After a nap and some lunch in Ashgabat, we went back to the airport to catch an airplane for Mary. Mary is pronounced sort of half way between "Mary" and "Marie".
We had to walk part of the way to the Airport because the roads were closed
to allow the president of the Ukraine a non-stop drive to the airport on
his way out of town!
We stayed in Mary with some Peace Corps Volunteers who had their own apartment.
The women of the apartment complex were baking bread in their "tamdour" ovens. We had some of this bread for dinner.
We all got a good night's sleep and got up early because the water ran only between 6am and 9am and then it was turned off! So all six of us had to be through the bathroom and done with breakfast before nine.
We all met up with a couple of other Peace Corps Volunteers at the local
museum where we had a private tour led by the museum's director, Euvgenia.
Here we are looking at a model of Merv.
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The museum had a large collection of artifacts collected from Merv.
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There was also a collection of modern Turmen artifacts. Bells, looms, carpets and other items.
After some lunch, we hired a Marshuka (old Russian mini-van) and crossed
the Kara Kum Canal to get to Merv.
Merv is not like a national park in the United States. There is no entrance, no gate, no real signs, no park rangers, no fee to enter, no maps, no brochures, no toilets, no snack bar, not really much of anything but some ruins in the desert.
The first place we stopped was the Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar. It was built
in the 12th century. Most of the buildings in Turkmenistan have been damaged
-if not destroyed- by earthquakes. This mausoleum has tweleve foot thick
walls and, although the original blue onion dome is not still around, it
has stood here for over 800 years. In ancient times the dome was visible
from a distance of one day's walk.
Who knows how much longer it's going to stand though, it looked as if it was being held together with sticks and spit from the inside!
We talked the guard into letting us go into the upstairs.
Mom & me with some camels with the Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar in the
background.
The next stop was the Kyz-Kala Fortresses that were built in the 7th century.
This is the Maiden's Fortress from the Treasury Fortress at Kyz-Kala.
The story is that the Sultan kept all his maidens in one fortress while all the men guarded the treasury. The men always tried to get into the Maiden's Fortress. One day the Sultan said that a man could have his choice of maiden if he could throw an apple from the treasury into the Maiden's Fortress. That was how the catapult was invented!
At Giaur-Kala there were people excavating the wall around the city. Giaur-Kala was built up over time and the walls got taller and taller with each wave of influence. The archeologists found Greek, Roman, and other styles in the walls. Until the 3rd century there were Zoroastrians, Christians, Buddhists and Muslims all living in the same city. Each one of the towers (now only bumps along the wall) are sixty meters apart (180 feet).
The walls of Erk-Kala, built in the 6th century B.C. This view may be a
bit deceiving, it is actually1,800 feet across and 150 feet tall! Erk-Kala
was built in the 6th century B.C. by the Zoroastrians - who worshiped fire.
Giaur-Kala was built around Erk-Kala as the Christians, Buddhists and Muslims
moved into the area.
We climbed to the top of the wall. Erk-Kala is shaped like a doughnut with
tall walls and a raised center where the fire worshiping ceremonies were
held.
We watched the sun set and then headed home. All the camels return home
when the sun sets too!
A couple of us went out for a drink when we got back to town. Things were
pretty quiet since it was the anniversary of the 1948 earthquake that killed
100,000 people. The Soviet government closed the entire region from outsiders
for five years.
The next morning we went exploring in the city. This is the Zelyony Bazzar
("Green Bazzar").
Yes, there were several displays of Turkmenistan's favorite laundry detergent:
BARF.
There was a lot of interesting food and Leonardo di Caprio chocolate bars!
Some of the local women wearing traditional clothes gathering outside the
bazzar.
One of the things you can do at the bazzar is get your car decorated for
your wedding!
Here two locals try to sell Mike some gold jewelry.
We had some lunch of bread, tomato salad, and shashlik that was grilled
outside.
After lunch we took a drive to the town of Yoloten.
Yoloten is in the middle of a cotton growing region. It was cotton picking
season so we hired a taxi to take us to see the cotton picking. The two
taxi drivers took us out to the middle of nowhere and demanded more money!
We told them to take a hike so they left us in the cotton field.
Some cotton, ready to be picked!
We took the opportunity to pick some cotton ourselves. A truck loaded with
cotton drove past us.
We walked back to town (about three miles) and stopped in the local bazzar
to get some food for dinner.
There was lots of Barf all over!
We had a big dinner at Elaine's (a Peace Corps Volunteer) host family's
house. People in Turkmenistan often eat dinner on the floor, but we had
a special meal on the table!
The next morning we drove back to Mary to fly back to Ashgabat.
The Mary airport had a very nice waiting room, it was a rose garden!
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Part OneIstanbul, Turkey |
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Part ThreeAshgabat, Turkmenistan |
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Part FourAround Ashgabat, Turkmenistan |
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