Merv

one of the most ancient cities of Middle Asia, once existing on the Murghab (Murgab) River near the modern city of Bairam-Ali in the Turkmen SSR. The historical region along the Murghab River (Old Persian, Murgash; Greco-Roman, Margiana) was also called Merv. The ruins of Merv were first investigated in the 1880’s; intensive investigations were undertaken in 1946 by the archaeological expedition led by the Soviet archaeologist M. E. Masson.

The oldest part of Merv is the site of a fortified settlement known as Erk-Kala (Erk Kalah), which had already existed in the middle of the first millennium B.C. (Erk-Kala, with an area measuring 12 hectares, is surrounded by a mud-brick wall; in the center of the site stands a building on a monolithic platform.) In antiquity, Merv flourished from the second century B.C. to the third century A.D., at which time its area measured approximately 60 sq km. It had the three-part structure typical of northern Parthian cities: the citadel (Erk Kalah); the walled city proper (the present site called Giaur Kala), which had a layout dominated by two main streets with irregularly built-up insulae; and the suburbs, which were also enclosed by a wall.

In the third century B.C., Merv became part of the Sassanid state. In the seventh century, it was conquered by the Arabs. During this period, feudal castles and various religious structures were erected (two Buddhist monasteries and one Christian monastery) both within Giaur-Kala and in the suburbs. The castles were mostly two-storied and had walls with grooving.

Merv was at the zenith of its glory in the 11th century and the first half of the 12th century, when it was the capital of the Seljuks. By this time, the city had shifted westward (the site now called Sultan-Kala) and was enclosed by a new wall. (Sultan-Kala has an irregular rectangular layout and includes the mausoleum of the sultan Sanjar and the citadel of Shahriyar-ark [11th and 12th centuries] with a four-hailed palace, barracks, and a large administrative building.) The mausoleum of Muhammad ibn Zayd (1112–13), the potters’ quarter, and other remains are located in the suburbs.

In the late 12th century and in the early 13th, Merv was an important center of the state of the Khurasan shahs. In 1222 the city was destroyed by the Mongols. Thereafter, it was partially restored but no longer played an important role. (The remains of the restoration now constitute the site called Abdullah KhanKala, south of Sultan-Kala, with a regular layout and with the remains of a palace, mosque, madrasah, and several mausoleums.)

Merv was under Persian rule from 1510 to 1524 and from 1601 to 1747. By the 19th century, it fell into decline, and the region’s administrative center was transferred to the city of Mary, 30 km to the west.