Mary travel guide

A major centre of the cotton industry, Mary is the third largest city of Turkmenistan. Founded in 1884, the city is located in a big oasis in the heart of the extreme Kara Kum Desert. One of the headquarters of the gas industry, the city also features the History Museum, Turkmen carpets, national costumes, a rich collection of artefacts and lots of silver.

• Sultan-kala
• Gyaur-kala
• Erk-kala
• Abdullakhan – kala
• Bairamalikhan – kala
• Sultan Sandzhar Mausoleum

Aquila-Koushik

One among the very few well-preserved palaces of that period, the Aquila-Koushik lies 2 km away from the old town of Denali. What now remains of the palace is a fully intact ground floor with a partially destroyed second floor.

The rectangular form is made up of mud bricks with corrugated walls on the second floor. The palace still holds five rooms, both on the first and on the second floors.

Ancient Settlement of Gebekly

Related to the early Parthian period, the ancient settlement of Gebekly near the abandoned village of Martians is located 32 km from Gyaur-Kala.

Surrounded by a square fortress, the city can be entered only through the entrance which is in the form of a ramp.

Excavation projects discovered jewellery and fragments of pottery that testify to the existence of the developed crafts

Talkhatan-Baba Mosque

Constructed in the Middle Ages, the Talkhatan-Baba Mosque stands on the grounds of the local cemetery that lies 30 km away from Old Merv and the medieval settlement of Talkhatan. A high, regular and rectangular structure, the Talkhatan-Baba Mosque does not have the conventional canopies or columns.

Mary History Museum

With 6 exhibition halls, restoration halls, a conference hall, repositories and laboratories, the Mary History Museum is occupied by permanent exhibits and thematic expositions. The Mary History Museum has more than 40,000 ancient exhibits.

Hall of Ethnography

The Hall of Ethnography demonstrates the Turkmen traditions, associated with matrimony, the birth of a child, festivals celebrated and death and the afterlife. It displays items of everyday life.

The collections include- carved and engraved articles, ancient Turkmen carpets with oriental floral and geometric patterns, embroidered national costumes, women’s head gowns and jewellery made of silver and semi-precious stones.

The Hall of Local History

Recreated by the landscapes of the Badykhan Reserve, and the Murghab riverside, the Hall of Local History displays the detailed panorama of a desert in its backdrop.

Apart from the commercial backdrops, the History of Turkmenistan is very well displayed on the walls of museums and mosques in Turkmenistan. Call us or visit our website to book your tour to the ancient and conventional old city of Mary in Turkmenistan.