State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancient Merv. Ancient cities of Mary The struggle for the city between Persia, Bukhara and Khiva
Coordinates: 37°39′46″ n. w. / 62°11′33″ E. d.37.6628028° s. w. 62.1925194° E. d. / 37.6628028; 62.1925194
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(G) (I) After the Arab conquest Central Asia
in the 7th century finds a second life as a springboard for aggressive expeditions to the north and east. Under the Abbasids, Merv was one of the main centers of Arab book learning, possessing ten libraries. The heyday of the city begins under the reign of the Samanid dynasty. Merv reached its greatest prosperity in the middle of the 12th century, when Sultan Sanjar made it the capital of the Seljuk state. At this time, Merv amazed contemporaries with the scale of its buildings and its huge population, which, according to some estimates, was greater than the population of Constantinople and Baghdad. continued to remain largest center
Central Asia and under the Khorezmshahs. In 1221, Merv was destroyed by the Mongols and was not revived until the 15th century, when the Timurids finally put its irrigation structures in order, but Merv could not achieve its former greatness, over time the settlement was moved to the site modern city
Mary. With the arrival in the 1880s. The Russian army (see the battle on Kushka) began an archaeological study of the territory of the Merv oasis, which became systematic in the post-war period thanks to the activities of M. E. Masson.
- Infrastructure
- The 12-hectare Erk-Kala citadel dates back to the Achaemenid era. A building on a monolithic platform rises above the fort, surrounded by a mud wall.
- The territory of the early medieval settlement of Gyaur-Kala with the ruins of several Buddhist and Christian monasteries, as well as two-story castles of nobles.
- The Sultan-Kala settlement in the shape of an irregular quadrangle is the core of the capital of the Seljuk Turks, somewhat west of Gyaur-Kala.
- The Shahriyar Ark citadel dates back to the Seljuk period and includes extensive ruins of barracks and palace buildings, as well as the mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar.
- Mausoleum of Muhammad ibn-Zeid on the suburban territory of the Seljuk capital - erected ca. 1112
The southern settlement of Abdullah Khan-Kala represents the last period of development of Merv and is distinguished by a regular layout (palace, mosques, madrassas, mausoleums).
- Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Marwazi (770-870), mathematician and astronomer.
- Abbas Marwazi is a 9th century Persian poet.
- Masudi Marwazi - Persian poet of the 10th century.
- Sharaf al-Zaman Tahir al-Marwazi, 12th century physician
see also
- "Hakim of Merv, Masked Dyer" - story by Jorge Luis Borges
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Notes
Literature
- V. M. Masson Merv is the capital of Margiana. - Mary, 1991 - 73 p.
Links
Excerpt characterizing Merv (ancient city)
“I give it to you with pleasure,” said Napoleon. -Who is this young man next to you?Prince Repnin named Lieutenant Sukhtelen.
Looking at him, Napoleon said, smiling:
– II est venu bien jeune se frotter a nous. [He came to compete with us when he was young.]
“Youth doesn’t stop you from being brave,” Sukhtelen said in a breaking voice.
“Excellent answer,” said Napoleon. - Young man, you will go far!
Prince Andrei, who, to complete the trophy of the captives, was also put forward, in full view of the emperor, could not help but attract his attention. Napoleon apparently remembered that he had seen him on the field and, addressing him, used the same name young man- jeune homme, under which Bolkonsky was reflected in his memory for the first time.
– Et vous, jeune homme? Well, what about you, young man? - he turned to him, - how do you feel, mon brave?
Despite the fact that five minutes before this, Prince Andrei could say a few words to the soldiers carrying him, he now, directly fixing his eyes on Napoleon, was silent... All the interests that occupied Napoleon seemed so insignificant to him at that moment, so petty seemed to him his hero himself, with this petty vanity and joy of victory, in comparison with that high, fair and kind sky that he saw and understood - that he could not answer him.
And everything seemed so useless and insignificant in comparison with the strict and majestic structure of thought that was caused in him by the weakening of his strength from the bleeding, suffering and the imminent expectation of death. Looking into Napoleon's eyes, Prince Andrei thought about the insignificance of greatness, about the insignificance of life, the meaning of which no one could understand, and about the even greater insignificance of death, the meaning of which no one living could understand and explain.
The emperor, without waiting for an answer, turned away and, driving away, turned to one of the commanders:
“Let them take care of these gentlemen and take them to my bivouac; let my doctor Larrey examine their wounds. Goodbye, Prince Repnin,” and he, moving his horse, galloped on.
There was a radiance of self-satisfaction and happiness on his face.
The soldiers who brought Prince Andrei and removed from him the golden icon they found, hung on his brother by Princess Marya, seeing the kindness with which the emperor treated the prisoners, hastened to return the icon.
Prince Andrei did not see who put it on again or how, but on his chest, above his uniform, suddenly there was an icon on a small gold chain.
“It would be good,” thought Prince Andrei, looking at this icon, which his sister hung on him with such feeling and reverence, “it would be good if everything were as clear and simple as it seems to Princess Marya. How nice it would be to know where to look for help in this life and what to expect after it, there, beyond the grave! How happy and calm I would be if I could say now: Lord, have mercy on me!... But to whom will I say this? Either the power is indefinite, incomprehensible, which I not only cannot address, but which I cannot express in words - the great all or nothing, - he said to himself, - or this is the God who is sewn up here, in this palm, Princess Marya? Nothing, nothing is true, except the insignificance of everything that is clear to me, and the greatness of something incomprehensible, but most important!
The stretcher started moving. With each push he again felt unbearable pain; the feverish state intensified, and he began to become delirious. Those dreams of his father, wife, sister and future son and the tenderness that he experienced on the night before the battle, the figure of the small, insignificant Napoleon and the high sky above all this, formed the main basis of his feverish ideas.
A quiet life and calm family happiness in Bald Mountains seemed to him. He was already enjoying this happiness when suddenly little Napoleon appeared with his indifferent, limited and happy look at the misfortune of others, and doubts and torment began, and only the sky promised peace. By morning, all the dreams mixed up and merged into the chaos and darkness of unconsciousness and oblivion, which, in the opinion of Larrey himself, Doctor Napoleon, were much more likely to be resolved by death than by recovery.
“C"est un sujet nerveux et bilieux," said Larrey, "il n"en rechappera pas. [This is a nervous and bilious man, he will not recover.]
Prince Andrey, among other hopelessly wounded, was handed over to the care of the residents.
At the beginning of 1806, Nikolai Rostov returned on vacation. Denisov was also going home to Voronezh, and Rostov persuaded him to go with him to Moscow and stay in their house. At the penultimate station, having met a comrade, Denisov drank three bottles of wine with him and, approaching Moscow, despite the potholes of the road, he did not wake up, lying at the bottom of the relay sleigh, near Rostov, which, as it approached Moscow, came more and more to impatience.
The third largest city in Turkmenistan is Mary(until 1937 - Merv), located in a large oasis in the middle of the Karakum sands in the delta Murgaba. Mary was founded in 1884 as a Russian military-administrative center 30 kilometers from the ancient city. Now it is the largest center of the rich cotton-growing region, a large transport node and the main center of the country's gas industry - Turkmenistan's main source of income. The city is interesting Museum of History with an extensive collection of archaeological finds, Turkmen carpets, national dress, silver and superb embroidered clothing of various local tribes. Local history and ethnographic exhibitions are also noteworthy.
Neighborhoods of Merv
The oasis of Merv (40 km east of Mary) is one of the most ancient regions of Central Asia that mastered irrigation - the first traces of the irrigation system in these parts date back to the period Bronze Age. Therefore, it is not surprising that one of the largest cities ancient world- . The origin of Merv is shrouded in mystery, one thing is known for sure - the first written mentions of it appear in the Avestan chronicles around the 8th-6th centuries. BC. They lived and worked here Omar Khayyam, al-Samani, Imamad din-Isfahani and other great thinkers of the Middle Ages.
The modern ruins include at least five ancient settlements - Erk-Kala, Gyaur-Kala, Sultan-Kala, Abdullakhan-Kala And Bayramalihan-Kala, surrounded by a wall and the ruins of other fortifications and places of worship(the exact boundaries of the city are still unknown). Most of them are badly destroyed, some of them are only heavily eroded earthen hills, but even taking this into account, Merv continues to remain one of the most unique historical monuments. These days he is listed World Heritage UNESCO as the best preserved ancient center of the Great Silk Road.
Among the most interesting historical monuments one can note Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar Dar al-Akhir (1140 AD) almost 40 m high, Sultan-Kala, Shazriar-Ark citadel, ruins of walls Abdullakhan-Kala (XV century), ruins of a fortress and towers Bayramalihan-Kala, ruins Kyz-Kala fortress (VI-VII centuries AD), mausoleums of Al-Hakim ibn Amir al-Jafari and Buraidah ibn al-Hussein al-Islami (XV century, place of pilgrimage), mausoleum of Muhammad ibn Zeid (XII century), Talkhatan Baba complex with mausoleums of Talkhatan Baba, Imam Kasim, imam Shafi and Imam Bakr of the Seljuk era, Yusuf Hamadani Mosque(XIII century, modern reconstruction was carried out in the 19th century), ruins Yerk-Kala fortress (VI century), ruins of a Christian temple and Buddhist monastery V Gyaur-Kala(ancient Antioch Margiana), mosque ruins Benny Makhan(“Friday Mosque”, 7th-12th centuries), high walls of fortress-like structures Big and Little Kyz-Kala, Kyz-Bibi mausoleum, as well as numerous remains of baths, palaces, state halls and other buildings.
Also worth attention mausoleum of the Dandankan and Talkhatan Baba mosque(XII century, 30 km southeast of Merv), keshk (fortified house) Akuili-Koushuk (IX-XIII centuries), single Haram-Keshk castle(7 km north of Gyaur-Kala, IX-XIII centuries), Durnali fortification(25 km north of Gyaur-Kala, I-II centuries), Gebekli settlement(32 km northwest of Gyaur-Kala). Many archaeological finds discovered during excavations of ancient cities are now on display in the beautiful United Historical Museum of Merv.
Merv photo
In the southeastern part of the state of Turkmenistan is the oldest city in Central Asia. It stands on the banks of the Murgab River, not far from the city of Mary. Today, Ancient Merv is a ruin, which is a World Heritage Site for all mankind.
During the era of the Margiana civilization, the Merv oasis was already inhabited. This suggests that it existed for another 3-2 thousand years BC. In our era, the city became one of the main centers of Parthia. At that time its area was 60 square meters. km.
After the Arabs conquered Central Asia in the 7th century, the city became a springboard for conquest expeditions to the east and north. Over time, Merv turned into a book center for Arabs. This happened thanks to the 10 libraries that were located here.
During the reign of the Samanid dynasty, Merv truly flourished. This happened in the 12th century, when Sultan Sanjar turned it into the capital of the Seljuks. The buildings inside the city were amazing - they were more majestic than the buildings of Baghdad and Constantinople.
But already in 1221 the Mongols mercilessly destroyed the beautiful city. The Timurids made an attempt to revive Merv, but it was never able to achieve its former greatness.
Merv - the oldest famous city Central Asia, standing on the banks of the Murgab River in the southeastern part of Turkmenistan, 30 km east of the modern city of Mary. The capital of the Persian satrapy of Margiana and the Seljuk state.
The Merv oasis was inhabited already in the era of the Margiana civilization (late 3rd - early 2nd millennium BC). In cuneiform texts it is referred to as Margu, from which the name of the surrounding area is derived. At the turn of the Common Era, Merv is one of the main urban centers of Parthia with an area of 60 km² and several rings of walls. According to Chinese sources, in 97, the Chinese military leader Ban Chao reached Merv with his detachment.
After the Arab conquest of Central Asia in the 7th century. finds a second life as a springboard for aggressive expeditions to the north and east. Under the Abbasids, Merv was one of the main centers of Arab book learning, possessing ten libraries.
The heyday of the city began under the reign of the Samanid dynasty. Merv reached its greatest prosperity in the middle of the 12th century, when Sultan Sanjar made it the capital of the Seljuk state. At this time, Merv amazed contemporaries with the scale of its buildings and its huge population, which, according to some estimates, was larger than the population of Constantinople and Baghdad. It continued to remain the largest center of Central Asia even under the Khorezmshahs.
In 1221, Merv was destroyed by the Mongols and was not revived until the 15th century, when the Timurids finally put its irrigation structures in order, but Merv could not achieve its former greatness, over time the settlement was moved to the site of the modern city of Mary. With the arrival in the 1880s. Russian army (battle on Kushka) began an archaeological study of the territory of the Merv oasis, which became systematic in the post-war period thanks to the activities of M. E. Masson.
On the territory of Ancient Merv there are:
- The 12-hectare Erk-Kala citadel dates back to the Achaemenid era. Once upon a time in ancient city Merv was a building on a monolithic platform, which was surrounded by a high fortress wall. Now this place looks more like a crater extinct volcano or a clay funnel. There are shards of clay vessels lying underfoot, and sometimes ancient coins are found.The 12-hectare Erk-Kala citadel dates back to the Achaemenid era. A building on a monolithic platform rises above the fort, surrounded by a mud wall.
The Sultan-Kala site in the shape of an irregular quadrangle is the core of the capital of the Seljuk Turks, somewhat to the west of Gyaur-Kala.
The Shahriyar Ark citadel dates back to the Seljuk period and includes extensive ruins of barracks and palace buildings.
Mausoleum of Muhammad ibn-Zeid on the suburban territory of the Seljuk capital - erected ca. 1112
Mausoleum of Muhammad ibn-Zeid on the suburban territory of the Seljuk capital - erected ca. 1112
Merv (Persian مرو; Turkmen Merw) is the oldest known city in Central Asia, standing on the banks of the Murgab River in the southeastern part of Turkmenistan, 30 km east of the modern city of Mary. The capital of the Persian satrapy of Margiana and the Seljuk state. The ruins of Merv are a World Heritage Site.
If previously four ancient centers of civilizations were known (Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China), now Margiana is recognized as the fifth such center.
Wiki: ru:Merv en:Merv de:Merw es:Merv
This is a description of the attraction Ancient Merv 157.9 km southwest of Turkmenabat, Mary velayat (Turkmenistan). As well as photos, reviews and a map of the surrounding area. Find out the history, coordinates, where it is and how to get there. Check out other places on our interactive map, get more detailed information. Get to know the world better.
Coordinates: 37°39′46″ N. w. 62°11′33″ E. d. / 37.6628028° n. w. 62.1925194° E. d. / 37.6628028; 62.1925194 (G) (O) (I)Merv(Persian مرو; Turkmen Merw) is the oldest known city in Central Asia, standing on the banks of the Murgab River in the southeastern part of Turkmenistan, 30 km east of the modern city of Mary. The capital of the Persian satrapy of Margiana and the Seljuk state. The ruins of Merv are a World Heritage Site.
- 1. History
- 2 Infrastructure
- 3 Famous people from Merv
- 4 See also
- 5 Notes
- 6 Literature
- 7 Links
Story
Remains of a mosque in ancient Merv. Photo - late 19th century.The Merv oasis was inhabited already in the era of the Margian civilization (late 3rd - early 2nd millennium BC). In cuneiform texts it is referred to as Margu, from which the name of the surrounding area comes. At the turn of the Common Era, Merv is one of the main urban centers of Parthia with an area of 60 km² and several rings of walls. According to Chinese sources, in 97, the Chinese military leader Ban Chao reached Merv with his detachment.
In the 3rd century AD e. The first Christians appear in the city. The powerful Merv Metropolis is being formed here. Evidence of their activity is the Christian necropolis of the 3rd-6th centuries in the vicinity of Old Merv, as well as the Kharoba-Koshuk structure 18 kilometers from Merv, which some researchers consider the ruins of a Christian temple.
After the Arab conquest of Central Asia in the 7th century. finds a second life as a springboard for aggressive expeditions to the north and east. Under the Abbasids, Merv was one of the main centers of Arab book learning, possessing ten libraries.
The heyday of the city began under the reign of the Samanid dynasty. Merv reached its greatest prosperity in the middle of the 12th century, when Sultan Sanjar made it the capital of the Seljuk state. At this time, Merv amazed contemporaries with the scale of its buildings and its huge population, which, according to some estimates, was larger than the population of Constantinople and Baghdad. It continued to remain the largest center of Central Asia even under the Khorezmshahs.
In 1221, Merv was destroyed by the Mongols and was not revived until the 15th century, when the Timurids finally put its irrigation structures in order, but Merv could not achieve its former greatness, over time the settlement was moved to the site of the modern city of Mary. With the arrival in the 1880s. The Russian army (see the battle on Kushka) began an archaeological study of the territory of the Merv oasis, which became systematic in the post-war period thanks to the activities of M. E. Masson.
Infrastructure
Tomb of the Eshab brothers- The 12-hectare Erk-Kala citadel dates back to the Achaemenid era. A building on a monolithic platform rises above the fort, surrounded by a mud wall.
- The 12-hectare Erk-Kala citadel dates back to the Achaemenid era. A building on a monolithic platform rises above the fort, surrounded by a mud wall.
- The territory of the early medieval settlement of Gyaur-Kala with the ruins of several Buddhist and Christian monasteries, as well as two-story castles of nobles.
- The Shahriyar Ark citadel dates back to the Seljuk period and includes extensive ruins of barracks and palace buildings, as well as the mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar.
- The Shahriyar Ark citadel dates back to the Seljuk period and includes extensive ruins of barracks and palace buildings, as well as the mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar.
- Mausoleum of Muhammad ibn-Zeid on the suburban territory of the Seljuk capital - erected ca. 1112
Famous people from Merv
See also: Marwazi- Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Marwazi (770-870), mathematician and astronomer.
- Abbas Marwazi is a 9th century Persian poet.
- Masudi Marwazi - Persian poet of the 10th century.
- Sharaf al-Zaman Tahir al-Marwazi, 12th century physician
see also
- “Hakim of Merv, the masked dyer” - a story by Jorge Luis Borges
Notes
- Biruni. Monuments of past generations. - Selected works. T. 1. Tash., 1957
- Pugachenkova G. A. Kharoba Koshuk. - IAN Turkmen SSR. 1954, no. 3.
- Largest Cities Through History
Literature
- V. M. Masson Merv is the capital of Margiana. - Mary, 1991 - 73 p.
Links
- Wikimedia Commons has media related to this topic Merv
