The national capital of Turkmenistan is flanked by the Kopetdag Mountains in the south and the Karakum Desert in the north.

Ashgabat is located in Ahal region, as well as the Kopetdag Mountains and the southern parts of the Karakum Desert.

Where the Kopetdag Mountains end, they flow into the lowlands, where medieval caravans traversed on their way from the Khorezmian cities in the north to Persian lands further south.

The northernmost region of Turkmenistan with its fertile riverine oases, has been populated since ancient times.

Bordering Dashoguz Region on the east, Lebap Region hosts the Amu Darya River’s flow through Turkmenistan and sees the start point of the 1500-kilometer long Karakum Canal.

The southernmost region of Mary, with its fertile Murgab riverine oases, has attracted people since ancient times.

Nohur is home to a small community that lives in the high valleys of the Kopetdag Mountains. Nohur local culture has been preserved due to its isolation from mainland Turkmenistan.

Karakala is a small and pleasantly tree-lined mountain town in the heart of the Kopetdag Mountains, from where both the fertile river valleys as well as the lunar-like landscapes can be visited.

The Karakum covers nearly 80% of Turkmenistan’s territory and is bordered by the Ustyurt Plateau, the Amu Darya and Murghab rivers, and the old Uzboy River and salt lakes near the Caspian Sea.

Erbent and Bokurdok, both surrounded by the sands of the Karakum, are villages inhabited by people of the Teke tribe. Various nomadic household and lifestyle aspects remain intact here.

A cluster of authentic desert settlements, located in low basins in the heart of the central Karakum, accessible only by four-wheel drive, and requiring camp style overnight.

The center of a gas-rich area in the heart of the Karakum desert attracts travelers from all over the world because of its unique burning crater, that offers a particularly spectacular view in the dark.

Ferava Rabat (IX-XIVth cc AD) was a Silk Road hub, located in the Kopetdag foothills, on the route from Khorasan to Dehistan, known for its intricate system of karyz (underground water pipelines).

Balkanabad is the regional capital of Balkan Region. The booming oil and gas industry in Balkan Region has also caused this city to develop, with various foreign companies’ subsidiary offices.

Dehistan - historically also known as Misrian - was a town located at the banks of the Etrek River, that thrived in the Silk Road period and rivaling Kunya Urgench and Merw in importance.

On the territory of the cemetery located some 7 kilometers from Dehistan town itself, five mausoleums (XI-XII cc.) partly survived, as well as the pristine Shir Kabir mosque.

Like the Black Sea, it is a remnant of the Parathetys Sea, being landlocked about 5.5 million years ago due to a tectonic uplift and a fall in sea levels. It is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth.

Turkmenbashi, former Krasnovodsk, is the port of Turkmenistan. It has a remarkable geographical location with a range of low grounds and cliffs, which encircle the city.

Awaza ist der Sammelname einer Kette von hochmodernen Hotel- und Erholungsanlagen entlang der Küste des Kaspischen Meers, die durch eine Promenade und einen künstlichen Kanal verbunden sind.

The mausoleum of Gozli Ata, located on a low platform against the backdrop of stunning pink and red limestone rock formations, is one of the holiest pilgrim sites in Turkmenistan.

The mausoleum is located some 25 km from the mausoleum of Gozli Ata, at the spot where a freshwater source carves out a small valley through various ancient volcanic rock formations.

Impressive white, green and red limestone formations rise up from the desert sands. These cliffs are the remains of massive coastline and seabed of the pre-historical Parathetys Sea.

The Uzboy was a tributary of the Amu Darya, and flowed 750 kms into the Caspian Sea, until XVII AD, when it abruptly dried up, destroying the Khorezm-Dehistan culture which thrived along its banks.

A cluster of authentic desert settlements, located in low basins in the heart of the eastern Karakum, accessible only by four-wheel drive, and requiring camp style overnight.

Ygdykala shows the remains of a Parthian frontier fortress (I c. BC - IV c. AD), located on the high rocky bank of the Uzboy River. It is situated deep in the desert, at 150 km north of Serdar town.

Kunya Urgench owes its UNESCO World Heritage status to the fact that it was an important Silk Road hub on the Oxus River, and capital of the Khorezm Empire (12th c AD), until its destruction by the armies of Dzhengis Khan.

The minaret, the construction of which started in 800 and was completed in 1320, is located south-east of Kyrk Molla. The tallest minaret in Central Asia is 15 m higher than Bukhara’s Kalyan minaret.

The oldest mausoleum on the territory of Kunya Urgench is the mausoleum of Khorezm shah Il Arslan. Its most striking feature is the Khorezmian conical dome.

The next door mausoleum is the mausoleum of Soltan Tekesh, who was the shah of the Khorezm Empire from 1172 till 1200.

The spectacular mausoleum of Turabek Khanym is located near the Kutlug Timur minaret. She was a daughter of the Golden Horde ruler Uzbek Khan, under whose reign its power reached its peak.

Najmiddin Kubra mausoleum (constructed in 1320-30)

The remains of the fortified northern walls of a citadel (?VI c BC – III c AD) are located just opposite the Tekesh mausoleum. The popular name of the citadel is Kyrk Molla (forty mullahs).

The portal of this building of unknown purpose (?XIV c.) is one of the few monuments preserved on the territory of Dash Gala. The common explanation is that it was the entrance to a caravanserai.

The Yzmukshir Fortress, with its unique double wall fortifications, thrived in Parthian times, under various Turkic rulers, and during the Golden Horde, as an important regional trade and craft center in Khorezm.

Diyarbakir (IV c. B.C/III c. A.D., X-XIII cc., XIV c.) is an ancient and medieval urban site about 90 km to the west of Dashoguz. It represents a rectangle (250x200 m) in plan surrounded with the walls having an inner fire corridor and semi-oval towers.

Shahsenem is a urban site is situated 90 km to the north-west of Kunya Urgench. It represents a polygonal hill, towering almost 9 m high above the locality, originating from the period of the Kushan Empire.

Devkesen, 60 km west of Kunya Urgench, towers high above the 30-m precipice of the Ustyurt Plateau. It is crowned with an earthen citadel with goffered walls. Due to its location in a border area, the site is currently off-limits to visitors.

Daya Hatyn represents the remains of a fortified caravanserai (aka Ribat of Takhiriya) located at the Amu Darya River, on the caravan route from Amul to Khorezm. Due to its location in a border area, the site is currently off-limits to visitors.

Amul is the ancient and medieval site at the outskirts of the modern Turkmenabat, at the banks of the Amu Darya River, thriving particularly as a crucial transport hub for three main Silk Road caravan routes.

During ancient and medieval times the Amu Darya River – then known as Oxus - played a key part in the life of the population as the basis of agriculture and the main transport and trade artery in Middle Asia.

Astana-baba (medieval Maimarg) was a settlement on the old caravan route from Balkh to Zemm and Amul. It is located near the town of Atamyrat (old name: Kerki) at the banks of the Amu Darya River.

Kugitang is located at a strenuous 7 to 8 hour’s drive southeast from Turkmenabad. It is known for its famous Dinosaur Plateau, its lush valleys, steep gorges, karts caves, lakes, springs and waterfalls.

The plateau is located in the Kugitang Mountains, and hosts the imprints of more than 400 footsteps of dinosaurs on a steep limestone slope. The largest has a diameter of 80 centimeters.

The Cave of the Forty Girls is one of the most revered pilgrim shrines in Turkmenistan. It is located at the end of a narrow gorge in the Kugitang Mountains and easily accessible on foot.

Mary is a typical provincial town, established in the 1880s by the tsarist armies as their next large hub on the Trans-Caspian Railway project, and successor of Bronze Age Margush and medieval Merw.

Opened in 2009 at its new location in an impressive octagonal-shaped building, the museum houses the largest collection of artefacts found at the BMAC excavation sites of Bronze age Margush.

Merw, located at the former banks of the Murghab River, was the most important Silk Road hub in the region, and particularly thriving as regional capital under Seljuk governor Sanjar.

Erk Kala shows the first step in the process of urbanization in Merw. The smallest and earliest site, also known as Alexandria-Margiana, comprises 20 hectares and was enclosed by massive walls and a moat.

The Seleucids added a second walled city (IV c. BC), known today as Gyaur Kala, but which experts belief to be Antiokhia-Margiana. The 360 ha area town planning reflects a Hellenistic grid pattern.

The Seljuk regional capital, consisting of an ark (governmental quarters), a shakhristan (citadel) and a rabat (bazaar), considerably exceeded Damascus and Jerusalem in size and population.

A few kilometers to the south of the ruins of the medieval Sultan Kala we find the post-medieval city, known today as Abdullakhan Kala, constructed in the period that Timurids ruled the area.

The highlight of an excursion through Merw is a visit to Sultan Sanjar’s mausoleum, the tall brick walls of which still dominate the landscape and functioned as a landmark for traveling caravans.

During Seljuk Sultan Sanjar’s reign the Shahriar Ark was constructed - a citadel within the citadel, protected by its own walls and moat. It housed crucial governmental and military buildings.

Another monument from the time of the Seljuk rule is the mausoleum dedicated to Mohamed ibn Said, with remarkable interior decorations. It remains unclear whose shrine is inside.

The important complex includes a recently built mosque and minaret, the shrine and grave of Yusuf Hamadani (died in 1140), a Timurid iwan (portal), a prayer hall and pilgrim guesthouse facilities.

Two outstanding massive monuments dating back to the Sassanid period are still visible on the territory of Ancient Merw - the Big Kyz Kala and Small Kyz Kala (VI-VII cc).

Original set of graves from the time after the death of the prophet Mohamed, when ashkhabi (“companions/campaigners of the Prophet”) helped the spread of the Islamic faith in their locality.

Various Ice houses (approximately XV c., Timurid rule) are visible in agriculture fields surrounding Merw. They are located above the ground, and are different from sordoba, water collection puts.

From 1971 onwards archeological teams did discoveries that reveal the importance of this area as a possible fifth center of ancient civilization, next to Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China.

Talkhatan Baba, located near the Murgab River near Yolotan town, is the name of an intricately brick decorated mosque, constructed in 1095 in the heydays of Seljuk rule of the region.

Nearby is Ahun Baba, a madrassa (XIX c AD) called Kyrk Gummez (or Forty Cupolas), because it is made up of a courtyard surrounded by a square structure covered by 10 cupolas on each side.

Old Serakhs (VI c. B.C. - XIX c. A.D.), one of the largest archaeological monuments of Southern Turkmenistan, is an urban site located at the upper reaches of the Tejen river near Serakhs.

The complex of Yekedeshik is near Tagtabazar, which can be reached by an 8-hour strenuous drive from Mary. Caves stretch along the steep right bank of the Murgab River and over the Karabil Height.