MERV -
PEARL OF THE EAST
Merv is a
group of sites of the ancient town having been arisen and perished. The
sites of the ancient town Erk-Kala (VI century BC), Gyaur-Kala (III century BC),
Sultan-Kala (X-XIII century AD), Big Kiz Kala (VI century AD) and Small Kiz
Kala(VII century AD), Muhammed ibn Zeid (XII century AD)correspond to different
period of its existence. Low cultural layers of the most ancient Merv part (Erk
Kala) relates to the VI-V centuries B.C., i.e. to the entry time to the ancient
Persian state of Akhemenids. At that time the city with the area of about
20 ha was surrounded by extensive
fortress walls of raw brick. In the IV century B.C. Margiana was conquered by
Alexander the Great. At the end of that century the lands along the Murgab
River were a part of the Selevkid state. Antiochus Soter- the successor of
Alexander the Great. The site of the ancient town of Gyaur Kala with the area
of about 360ha corresponds to the Antiohiya. During ruling period of Sasanids
cult buildings were erected. The tolerable attitude of the Sasanid governors to
different religions is one of the peculiarities of that period. Together with
the Zoroastrian state religion Buddhism and Christianity co-existed.
The forming
period of the early feudal relations (VI-VII) in Merv was marked mainly by the
building of numerous fortified feudal country-seats and castles reminding of
knightly castles of medieval
Europe. The best example of the Merv castle
architecture of this period is Big Kiz Kala.
Merv
reaches its highpoint of development at Seljuk period, especially during the
government of Sultan Sanjar (1118-1157) who made it the capital of Seljuk
state. During the period of Seljuks large buildings were built in Merv
and its area reached 1500-1800ha. It considerably exceeded in size not only
such famous cities of the Near East such as Damascus, Haleb, Jerusalem, but
also large cities of West Europe of the XII and the beginning of the XIV
centuries such as Paris, Bologna, Milan Naples, etc. Sultan Kala (fortress of
Sultans) enclosed with the fortress walls at Melik-shah (1072-1092) corresponds
to the cities of this period.
1221 it was
fully destroyed by Mongols. After the Mongol invasion Merv was restored
only 200 years later by Shakhruh, a son of great conqueror Emir Timur and ruler
of an independent state with the capital in Herat. In 1418 he ordered to settle
Merv. Because of difficulties with water supply the town was moved to a new
place, two km to the south of Sultan Kala. Ruins of Timurid Merv are known as
Abdullahan Kala. During the whole XVI century Merv was constantly exposed to
raids and annexations by rulers of neighboring countries. In 1510 it entered
the state of Sefevids and was conquered by the Sheybanids. Lack stability led
to the displacement of the ancient West-East trade route from Merv in Heart.
Only the XVII century passed fairly quietly for Merv thanks to Khiva’s
protection. Total crisis in the end of the XVII century and the beginning of
the XVIII century, however, generated anarchy again. In 1727 Nadir, the future khan of
Iran evicted all the people of Merv to
Mashad.
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