Ancient Merv and the Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar

Merv lies near today's city of Mary and was inhabited from the 3rd millennium BC to the 18th century AD. Important under the Achaemenids, Parthians, Sasanians, Arabs, Seljuks and Timurids, it was the seat of Caliph al-Ma'mun in the early 9th century.

In the 11th–12th centuries Merv was the capital of the Great Seljuk state and one of the largest cities in the world, famed for its libraries, madrasas and scholars, until the Mongols destroyed it in 1221.

Its most famous monument is the huge mausoleum of the Seljuk sultan Ahmad Sanjar, who died in 1157, whose dome once guided travellers from afar. The Ancient Merv historical and cultural park has been on the UNESCO list since 1999.