The ancient City of Merv was next on our journey. I’ve always wished to visit a Persian city & now my wish was about to come true. Located off the main road to Mary we found the ruins of what was once claimed the largest city in the world in the 12th century. Once on the historic silk road it is now a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As you drive into the huge complex, there are signs indicating that tickets were to be bought before entering. No-one was about & there was no gate stopping us from entering. It was nearly 5pm so we drove into the site to see what we could see, expecting to be stopped fairly quickly & be asked to leave. We reached a crossroads & decided to turn right. Shortly down the road we could see the ruins of the Great Kyz Kala.
We stopped just in front of a fence which has now been erected to protect the site. All around the outside of the Great Kyz Kala were trenches which were being dug as part of a preservation project. Through gaps you could see inside where teams were working to restore the building & possibly discovering more about this historic site. We were able to wander around without a soul in sight. The atmosphere was tranquil. In the fields next door, farmers were harvesting as the sun set. Catching the sun setting behind the huge ruins is a sight which will remain with me for many years to come.
As the sun came down we walked back to Minty & met a local family. Whilst we were in awe of the huge ruin in front of us they were happier that they had met foreigners in Merv & promptly invited us to their house for dinner & to stay. John & I have never been good at accepting a strangers hospitality never mind in a country that is restrictive with foreign visitors. Even after travelling thousands of miles we were still typical suspicious Brits. Somehow we made an excuse not to join them but chatted for a while longer until it was nearly dark. We then went our separate ways.
We headed back to the crossroads but instead of turning left & back onto the main road we turned right & drove further into the ancient city. Around us were more ruins, smaller than Great Kyz Kala but still as fascinating. We passed through what seemed like a boundary wall & ahead of us was a Mausoleum lit up in the dusky skies. We stopped a short distance away in a car park & wandered over.
Not being sure if anyone was around & the mausoleum looked like it was guarded we kept our distance. We took a few photo’s & wandered a bit closer. We were right, a guard soon came out & asked us to leave. Apparently the site is closed at night & we shouldn’t be there. He was happy to chat to us for a few minutes but it was clear we should be on our way.
We got back into Minty & made our way back to the main road to find somewhere to sleep for the night. We soon found a track which took us off the road & we camped beside a cotton field for the night.
A pretty amazing way to spend my birthday.
