Travel on archaeological monuments of Mary Region.

"All called ancient settlements were surrounded with the wall protecting wide city to the district. The general territory within this wall, makes about 40 sq.km. Merv steadily was the important economic, cultural and intellectual center"

Masson V. M. "Ancient Merv".

Sights of historical and cultural park ancient Merv.

Ruins of ancient fortresses Big and Small Kyz kala, in the historical and cultural park ancient Merv. Approximate age of construction VI - VII century. Uniqueness of a construction in corrugated walls from not burned brick.
Big Kyz kala - small fortress, badly remained up to now. Big Kyz kala consisted of two floors. The first floor had five rooms, and the ladder conducting down passed through an arc-shaped corridor. Planning of the second floor can only be imagined by the remained fragments.
The second floor also had about five rooms located around the courtyard. Big Kyz kala with corrugated, as if put pleated, like an accordion, walls. They are put on earth ramps with an easy inclination. Small windows are hidden pleated walls.
Above a wall terminate in gear loopholes which almost did not remain. Rooms on the first floor were lit with five windows. Planning of the second floor can only be imagined by the remained fragments. They are established on earth ramps with an inclination in 75 degrees.
The architecture of walls reminds a goffering which is formed by the linked semicircular or polygonal pilasters. The corrugated facade remained only on the southern and east parties of a structure. In spite of the fact that this building rather small by the size (22 x 22 meters) and worse remained, it was built according to the same plan, as Big Kyz kala.
Most likely there was the central courtyard around which they also accommodated. In architecture of a construction at least three types of the arches were used: cylindrical arch, dome arch and original dome. In the western part of a construction once there was a room with the dome arch, but only some parts of transitions to it, including тромп in panels remained.
Sultan Sanjar was known for his parties. Gyz Kala an unusual windowless castle outside the city wall and south-west of the mausoleum was nicknamed the house of maidens tears when he started using it for intimate gatherings in which all the guests were men and all the women were slaves.
By then Gyz Kala was already 600 years old. Built in the VI century by a Sassanian governor for his eldest daughter its walls consist of half-columns possibly designed to deflect missles. They were pockmarked but not destroyed by Arab siege catapults in 651.

Authority:
 Bernshtam A.N. «History-archeologic sketches Central Tien-Shan and Pamir-Alay». «Religious and spiritual monuments of the Central Asia».

Photos
Alexander Petrov.