19 Facts About Merv

Merv was the capital city of several polities throughout its history.

Around this time, Merv turned into a chief centre of Islamic science and culture, attracting as well as producing renowned poets, musicians, physicians, mathematicians and astronomers.

Merv was a popular place for pilgrimage, and several religions considered it holy.

In Zoroastrianism, Merv was one of 16 perfect lands created by god Ahura Mazda.

Alexander the Great's visit to Merv is merely legendary, but the city was named Alexandria after him for a time.

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Merv was a major city of Buddhist learning, with Buddhist monastery temples for many centuries until its Islamisation.

Merv observed that in Merv, Khurasan, Arabs and Persians lived in mixed concentrations.

The influential Barmakid family, based in Merv, played an important part in transferring Greek knowledge into the Arab world.

Merv produced a number of scholars in various branches of knowledge, such as Islamic law, hadith, history, and literature.

In 1009, the Archbishop of Merv sent a letter to the Patriarch at Baghdad asking that the Keraites be allowed to fast less than other Nestorian Christians.

Subsequently, Merv changed hands between the Khwarazmians of Khiva, Turkmen nomads, and the Ghurids.

In 1221, Merv opened its gates to Tolui, son of Genghis Khan, chief of the Mongols.

In 1882, he entered Merv, claiming to be a Russian merchant, and negotiated a trade agreement.

Merv claimed the troops at Tejen were the spearhead of a larger force and that local autonomy would be respected.

Kushks, which comprise the chief remains of Abbasid Merv, are a building type unique to Central Asia during this period.

Best-preserved of all the structures in Merv is the 12th-century mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, in Sultan Gala.

Merv referred to the region of Khorasan as producing steel.

Oasis of Merv is situated on the Murghab River that flows down from Afghanistan, on the southern edge of the Karakum Desert, at 37°30'N and 62°E, about 230 miles north of Herat, and 280 miles south of Khiva.

Merv is advantageously situated in the inland delta of the Murghab River, which flows from its source in the Hindu Kush northwards through the Garagum desert.