Amul to Dayahatyn to Urugench and Khiva

The road quickly deteriorated. What started as old Soviet pavement gave way to potholes the size of moon craters.

Then, at a marker for the desert trail to Dayahatyn, we left the asphalt behind completely, bumping along a desert track that felt like a dried riverbed, winding over dunes and through windswept scrub.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai: The Desert’s Secret Jewel

According to one tale, a caravan laden with emeralds stopped here on a moonless night. A thief tried to sneak in but was swallowed by the earth — the locals still say the wind cries near the southern wall!

Dayahatyn Caravanserai First Look from Ancient Silk Road Camel Route from Amul to Khiva

And then — like a mirage — it appeared.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai

The Dayahatyn Caravanserai, rising out of the desert like the husk of a forgotten palace. Built in the 11th century by order of Khorasan’s (now in Afghanistan) ruler, this sandstone fortress was more than a roadside inn. It was a sanctuary. A bazaar. A fortress. A house of stories.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai

Also known as Daya Khatun Caravansarai or Daya Khatyn Caravansarai,  restoration of Dayahatyn is underway and workers with sun-drenched faces and dusty robes now piece back the intricate brickwork. Despite the scaffolding, its grandeur is palpable: huge arched entrances, internal courtyards, vaulted halls echoing with silence. The inscriptions hint at old Persian poetry, Quranic verses and caravan taxes. There is a great artists rendering of the entire complex as it looked like at "Caravanserai Dayakhatyn: An essential stop on the Great Silk Road".

Dayahatyn Caravanserai

Dayahatyn sat on the banks of the Oxus River, which in ancient times marked the boundary between Persia and Central Asia. This region was the cradle of civilizations — Sogdians, Parthians, Kushan emperors, Arab generals, Mongol invaders — all passed this way. Its location made it vital: whoever controlled the river, controlled the flow of goods, gold and power.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai (panorama)

Dayahatyn Caravanserai features a distinctive two-level structure, reflecting both its practical and defensive functions along the Silk Road.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai: Lower Courtyard with corridors and rows of rooms around

The ground level consists of a large central courtyard surrounded by arched chambers that once housed merchants, animals and goods, providing shelter and storage.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai: One of the staircases to upper level

The upper level, accessed by staircases, likely served as a more secure space for important travelers or guards, offering a vantage point to monitor the surrounding desert for potential threats.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai: A corridor running on side of the courtyard

The two-tiered design also helped regulate temperature, keeping the lower level cool in the scorching heat while allowing airflow through the upper sections.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai: One of the chambers behind a corridor along a side of the courtyard

This architectural layout highlights the caravanserai’s role as a fortified oasis, blending hospitality, trade and protection in the harsh Karakum Desert.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai: A staircase down to the lower level

The surrounding arid terrain, marked by rugged hills and vast plains, once buzzed with caravans transporting goods such as spices, textiles and precious metals.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai

Nearby archaeological remains, including fortifications and water reservoirs, highlight the ingenuity of medieval engineers in sustaining life in this harsh environment.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai: Upper Level

Today, the isolated yet majestic ruins of Dayahatyn evoke the grandeur of a bygone era when this remote outpost was a lifeline for merchants and pilgrims crossing the desert.

Turquoise, Blue, Green, Yellow, Red, White and Black

Interestingly, we found some pieces of glazed tiles still on the ground around the entrance to Dayahatyn!

Pieces of Turquoise and cobalt blue glazed tiles at Dayahatyn Caravanserai

The ceramic colors found at Dayahatyn Caravanserai reflect the vibrant artistic traditions of the Seljuk period (11th–12th centuries), blending both functional and decorative styles. Excavations and archaeological studies suggest that the caravanserai's ceramics likely featured:

• Turquoise and cobalt blue – Iconic of Seljuk pottery, often used in glazed tiles and vessels
• Lustrous greens and yellows – Seen in fritware and underglaze-painted ceramics
• Terracotta and earthy reds – Common in unglazed storage jars and kitchenware
• White and black slip-painted designs – Found on finer tableware with intricate geometric or calligraphic patterns

Pieces of Turquoise and cobalt blue glazed tiles at Dayahatyn Caravanserai

Since Dayahatyn was a major Silk Road stop, its ceramics may have included imported pieces from Persia and Central Asia, displaying richer lapis lazuli blues and gold lusterware.

Pieces of Turquoise and cobalt blue glazed tiles at Dayahatyn Caravanserai

While much of the original decoration has faded over time, the remaining fragments suggest a sophisticated use of color, typical of Seljuk architectural and domestic ware. Here is a Sora reconstruction of what it probably looked like!

AI (Sora) Reconstruction of front of Dayahatyn Caravanserai

Imagine: A night at Dayahatyn

Dayahatyn Caravanserai

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden glow over the Amu Darya, Dayahatyn Caravanserai buzzed with the sounds of a thriving Silk Road oasis.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai

Merchants from distant lands - Swahili traders from East Africa with bundles of ivory and spices, Moroccan dealers in saffron and leather, Persian weavers with fine silks and Chinese envoys carrying jade and porcelain - unloaded their weary camels and horses into the caravanserai’s protective walls.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai

The air filled with the scent of sizzling lamb kebabs, cardamom-infused rice and freshly baked Central Asian naan as cooks prepared feasts over open fires.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai

Inside the torch-lit courtyard, travelers exchanged tales in a mix of tongues - Arabic, Persian, Turkic and Tangut (now extinct) - while musicians plucked dutar strings and drummers beat rhythms reminiscent of Samarkand’s bazaars.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai

A group of Sogdian merchants laughed over a game of pasha (silk road backgammon), while Afghan horse traders bartered over prized Ferghana steeds. Nearby, a Tibetan monk shared stories of Buddhist monasteries along the Taklamakan, as a Khivan spice merchant passed around cups of steaming green tea.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai

As the night deepened, the caravanserai echoed with songs - Somali sea shanties, Uyghur folk melodies and the haunting strains of Turkmen dutar music - blending into a symphony of the Silk Road.

Dayahatyn Caravanserai

Under a sky ablaze with stars, these wanderers of the ancient world found fleeting kinship, bound by the shared rhythm of trade, adventure and the eternal promise of the road ahead.

Stairs from upper to lower level of Dayahatyn Caravanserai

By dawn, they would disperse - some toward Merv’s mighty markets, others to Bukhara’s golden domes - but for this and countless nights, Dayahatyn was a crossroads of the world.

Sunset on the historic Oxus (Amu Darya) River

We turned back toward Turkmenabat, racing the sunset. Our timing was perfect.

From the new bridge over the Amu Darya, we watched the sun sink behind the horizon, spilling gold and crimson across the water. The river, once called Jayhun by Arabs and Vaksu by the Greeks, shimmered with the weight of memory.

Amu Darya (Oxus) River Sunset, Amul (Turkmenabat), Turkmenistan

Nearby, fishermen cast nets as they’ve done for centuries. The legendary Oxus River (Amu Darya) has witnessed the epic saga of civilization itself - where empires rose like thunder and fell like whispers into the sands of time. Along its life-giving waters, the Bronze Age kingdoms of Bactria and Margiana flourished, their cities humming with trade and mysticism, before vanishing into legend. The Achaemenid Persians marched across its banks, only to be swept away by the tempest of Alexander the Great, who dreamed of an empire stretching to the ends of the earth.

The new bridge over Amu Darya and the modern city of Turkmenabat built on the ruins of historic Amul

Later, the Kushans (Maharaja Kanishka is still one of the most revered emperors in India) turned the Oxus into a golden highway of Buddhism, art and commerce, while the Sassanian shahs and Hephthalite warlords clashed for dominion in a whirlwind of steel and fire. The river bore witness to the Abbasid Caliphate’s glittering scholars, the Seljuk Turks’ caravanserais and the Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan and sons, who painted its currents red with the blood of fallen cities. Each dynasty - Greek, Persian, Turkic, Mongol - rose in glory, only to fade into the ruins that now sleep beneath the Oxus’ shifting shores. Today, the waters of Amu Darya murmur the lost tales of conquerors and kings, a timeless testament to the relentless march of history.

The new bridge over Amu Darya at the modern city of Turkmenabat built on the ruins of historic Amul

As the locals say, “The Oxus does not forget. It remembers every hoofprint, every emperor, every kiss and betrayal.”

Farewell, Turkmenistan

And just like that, our Turkmenistan adventure came to a close. We decided to take a nice short 40-minute Turkmenistan Airlines flight back from Turkmenabat to Ashgabat. Turkmenabat International Airport (Türkmenabat halkara howa menzili) is a sleek, modern gateway to eastern Turkmenistan, serving as a key hub for domestic and limited international travel.

Türkmenabat halkara howa menzili (Turkmenabat International Airport)

Opened in 2018, Turkmenabat International Airport's striking architecture features a futuristic terminal with traditional Turkmen motifs and a spacious runway capable of handling large aircraft. Designed to accommodate up to 500 passengers per hour, the airport boasts efficient facilities, clean waiting areas and a symbolic horse-shaped terminal roof honoring Turkmen heritage. It’s an impressive representation of the country’s ambitions to modernize infrastructure while embracing its cultural identity.

Subsequently, Turkish Airlines flew us back from Ashgabat to Tbilisi (via a long roundabout and layover at Istanbul Havalimani!).

From the marble streets of Ashgabat to the alien beauty of Darvaza, from the towering cliffs of Yangykala to the ghost cities of Merv, we had traversed deserts, mountains and millennia. We met eagle hunters, swam in underground lakes, camped under stars and got schooled in Silk Road strategy by grandmas pouring tea.

We laughed. We got stuck in sand. We bartered for pomegranates. We fell in love with a country most people never think to visit.

But the road continues.

With Shehzadi ready and the Silk Road calling, we will cross into Uzbekistan, aiming for Bukhara, Samarkand and one day, the mountains of China and India.

So long, Turkmenistan. You were strange, fierce, generous, unforgettable.

Turkmenistan Blog archive:

Episode 1  Ashgabat to Darvaza

Episode 2  Wonders of Western Turkmenistan

Episode 3  Darvaza: The Door to Hell

Episode 4  Merv & the Silk Road

Episode 5  Amul, Amu Darya, Dayahatyn - this blog post :)

Our Silk Road expedition continues next with an overland road-trip that takes us across three continents, eight countries and almost 6,000 kilometers in Shehzadi. That story continues from the next episode: Georgia, Turkey, Greece into North Macedonia, Italy, Spain and Morocco: Black Sea Dreams & Bosporus Crossings - Our Overland Journey from Asia to Europe to Africa.

Stay wild,

- The Vagabond Couple