Merv

Merv, also known as Marv, is an ancient oasis city in present-day Turkmenistan. It lies on the Murghab River near the modern city of Mary and has long served as a major hub on the Silk Road, linking trade between the Iranian plateau, Central Asia, and the western regions of the Near East. The name appears in Greek and Persian sources, with the Turkmen name associated with the nearby Mary region.

Settlement at Merv dates to the Bronze Age, and the site grew into a major urban center during the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sassanian periods. After the Arab conquest in the 7th century, Merv became a thriving Islamic city, with mosques, schools, caravanserais, and mausoleums. It was part of successive empires and often functioned as a provincial capital or key commercial node on routes across Central Asia.

In 1221, the Mongol army led by Genghis Khan's successors captured and devastated Merv in one of the era’s most destructive campaigns; the city never fully recovered its pre-Mongol prominence, though residents remained. The site saw renewed activity under later dynasties, including the Timurid era, and continued to be inhabited through the medieval and early modern periods. In the 19th and early 20th centuries it came under Russian influence and, after 1920, became part of Soviet Turkmenistan. Since Turkmenistan’s independence in 1991, the ruins lie near Mary in southeastern Turkmenistan.

The ruins cover multiple urban centers layered over centuries, preserving fortifications, mosques, mausoleums, and caravanserais. A prominent feature is the Giz Gala fortress, a large defensive complex reflecting the city’s role as a trading and military hub on the Silk Road. Excavations have yielded ceramics, inscriptions, and architectural fragments illuminating the region’s Islamic and pre-Islamic periods.

Merv is recognized as one of Central Asia’s great ancient oases and Silk Road cities. The site remains a major focus for archaeology and a key cultural landmark in Turkmenistan.