Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
Merv was known as Margiana or Margush
in Alexander the Great's time. Under the
Persian Sassanians, it was considered
religiously liberal, with significant popu-
lations of Christians, Buddhists and Zoro-
astrians cohabiting peacefully. As a centre
of power, culture and civilisation, Merv
reached its greatest heights during the
peak of the Silk Road in the 11th and 12th
centuries, when the Seljuq Turks made it
their capital. Legendary Merv may even
have been the inspiration for the tales
of Scheherazade's
Thousand and One
Nights
.
Merv suffered a number of attacks over
the course of its history, but instead of re-
building on top of the older ruins, Merv
slowly spread west. In total, five cities
were constructed next to each other, large-
ly because of the shifting rivers. The oldest
section was the Erk Kala; in later centu-
ries most people lived in the vast walled
city called Sultan Kala.
All of this was completely eradicated
in 1221 under the onslaught of the Mon-
gols. In 1218 Chinggis Khan demanded a
substantial tithe of grain from Merv, along
with the pick of the city's most beauti-
ful young women. The unwise Seljuq re-
sponse was to slay the tax collectors.
In retribution Tolui, the most brutal of
Chinggis Khan's sons, arrived three years
later at the head of an army, accepted the
peaceful surrender of the terrified citizens,
and then proceeded to butcher every last
one of them, an estimated 300,000 people.
1
¨Sights
On the road towards ancient Merv is a
small ticket office for the
Merv¨complex
(
%
6 73 54; admission 11.40M, camera 5.70M,
video camera 70M;
h
8am-7pm)
and the
Margush¨ Archaeological¨ Museum
(
h
8am-7pm)
F
.
Merv
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ERK
KALA
SHAHRIYAR
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Ancient
Roads
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Sunday
Camel
Market
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Abdullah-Khan
Kala
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:
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1
:
Bairam Ali (3km);
Mary (30km)
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