Day-Trip to the Nader Shah Fortress, Turkmenistan

The Nader Shah Fortress ruins is situated about two hours east of Ashgabat. The fortress was constructed during the reign of Nadir Shah (1736-1747 AD), founder of the Afsharid Dynasty, and leader of a vast but brief Persian empire in Central Asia.

The fortress complex is in good condition; most of the walls, guard towers, and surrounding moat are intact. Within the walls, the outlines of the road system can still be seen. At the center of the fortress stands the ruins of the palace complex. About 500 feet from the fortress stands two ruined structures, one with half its dome roof still intact. It is not known what purpose they served.

Nader Shah is often referred to as the "second Alexander the Great," or the "Napoleon of Persia," due to his stunning successes on the battlefield. The massive Nader Shah fortress complex stands as a testament to his legacy, and Persian military might from days past.

The fortress is designed in a square pattern. This is one of the four walls which we entered the fortress.

A view of the eastern wall, facing south, from on top of one of the guard towers.

A view of the southern wall, facing west. Most of the all is still intact, with guard towers at regular intervals. The length of the fortress continues just beyond the mounds in the center. To give an idea of the full length, the wall runs the same length behind the image.The fortress had three layers of defense. First the moat, which can be seen to the right of the wall, mostly greyish in color. The assaulting force would then have to move up a steep incline, in between the towers. If the assaulting force managed to breach the walls, they would then have to fight their way through narrow choke-points on the left side of the main wall.

The inside of the fortress. The palace ruins is situated in the center of the image. A main throughway connects the palace, and surrounding barracks to the walls. The main throughways wide, allowing large number of defenders to reach any point along the walls quickly.

A domed structure about 500-600 feet from the fortress. much of it is actually buried underground, but the entrance way is still open, and can be entered. I could not any information as to what this structure was used for, but it did have good acoustic qualities.

Standing inside the domed structure. The top of the dome is long gone, but enough is still intact to get an idea of its construction. In the background is another entrance/exit, but most of it is filled in with sand and dirt.

,Afsharid Dynasty

Afsharid Dynasty

Afsharid Dynasty