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]).

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].

Darvaza Gas Crater - Door to Hell

In this episode, we leave behind the marble perfection of Ashgabat and head north across the Karakum Desert on some of the worst roads we've ever driven - zigzagging past camels, craters and ancient gas rigs en route to one of the world's most surreal destinations: the Darvaza Gas Crater, or as locals call it, the Door to Hell. With roadside kebabs, feral Alabai dogs and flaming geology, this leg of our Turkmenistan expedition is as thrilling as it is bumpy.

Missed the previous leg of the journey? Catch up on our travels through Turkmenbashi, Yangykala Canyon, Balkanabat and Nokhur in [Episode 2].

Yangykala Canyon: Crocodile's Mouth

Into the Wild: Desert Roads & Camel Highways

Have you ever driven into a Martian canyon in the middle of the desert while dodging camels?

In the last episode, we explored the white marble city of Ashgabat and took a night train to Turkmenbashi (see Neo-Monumentalist Ashgabat, Caspian Sea Port city of Turkmenbashi & Turkmen Overnight Sleeper Train Ride). We now leave Turkmenbashi's Caspian Sea coast behind, plunging into the Karakum Desert, where the "roads" dissolve into cracked asphalt and sand-drifted trails. Our 4x4 lurched like a ship in a storm, slowing only when a caravan of dust-caked camels claimed right of way - their languid strides a reminder that here, time moves on desert terms. We head to the fabled Yangykala Canyon and then on to ancient Nokhur (aka Nohur) village via the city of Balkanabat. We will stay overnight with a local family in Nohur and share a traditional dinner, visit the tree where Noah's family found shelter, climb down 350 steps to a deep underground thermal lake, taste some fabulous Turkmen kabob and continue our Turkmenistan adventure in this episode.

Our Ashgabat - Turkmenbashi overnight sleeper train at Ashgabat Railway Station

We had a little bit of experience in Central Asia when we visited Mongolia at its eastern end previously. When we started talking about the other end of Central Asia, i.e. Turkmenistan, they said this was a mysterious, closed-off and untouched country. They weren't wrong. But they forgot to add: "utterly magical."

After 10 days exploring (MAP) this surreal Central Asian nation where ancient Silk Road ruins collide with Soviet-era oddities, marble-clad cities and a literal Gates of Hell, we can confidently say: Turkmenistan is one of the world’s most fascinating, bizarre and criminally underrated travel destinations.

From the gleaming white emptiness of Ashgabat to the echoing ruins of Merv, the fiery spectacle of Darwaza, the timelessness of Dayahatyn Caravanserai and the legendary Amu Darya (Oxus) river, plus an unexpectedly luxurious overnight train to Turkmenbashi, every moment felt like stepping into a dream (or sometimes, a slightly dystopian novel). Here’s the first episode of the full story of our Turkmenistan adventure, with plenty of history, humor and what-the-heck moments along the way.