Merv and Nisa
مرو و نساThe Parthian homeland and Merv, one of the great cities of the medieval world.
Nisa, near today's Ashgabat, was an early capital of the Parthians, the Iranian dynasty that ruled from the third century BCE to the third century CE. Merv, in the oasis of the Murghab, was a capital of Khorasan under the Abbasids and Seljuks and one of the largest cities in the world in the twelfth century.
The Mongols sacked Merv in 1221. Its ruins, a series of walled cities side by side, are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Cities and towns
Maryماری
The modern city near ancient Merv
Ashgabatعشقآباد
The capital of Turkmenistan, near Nisa
Landmarksبناها و نشانهها
Ancient Merv
مرو باستانWalled cities from the Achaemenids to the Seljuks
Nisa
نساAn early Parthian capital
Merv and Nisa through time
Iranian historySeljuks, Mongols and Ilkhanidsسلجوقیان، مغولان و ایلخانان
Turkic and then Mongol conquerors took Iran in turn. The Seljuks built mosques and colleges; the Mongols brought catastrophe, then, as the Ilkhanids, became patrons of history-writing and art.
- Death of Sultan Sanjar, buried at Merv
- Mongols sack Merv
- Ancient Merv inscribed by UNESCO
- Fortresses of Nisa inscribed by UNESCO
Stories from hereداستانها
The Sasanians
For four centuries the Sasanian kings ruled an empire of fire temples, rock reliefs and brick palaces, the last great Iranian empire before Islam.