Tours on history of ancient Merv.

“In 1221, Merv fell victim to the invasions of the Mongol Hordes of Ghengis Khan. Legend has it that more than a million inhabitants perished, and the city was completely destroyed. After this disaster, she never again returned to her former glory.  In the XVIIIth century, Merv became a part of the Russian Empire”

Tours and excursions to monuments of ancient Merv.

Kishman (Kushmeykhan) - the large ancient settlement of the III - IV century of century it is located in 28 km to the north of a monument of Merv - the ancient settlement Gyaur kala. In the plan oval, surrounded with a fortification.
Fortress similar to Chilburdzh, but with round towers was the center of the settlement. It is new architecture, the distinguishing Kishman from fortresses of antique time. This application in fortification works which were carried out by the first Sasanids governors to Gyaur kala.
The reconstructed towers of its citadel (Erk-kala) received the rounded sides. Plutarch wrote: «The Romans were frightened by a loud noise, when suddenly their enemy attacked them, and were able to pierce the steel mail and armor of the Romans».
The famous «Damascus steel», able to cut through a silk scarf when dropped over it, was first invented in Merv, according to the opinion of many scientists, as a smelting oven was unearthed here among the remains.
In the middle ages, Merv was again seized, this time by Arab Hordes, and in the 12th century, it became the capital of the Empire of the Great Selidzhuks, a militant nomadic tribe of Turks who arrived form the Northern Steppes, ancestors of present-day Turkmen.
The most majestic monument of that time was the mausoleum of the Sultan Sandzhara, whose architecture best reflects the achievements of the Muslim epoch. Omar Hayam, the remarkable poet of the Orient, lived and worked among the gardens of the Sandzhara.

Authority:
“Old the ancient Merv”. By Pavel Voronov. www.discovery-central-asia.com "Religious and spiritual monuments to Central Asia". Author M. Hashimov. Saga publishing house, 2001.

Photos
Alexander Petrv.