Jeep tours on Turkmenistan.

“The idea that Ekedeshik was a monastery, has been suggested by S. Khmelnitsky. He reminds that more or less organized complexes of artificial caves serve in Central Asia as monasteries - usually of Buddhists, sometimes of Christians. There are more reasons to regard the cave erections of Tagtabazar as a Buddhist complex, a great number of which remained in the neighboring Afganistan”

Tours across mausoleums of ancient Merv.

Yekedeshik - is a State historical and architectural reserve, located 225 kilometers from Bairam-Ali in the district of Tagta-Bazar. Tahta-Bazar -is a district where once passed great caravan routes from Iran, Khorasan.
Yekedeshik -is a unique and spectacular cave that doesn't have any analogues anywhere else. The word "Yekedeshik"-from Turkmen language means "One orifice" because of it's only one entrance. In the spring period one can see here open land covered with lots of tulips and field mushrooms.
The emergence of this cave is a mystery and there are many versions of how it appeared. According to one of them cave was dug by the legions of A. Macedonian army. As a consequence people used the cave as a dwelling.
Inside the cave there are blocs of rooms similar to modern ones where one can see bedrooms, kitchens and others. The cave consists of two floors. On the lower floor people collected water for their needs. There are 44 rooms and the cave is still under archeological excavations to nowadays.
The cave has been carved by of axe-like tools in the rock of sandstone. A straight, 37 meters long corridor comes up against niche which resembles an altar. On the right and the left there are rectangular rooms and one of them, almost quadrate in plan (3,2 х 3,3 m) has a spherical ceiling, divided into four segments relief ribs and a dome.
The narrow drum of which is decorated with the ornament in the shape of an arcade, and in the keystone there is a cylindrical "skylight" with inserted a stylized rose-window. The idea that Ekedeshik was a monastery, has been suggested by S. Khmelnitsky.
He reminds that more or less organized complexes of artificial caves serve in Central Asia as monasteries - usually of Buddhists, sometimes of Christians. There are more reasons to regard the cave erections of Tagtabazar as a Buddhist complex, a great number of which remained in the neighboring Afganistan.

Authority:
On materials of information department of the State committee of Turkmenistan on tourism and sport. "Religious and spiritual monuments to Central Asia". Author M. Hashimov. Saga publishing house, 2001.

Photos:
http://tmlife.clubavtor: Murad Arrykov