Weekend Trip to Mary, Turkmenistan and Ancient Merv

I had the opportunity to visit with a Turkmen family in Mary, Turkmenistan. For a weekend, I was treated to Turkmen hospitality, renown in Central Asia, and briefly experienced traditional Turkmen living. My hosts took me to the local bazaar, where I immersed myself in a traditional marketplace setting.

Before boarding a plane back to Ashgabat, I toured the ancient city ruins of Merv, once an important political and economic center along the famous Silk Roads.

My hosts, a local Turkmen family, live in the town of Murgab, just outside the city of Mary (Mer-ree). After being picked up from the airport, I was invited for tea at the home of my host's long-time family friend. From there, I arrived at my host's home, where a lavish feast awaited. With the exception of cabinetry to store items, traditional Turkmen homes do not have furniture. Instead colorful rugs with a variety of intricate designs cover the floors of every room of the house. The feast was laid out upon a special mat covering the center of the rugs. Upon the serving mat, bowls of fresh fruit, pastry trays, fresh baked bread, chicken shashlyk, soup, and an assortment of beverages awaited. Myself and fellow guests took our place upon the rugs and enjoyed the food until we could stuff ourselves no further.

After an hour of enjoying the cool evening breeze on the patio, also lined with Turkmen rugs, myself and the other guests returned to the dinning area. Upon entering, there was no indication that dinner was served there, or that it was a dinning area at all. Our hosts removed the food, and rolled up the serving mat. In its place, was a series of sleeping mats upon the rugs for us to turn in for the night.

Flying into Mary, Turkmenistan. Mary is situated on an oasis, supporting urban development since ancient times to the present. In the far background, the abrupt dividing line between oasis and desert is clearly visible.

The first stop for my visit was the home of a life-long friend of my host for tea. Pictured here is a garden dug with mini irrigation canals. Even though Mary sits on an oasis, the the climate is very arid for many months of the year. Driving through Mary, I noticed that most homes have a garden plot similar to this one.

  

The lavishly decorated gathering room at my first stop. Like my host's home, there is little furniture. In its place are elaborately decorated rugs.

The town of Murgab, just outside the central city of Mary. Almost all the structures are made of tan-colored bricks, and most are two stories in height. Dryers are very rare in Turkmenistan, so nearly every home has laundry hanging out to dry. Nearly every residence has a TV satellite dish, since that is the only practical way to access to most channels.

The lounge room of our host's home. Like the previous home, there is very little furniture besides chest-of-drawers and cabinets. Instead, one sits or lays down on the rugs. If support is desired, one can use an oval-shaped pillow similar to the ones seen in the back center of this image by placing it behind the back, or tucking underneath the arm pit.

I experienced first-hand legendary Turkmen hospitality. The serving mat was laid out with fresh fruits, vegetables, pastries, candies, and several types of drink, including hot tea. We were then served hot soup with beef, chicken shashlyk, and plov, a favorite dish in Turkmenistan. 

After waking up in the morning, me and the other guests were greeting with breakfast on the patio. Breakfast included coffee and hot tea to drink, and toasted cheese sandwiches, fruit and pastries.

The wash basin for taking bucket baths. It is very hot inside the wash house, and water is also very warm.

An area in the wash room to wash hands clean. You squat in front of the drain in the floor, poor warm water from the pitcher onto your hands, lather with soap, then rinse.

Trip to the Yupek Yol bazaar

After our breakfast on the patio, our host took us to the Yupek Yol bazaar, one of the largest bazaars in Mary.  Yupek Yol bazaar had a look and feel to it as if it had not changed for a half century. There is a ring of two story stucco buildings that form a "wall" around the central bazaar; within the "wall," thousands of residents from Mary and surrounding areas hustled and bustled. Merchants of every description were present, selling their goods, some from fixed structures, while others has more temporary stands. Goods ranged from modern electronics to rusty old tools, and food of every kind. Within the narrow, congested isles, women with bread or pastry baskets would walk among the people offering the contents for sale.

Bargaining with the merchants were a hit or miss. Some were willing to bargain, while others were not. Being an American can also be a issue when negotiating a price, as it is sometimes assumed Americas will pay more. It is not uncommon to see a price marked on an item, ask the price to confirm, which the merchant will agree. Then, when preparing to pay, suddenly the merchant will mark up the price, sometimes up to 1000%. The merchant will then refuse to lower the price, even if it means losing the sale.

However, many merchants are willing to deal, and in general are friendly. If one is willing to shop around, some really great deals on high-quality merchandise can be had.

All the cars in the background are "ghost" taxis. Private citizens with cars will wait in this area hoping to pick up commuters for a small fee. We paid someone 1 Manat ($0.35) to drive us in his van to the Yopek Yol Bazaar.

One of several entry and exit points into the thriving Yopek Yol bazaar, just outside Mary. The person pushing the cart was a common site. They move goods around in bulk throughout the bazaar, and will transport large quantities of goods purchased by customers.

One of the many main throughways in the bazaar. For the uninitiated, the bazaar quickly takes on the characteristics of daunting maze.

The bazaar had many narrow passages like this one. Each is lined with individual merchants.

Ladies preparing fabrics for sale. Among many other goods, fabric of great variety and type are available at the bazaar.

Another fabric stand. It was not uncommon to see sellers climbing among all their fabrics serving potential customers.

I spotted several of these make-shift carriages pulled by donkeys throughout Mary.

Ancient Merv

After my visit to Yupek Yol bazaar, my hosts took to the ruins of ancient Merv, one of the largest and best preserved archeological sites in Central Asia.

Merv is the site of 4,000 years of human history and urban settlement. Situated between the ancient cities of Bukhara and Balkh to the west, and Samarkand to the east, Merv served as a vital hub of trade and commerce along the famous Silk Roads that linked the societies of Eurasia for thousands of years.

Great figures from history passed through the ancient walls of Merv, including Alexander the Great, and Genghis Khan. Merv served as an important administrative and trade center for several great empires, including Achaemenian Empire, Seleucid Empire, and later Islamic empires.

The site of Merv was chosen due to its former close proximity to the Murgab River. Throughout ancient and medieval history, the river shifted several times, prompting the people of Merv to build a new city closer to the river. As a result, today there are actually five distinct cities at ancient Merv clustered near one another. Ironically, because those who occupied Merv throughout its history moved the site, instead of building on top of older sites like many other ancient cities, Merv is one of the most well preserved.

The Great Kyz Kala, one of the oldest and largest surviving structures at Merv. It was constructed sometime in the 6th century as a military fortress.

Another shot of the Great Kyz Kala.

This fragment of wall is all that remains of this once great structure. Constructed of straw brick, moisture over the centuries slowly "melts" the bricks.

Inside the Lesser Kyz Kala. While much of this structure is in ruin from time, some detailed brickwork is still visible.

A staircase in the Lesser Kyz Kala. Many centuries ago, soldiers in charge of defending Merv passed through here.

Literally buried by the sands of time, this stairwell once led to the substructure of this building, indicating that it is much larger than appears to the eye.

An ancient defensive wall of one of the sites of Merv. The wall remains remarkably well preserved in spite of its age and purpose.

Inside a mosque constructed sometime in the 12th century.

Arabic inscriptions carved into the brick formed a ring around the top of the walls.

Another example of the ornamental brickwork found throughout the temple.

Two mausolea of two Askhabs (standard bearers) of the prophet Muhammad constructed in the 15th century.

Remnants of an ornamental brick facade that once covered the mausolea. The blue colored bricks are of particular significance; blue bricks were difficult to make and acquire. Buildings with blue bricks symbolized wealth and  prestige.

A close-up of a carved decorative brick.

Constructed in the 12th century, this domed building is what remains of a much larger mausoleum complex of Sultan Sanjar, the last sultan of the Seljuk Empire.

Inside the domed mausoleum. In the center is the tomb of Sultan Sanjar.

At one point, stucco covered the ornamental brick work that surrounded the perimeter of the mausoleum. However, some of the stucco is wearing away, slowly revealing the intricate artwork underneath.

While the greatness of Merv rose and fell long ago, the site still serves as a quite place of prayer and quiet contemplation today.