We are scheduled to visit the ancient city of Merv, located about 400km from Ashgabat. To get there we will be flying to the nearby city of Mary, which seems like an very unusual name for a city in this part of the world.

In ancient times Merv was called Margiana. It existed over 4000 years and was an important part of the Silk Road between the 2nd and  13th centuries when it was sacked and destroyed  by the Mongols, led by Genghis Khan. Merv was a center of culture, religion and commerce in it’s heyday, rivaled Damascus and Baghdad as the major Islamic city. It was the melting pot for religion and ethnic culture before Genghis Khan sacked it.

We spent several hours wandering around the remains of the city and visited several mosques and mausoleums in the area before having lunch and heading back to Ashgabat by motor coach.

We returned to Mary around 1 PM for a late lunch before heading back to Ashgabat.

Never did understand why we did not fly back instead of taking the 4 + hour bus ride back. We did get to see the nearby Karakum desert as part of our return trip. And a funny thing happened as we neared Ashgabat. The bus pulled over for what we thought was simply a chance to stretch our legs. While doing so and while we were taking pictures of some local sand dunes the driver proceeded to take out a bucket of water and long brush and wash the front of the bus. Perplexed we asked why and he stated that if he arrived back in Ashgabat with a dirty bus he could be fined by the police! Another amazing tale of what it is like living in Ashgabat.

We arrived back at the hotel around 7 PM and we were on our own for dinner that night. Having had  huge lunch most of us simply passed and headed to bed. Tomorrow is our last day of sightseeing in the Ashgabat area.

Steps for the day: 5,901- another easy day.