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Mary

Mary is the second largest city in Turkmenistan and lies about 350km east of Ashgabat. It is a capital of Mary Region known as the province of Margiana in ancient times. Mary (Merv) was once known as the “Pearl of the East” and was the second city of Islam after Baghdad between the 8th-13th centuries before it fell victim to the most horrific slaughter by the Mongols. Merv changed its name to Mary in 1937 and has grown into Turkmenistan’s largest city.

Merv - pearl of the east

Merv is a group of sites of the ancient town having been arisen and perished. The sites of the ancient town Erk-Kala (VI century BC), Gyaur-Kala (III century BC), Sultan-Kala (X-XIII century AD), Big Kiz Kala (VI century AD) and Small Kiz Kala(VII century AD), Muhammed ibn Zeid (XII century AD)correspond to different period of its existence. Low cultural layers of the most ancient Merv part (Erk Kala) relates to the VI-V centuries B.C., i.e. to the entry time to the ancient Persian state of Akhemenids. At that time the city with the area of about 20 ha was surrounded by extensive fortress walls of raw brick. In the IV century B.C. Margiana was conquered by Alexander the Great. At the end of that century the lands along the Murgab River were a part of the Selevkid state. Antiochus Soter- the successor of Alexander the Great. The site of the ancient town of Gyaur Kala with the area of about 360ha corresponds to the Antiohiya. During ruling period of Sasanids cult buildings were erected. The tolerable attitude of the Sasanid governors to different religions is one of the peculiarities of that period. Together with the Zoroastrian state religion Buddhism and Christianity co-existed.

The forming period of the early feudal relations (VI-VII) in Merv was marked mainly by the building of numerous fortified feudal country-seats and castles reminding of knightly castles of medieval Europe. The best example of the Merv castle architecture of this period is Big Kiz Kala.

Merv reaches its highpoint of development at Seljuk period, especially during the government of Sultan Sanjar (1118-1157) who made it the capital of Seljuk state. During the period of Seljuks large buildings were built in Merv and its area reached 1500-1800ha. It considerably exceeded in size not only such famous cities of the Near East such as Damascus, Haleb, Jerusalem, but also large cities of West Europe of the XII and the beginning of the XIV centuries such as Paris, Bologna, Milan Naples, etc. Sultan Kala (fortress of Sultans) enclosed with the fortress walls at Melik-shah (1072-1092) corresponds to the cities of this period.

1221 it was fully destroyed by Mongols. After the Mongol invasion Merv was restored only 200 years later by Shakhruh, a son of great conqueror Emir Timur and ruler of an independent state with the capital in Herat. In 1418 he ordered to settle Merv. Because of difficulties with water supply the town was moved to a new place, two km to the south of Sultan Kala. Ruins of Timurid Merv are known as Abdullahan Kala. During the whole XVI century Merv was constantly exposed to raids and annexations by rulers of neighboring countries. In 1510 it entered the state of Sefevids and was conquered by the Sheybanids. Lack stability led to the displacement of the ancient West-East trade route from Merv in Heart. Only the XVII century passed fairly quietly for Merv thanks to Khiva’s protection. Total crisis in the end of the XVII century and the beginning of the XVIII century, however, generated anarchy again. In 1727 Nadir, the future khan of Iran evicted all the people of Merv to Mashad.

History Museum is a two-storeyed building located in the former house of a merchant in the city centre which was built in 1895. There are three exposition halls such as archeological where artifacts found in the Ancient Merv and Margush on display; ethnographic known as the «The materials of the Turkmen culture and traditions of XIX century», and Marv is a region where representatives of different nationalities had lived from past to present days. The third exposition hall contains exhibits the history and culture of the Russian, Ukrainian, German and Beludge people as well.