The oasis of Merv is strategically sited in the Karakum desert and formed an essential military headquarters and staging post on major east-west trade routes. Founded in the sixth century BC, Merv grew to become the largest city-state in southwest Central Asia, serving as a regional capital and the capital of the Seljuk Empire (11th-12th centuries). (...)
The oasis of Merv is strategically sited in the Karakum desert and formed an essential military headquarters and staging post on major east-west trade routes. Founded in the sixth century BC, Merv grew to become the largest city-state in southwest Central Asia, serving as a regional capital and the capital of the Seljuk Empire (11th-12th centuries). Its unusual urban development and cosmopolitan population makes it of exceptional archaeological interest. An outstanding series of monuments, both religious and secular, has also survived, including the 12th-century Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, one of the most important buildings of its age, and other Seljuk and Timurid mausolea. Even more remarkable are the vernacular buildings constructed of fragile mudbricks. These include uniquely Central Asian buildings, fortresses, palaces, pavilions, and icehouses. The site is threatened by development pressures and from the high water table which in the past 30 years has accelerated the rate of decay of the earthen structures.
