Tours on archaeological sights of Merv.

"When you travel, the main thing - not to forget that sense - on a travel, not at the end. Not спеш, you will miss the purpose for the sake of which you travel"

 F. Lamenne.

The short description of route of tour from town of Mary on Durnali fortress, Togolok  depe and  ancient settlement Margush:

Mary - anonymous fortress - Sassaniya fortress - settlement Yagdy El – Deu chakyn depe fortress - Durnali fortress - Togolok depe fortress - ancient settlement Gonur depe - Mary.

Distance route: 236 km.
Season: from 1 of April till 30 of September.
The best time for an excursion: April, May, September.
Duration: 3 days and 2 nights.

The detailed program of tour day by day across ancient settlements and fortress of Mary velayat:

Trip from city of Mary on ancient settlement Margush.

Day 1. Excursion on Ashgabad (34 km).
Arrival at 7:00 in Ashgabad. A meeting at the airport. Transfer to hotel, accommodation. Short rest, breakfast. Beginning of an excursion at 9:00. 
Visit of the park of Independence. One of the main touristic attractions of Turkmenistan is the National Independence Park  in Ashgabat. Today covers an area of 7 hectares. Laid in 1887 and initially called the city summer garden. Founded in 1890 as Officer Park, in the park was located building of Nobility Assembly of Russian Empire. In the USSR was called Lenin Park, and the people was called First Park.
Visit of Arch of the Neutrality. At 63 meters, there is a 12-meter sculpture of Saparmurat Turkmenbashi on  a background of a fluttering flag. This part of the monument rotates slowly, making one full every day. The President thus seems to survey his country, meeting and seeing off the sun the Arch of Neutrality reaches a total of 75 meters, making it the highest building in Turkmenistan, above the 600 year old Kutlug-Timur minaret.
Walk on observation whell in the park Alem. Cultural entertainment center Alem is located in Ashgabat. The general height of a construction - 95 meters with a spike, represents a step pyramid on which the big wheel with a diameter of external circle of 57 meters towers. This largest big wheel of the closed type in the world, is included in the Guinness Book of Records. In total in the building of the center of 6 levels, on 7 meters of each, including 2 underground. The total area of the center - about 26 thousand square meters.
Visit of the Wedding palace. Bagt Koshg wedding palace opened in 2011. Eleven-floor building more than 38 000 square meters. Represents a three-stage construction which each party has an appearance of an eight-pointed star. The cube towering on big columns forms its top step and incorporates a sphere with a diameter of 32 meters – the symbolical planet Earth with the image of the map of Turkmenistan.
Visit to Ertogrulgaza mosque. Ertogrulgaza mosque or Azadi Mosque one of the most beautiful mosques of Ashgabat built in the Turkish style is the biggest in the city.The mosque contains four minarets. In 1998 one of the most beautiful buildings of our world. It was constructed soon after declaration of the state of Turkmenistan independent and became one more symbol of its freedom. Gilded words from the Koran are entered manually. In the mosque which is considered as the house of God, the first floor is the men's hall, and the second - women's. In halls about 5 000 people can pray at the same time.
Trip to mosque and the mausoleum of the Turkmenbashi Rukhy in the settlement of Kipchak (17 km). Huge snow-white mosque with four minarets and the huge gold dome, in the ancestral village of former Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov, Kipchak. The mosque was named "Turkmenbashi Ruhi", which is Turkmen for "spirit of Turkmenbashi”. Rukh Turkmenbashi is not the biggest mosque only in Turkmenistan, but also throughout Central Asia. Return to Ashgabad. Transfer to hotel, dinner and overnight.
Day 2. Ashgabad – Mary - Ashgabad (214 km).
Breakfast. Transfer to the airport, early departure to Mary (50 min.). Arrival in Mary, meeting at the airport. Walk on ancients settlements and fortresses of Mary Region.
Transfer: Mary - anonymous fortress (27 km). Arrival on anonymous fortress, walk in vicinities, photography.
Transfer: anonymous fortress - Sassaniysky fortress (3 km). Arrival on Sassaniysky fortress, walk in vicinities, photography.
Transfer: Sassaniysky fortress – Deu chakyn depe fortress (10 km). Arrival to Deu chakyn depe the fortress, walk in vicinities, photography.
Transfer: Deu chakyn depe fortress - Durnali fortress (24 km). Arrival on Durnali fortress, walk in vicinities. On the ancient settlement Durnali numerous ruins of constructions of the IX - XII century of century remained. The ancient settlement has ancient history. In ancient times the large Parthian city surrounded with the powerful fortress which was restored in the Middle Ages was located here. Fortress had a rectangular shape of 180 by 160 meters in size. On corners, and also along walls powerful towers settled down. Partially fortress walls remained. Durnali age is demonstrated by the coins found here dated the I-II centuries AD.
Transfer: Durnali fortress - Togolok depe fortress (51 km). Arrival on Togolok depe fortress, walk in vicinities, photography. The ancient city of Togolok was built in 20 kilometers to the south from the city of Margush after water left the city of Margush. The city was in the delta of the Murghab River. On the ancient settlement Togolok depe also carried out excavation, here found houses, fortress, house utensils and jewelry.
Transfer: Togolok depe fortress - ancient settlement Gonur depe (17 km). Arrival on the ancient settlement Margush, walk in vicinities, photography. One of the major cities - to Gonur-depa, the spiritual center of Margush. There was an imperial palace most of which part was occupied by a huge ritual complex with a large number of sanctuaries of water and fire. In each construction there are ritual two-chamber furnaces with ovens in which cooked sacrificial meat. In 4 open furnaces strong "eternal" fire burned. The city at the same time is a huge necropolis - more than 4 thousand burials are revealed here, probably, residents of the country sought to be buried in this sacred city. End of an excursion.
Transfer: ancient settlement Gonur depe - town of Mary (104 km). Arrival in Mary. Transfer to the airport, departure to Ashgabad (50 minutes). Arrival in Ashgabad, meeting at the airport, transfer to hotel, dinner and overnight.
Day 3. Ashgabad. 
Transfer to the airport. Departure from Ashgabad.

Note:
Author program of Alexander Petrov. Copying and introduction -  from the sanction of the author  petrovsra@mail.ru