Gonur-depe & Merv. Turkmenistan
This area has been inhabited since Neolithic times, and can testify to some of the early empires of the world. Some say it is the site of the fifth great ancient civilization, in addition to Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, China, and Egypt. The region has had different names over its 4,000 year recorded history, including Margush, Margiana, Merv, Maru-Shakhu-Jakhan, and Mary, which is the current name of the city nearby the ancient sites. It was from this region that the Roman Army was stopped, much of Central Asia to Morocco was conquered under the Seljuk Turks, and it was from here that the spread of ideas between Persia and the East took place. It is an absolutely fascinating place and I hope you look at the pictures in the gallery. The notes here are really just to provide a context for the pictures.
Margush, is mentioned in the Avesta, the sacred text of the Zoroastrians, and is considered by some to be the birthplace of that religion. Fire-temples have been found scattered throughout the region. The archeological site at Gonur-depe, the capital of Margush, was first excavated by the Soviet archeologist Victor Ivanovich Sariandini, and who remains a leading expert on the area (although after researching the site a bit more it seems that recently many of his conclusions have been called into question by recent Western archeologists). Sariandini’s archeological evidence suggests that the site was an active worship and residential site from the end of the third beginning of the second millennium, although, according to the guide book:
the heyday of the land of Margush was in the 16th -13th C BCE. At that time plains bordering the River Murgab were to be seen where now there are only the wide expanses of the Karakum Desert. It is thought that there may have been as many as 30 temples and hundreds of settlements scattered through the river’s extensive deltas. The city of Gonur-depe would have been the central focus or capital for the fortified settlements and villages of the delta area. (8)
Some believe this was still one of the leading cities in world in the 10th C BCE.
The site is divided into four main sections: a series of residences in the North with defensive walls on three sides, the central royal residence and the necropolis on the Western outskirts of the city walls. There was also a fire temple and a religious complex to the South. Throughout the site pottery shards can be found at one’s feet and some of the best examples are kept in a shed covering the tomb of the royal horse. Yes, next to the King’s tomb they discovered the tomb with a horse’s skeleton. There is no way to know if the animal died prior to, after, or with his royal master, but from the care with which he was buried, it is clear that there was a very strong connection between the equine and human. Additionally, over 3,000 graves have been found at the site, mostly of people as well as of a few sacrificial animals.
The excavations have uncovered an extensive underground drainage system that still has pipes in place. It is obvious from the remains that the people who lived in Margush’s capital, Gonur-depe, had a highly developed civilization. The only problem with really understanding more about them, however, is that they didn’t leave a written record the way the other four major ancient civilizations did. What we do have, however, are artifacts, including very Cycladic looking votive figurines and some small statues including one that looks remarkably similar to Gudea of Lagash. It does not appear that this was a goddess-worshiping site, as there is little evidence of Anahita, the local female deity, to support such a claim. The figurines found appear to be equally distributed between male and female votive images.
The votive figures may well have been fired in local kilns. Two are visible today, one on the East side and one near the Royal residence. Both have traces of glaze melted and hardened onto their sides. The guide, Muhammad, mentioned that the kilns were set to reach as high as 1,000 degrees. The kiln ovens were quite different from the ovens where meat was cooked. These had two openings, one for the fire and one for the meat. The meat wasn’t allowed to be touched by the fire, just heated by it.
One of the most amazing aspects of this site is that one can actually hold some of the artifacts found in the tombs. I was especially intrigued with an ancient sieve and with objects from the “Mixed tomb.” The Turkmen lay claim to having unearthed the only human & animal tomb ever found, i.e., a mixed tomb. At Gonur-depe there is a tomb with a wagon with four wheels, a camel, a horse, a sheep and a dog with accompanying household and battle artifacts, including a bow. Originally there was also a man in the tomb, but he is no longer in situ and is said to have been reburied.
Sometime around the 6th-5th C BCE, the River Murgab changed course and people from the northern Gonur-depe region moved south to establish a new settlement in the Merv area, which is about three hours car drive away. This metropolitan area was still in use until sometime in the 12th C CE. The main site is now known as Gyaur Kala, and it was one of the major crossroads for commerce and ideas along the Silk Road. Buddhist ideas came West, while Nestorian Christianity went East. Remnants of a Buddhist Stupa along with a couple of small Buddhist statues and a wonderful vase with images of the life of the Buddha (the picture didn’t come out L) were found and are now in the National Museum in Ashgabat. A round Nestorian Church with 33 rooms has also been identified in the north-east section as have fire temples in the south. According to the guidebook, Gyaur Kala means “pagan fortress” or “fortress of the faithless” as there were so many different pre-islamic religions practiced in the city.
The core of ancient Gyaur Kala was Erk Kala and most of the pictures I’ve included in the gallery from this region come from Erk Kala. It is very difficult to imagine the barren terrain one sees today, with the lush gardens that would have been flourishing during the city’s heyday. The gardens would have been fed by the Murgab River and through a massive irrigation system, some of the pipes can still be found.
We don’t know who the first settlers to Erk Kala were, but we do know that after Alexander’s death and the division of his empire into three sections, this site became the capital of the Seleucids. Antiochus Soter ordered the construction of Gyaur Kala around Erk Kala, and the inside walls cover about 400 hectares To quote the guidebook:
each side of the enormous walls is approximately 2 kilometers in length and the city-site, which was erected in accordance with the building traditions of Ancient Greece, is almost square in plan. Only the north-west corner is truncated, as it were, in keeping with the line of an earlier canal. There are known to have been more than 100 rectangular watch-towers on top of the walls, the remains of which form the enormous mounds atop the walls still visible today. … The original thickness of the wall was 8 meters, but this was later increased to 16 meters by the Parthians and then the Sassanians, in order to turn the ancient city into an impregnable fortress. (13)
As the Seleucid Empire became taken over by the Parthians, Antiochia Margiana, as Merv was then known was remade into a Parthian capital. And:
During the reign of King Orodes, Parthia was invaded by the Roman Army which suffered defeat in a decisive battle. After this rout many Romans were taken prisoner by the Parthians and tens of thousands of legionaries were dispatched to Margiana to bring in the grape harvest. (16)
The Ceremonial Hall at Nissa, outside of Ashgabat, was supposedly the place where the Roman Eagle Standards were kept after the defeat of the Roman Army. Nissa is a good three hundred km. from Merv/Margiana. The grape bunches from Margiana were said to be so large that “a man’s arms could not encircle them.” (15)
The Parthian Empire started to collapse in the 2nd C CE and was taken over by the Sasanians, who had control of the region until the coming of Islam. While Margiana had grown and flourished under the Parthians, it was remodeled under the Sassanians. They split the Gyaur Kala into four equal sections linked with gates. Water systems and canals were improved and there is still evidence of their work at the site. The city was constantly being renovated from the time of the Seleucids to the Arab invasions. The city’s life did not end with the coming of Islam, but instead was again a major hub of activity for the Arab Caliphate. “Al-Ma’mun, son of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, lived in Merv from 813-818 and it was from here that he administered the whole of the Caliphate.” (18) (fyi, Al Ma’mun story continues in Konya Urgench)
Outside of the city of Gonur-depe there are a number of other remnants of residences and fortresses in the greater Merv area. The Greater and Lesser Kyz Kalas were built as fortresses sometime in the 6-7th C CE. The Greater Kyz Kala is the first major structure in the region to have corrugated walls. Why they were built this way is unclear, but it could well be for defense as it is easier to deflect arrows given the uneven surface as well as being more difficult to scale. Both buildings were probably two stories in height with the upper used for defensive and look-out purposes.
There is a small ruins called the boys’ ruin near the Greater Kyz Kala, the girls’ ruin is on the other side of the main building. There are two legends about the site that I heard. 1) some of the boys wanted to marry some of the girls, but in order to win their hand, the owners of the fortress demanded they shoot a stone into the fortress. Given that an arrow or a stone could not be thrown that far nor make it over the top of the very high walls, this made it virtually impossible for the young men to attain their wishes. But as desire will have its way, they invented the slingshot and sent the stones flying over the walls. And 2) when the Arabs invaded the region the women from the neighboring villages did not want to subject themselves to slavery, which happened to captive women, so they ran to the Greater Kyz Kala for safety. Unfortunately the fortress couldn’t protect them. After they were surrounded by the invaders and certain of capture, they jumped over the ramparts choosing death rather than submission to the foreigners.
During the Sultan era, Medieval Merv was again an important site as a crossroads of cultures. It was “renowned as one of the riches and most beautiful capitals in the East.” (32) There are a number of mausoleums of famous thinkers and rulers throughout the region. A few of the most amazing from an artistic standpoint are the Mausoleums of Muhammad ibn Zayd, of Sultan Sanjar, and the Tomb if Hoja Yusuf Hamadani. Muhammad ibn Zayd was a fifth-generation descendant of Ali, and while he lived in the 7th-8th C, his mausoleum was built in the 12th by the Seljuk Turks and is in their artistic style. There are three domes on the structure two smaller ones and a large one. From the inside one can see the lattice beehive design of the dome, much the way the dome of the Mosque in Erzerum in Eastern Turkey is built, although that one is of wood and this one is with Seljuk figured brickwork. The designs in the brickwork display the typical triangle patterns that are so common for this artistic style in Spain and Morocco, so it was very interesting to see it here in Central Asia. Quite near the entrance to the Mausoleum, is a wishing tree with pieces of cloth tied to the branches and trunk, and even cradles for those wishing for a baby. The Mausoleum itself has the tomb of ibn Zayd, with a fragment of the dark blue enamel design still in place.
Sultan Sanjar’s Mausoleum was just renovated by the Turkish government. President Erdogan of Turkey came to the site to officially present it to President … of Turkmenistan. There is a strong relationship between the two sister countries in that they share a similar heritage and speak similar languages. The Seljuks were superceded by the Ottoman Turks who ruled from Istanbul, and Sultan Sanjar is respected by people from both countries. This mausoleum is rather amazing, not because of the wonderful restoration work that has taken place, but because of its double dome. This double dome was put in place well before Brunelleschi’s for the Cathedral in Florence.
The well-known Arab historian Yaqut al-Hamavi, when he came to Merv in 1216 described what he had seen during the three years he spent there as follows: ‘Merv Shahijan is the name of great Merv, the most splendid of cities of Khorasan and its capital. Sultan Sanjar, son of Malikshah, was a Seljuk and ruler of the large kingdom, in which he preferred Merv to all other cities. His main residence was in Merv and he lived there right up until his death. His grave is also there now – in a large domed building separated from the mosque by a grilled window. Above the building is a soaring dome bright blue in color which can be seen a day’s march away. If it had not been for the onslaught of the Tartars and the subsequent disaster, I should not have left Merv till the end of my life. I was charmed by the sensitivity, kindness and courtesy of the city’s residents and entranced by the wealth of books from the main spheres of learning. At the time of my departure Merv had ten libraries or waqfsricher in outstanding works than the libraries of any other city…’ (32-33)
The Mongol Invasions brought the end to the Seljuk culture as they destroyed everything in their path. They were defeated in 1141 by tribes from Karakitai, then there was internal strife within the Seljuks themselves because of increased taxes, and the Sultan was taken prisoner by the Oghuz, who didn’t want to pay the state anymore than they already did. The Sultan managed to escape, but by this time he was quite old and couldn’t maintain the empire any longer. He died in 1157 and was immediately buried in the mausoleum that he had constructed for himself. The Oghuz went on to become the new rulers, and the Oghuz eight pointed star is one of the main symbols seen throughout Turkmenistan.
One of the stories I heard about Sultan Sanjar was that when he was a young man he fell in love with a beautiful woman. She refused his advances three times. When he asked again she said she would marry him as she loved him as well, but had three conditions 1) that he never look at her feet, 2) that he never look at her when she combed her hair and 3) that he never hug her. Bewildered by the demands, but wanting to marry the beautiful girl he agreed to everything. All went well for the first few months, until he curiosity got the best of him. One morning he followed her and looked at her feet; they didn’t touch the ground. Then awhile later, he snuck in to watch her comb her hair to find that she took off her head and combed her hair headless. Then he tried to hug her. She went into a furious frenzy and told him how stupid he was and that now they could never be together. She was a fairy that wasn’t allowed to be with a human, but as long as he didn’t know that she could get away with being with him. Now that he knew she had to disappear into the sky. In desperation, the Sultan begged her to stay with him; she said she would see him once a week but only as a vision. There is an open hole in the center of the dome for her spirit to descend from the heavens to meet his tomb directly below.
The three legends that I heard about the sites in Merv have been told and retold by many cultures, so it was fascinating to hear them here in Turkmeni dress.
The Mongols wrecked havoc across Central Asia and Turkey demolishing mosques and anything remotely cultural in nature as they made their way across the continent. They tried to demolish Sultan Sanjar’s mausoleum, but the walls were too thick and the dome too strong for them to complete their task. While severely harmed, the building withstood the onslaught. The recent renovations make it a truly beautiful and peaceful site to visit.
In this region it is common to honor philosophers and scientists. Abu Yaqub Yusef ibn Ayub, who was born in the Iranian city of Hamadan in 1048 and died 1140 in Merv. A mosque was constructed in the 16th C with a high aiwan in his honor next to his mausoleum. Yusef Hamadani was a respected teacher in both Baghdad and Merv, and four of his students went on to distinguish themselves in Islamic law and sciences. He was also a respected advisor to Sultan Sanjar.
People believe that by being close to those blessed with wisdom in the arts and sciences as well as in religion, they will have that person’s blessing and assistance with their prayers and in some cases getting into heaven. In front of the entrance to his tomb there is a wishing tree, covered with cloth wishes, including those with little cradles indicating a wish for a baby.
While Ancient Merv and Yusef Hamadani’s tomb are now outside the city of Mary, Islamic building projects have certainly not seized. The new mosque that was opened a few years ago is bright and welcoming. There are two carpets with pictures on either end of the hall. The one over the entrance shows the mosque itself while the other has an image of Mecca and the Ka’aba.
Some of the structures in the region do stay the same over centuries and one that does is the bread oven. In Mary we saw a baker making the day’s bread in his oven and there are a couple of pictures of this unique structure and bread-making technique (throw the pizza like dough on the side of the beehive oven, then let it stick to the side and bake) in the photo gallery.
Merv was fascinating and taken together with Nissa’s Parthian legacy of conquering the Roman Army, and that site’s Mithric and Zoroastrian traditions build a better picture for understanding this part of our common history.
In the “Turkmenistan Impressions” journal you can perhaps get a better idea of this amazing country. Here I really wanted to provide just a bit of historical background that is ignored in our Humanities textbooks.
