Merv

Sasanian · Turkmenistan

Field notes

civilizations

SasanianSogdian

types

City

occupied

600 BCE — 1,300 CE

country

Turkmenistan

The site

Merv is a great oasis city strung along the Silk Road in the Turkmen desert, settled from deep antiquity through medieval times and ruled in turn by Sasanians, Arabs, Seljuqs and others. In the early 9th century it briefly served as capital of the entire Islamic caliphate, and later as the seat of the Great Seljuk Empire. At its height it drew renowned poets, physicians, mathematicians and astronomers, including the polymath Omar Khayyam.

Nearby sites

~63 km

Gonur Depe

~351 km

Nisa

~472 km

Afrasiyab

~510 km

Sarazm