Ï Dayahatyn along Great Silk Road
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Dayahatyn along Great Silk Road

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The Great Silk Road is a grandiose trade route that links the East and West and became the cause of origin of many unique cities, architectural structures, customs and even states. Preserving the memory of times of the past grandeur, the cultural monuments of Turkmen people stand on the spaces of Turkmenistan. They are the witnesses of history of trade, spiritual and cultural ties of our ancestors with the people of the Eurasian continent.

Caravanserais played a special role in international trade. One of the most significant Turkmen monuments of this kind is Dayahatyn on the left bank of Amudarya in Lebap province. Fortress built by Tahir ibn Hussein - the founder of Tahirids dynasty, was preserved in outline to this day. However, already in the Seljuk period, it changed its function, becoming Dayahatyn caravanserai.

On the territory of Turkmenistan among kept coaching inns, it has no equal in artistic perfection. Even in neighboring countries, only two such monuments of that time can be put on a par with Dayahatyn: these are Rabat-and-Malik - steppe residence of Karakhanids on the main road between Samarkand and Bukhara and Rabat-and-Sharaf in the mountains between Serakhs and Nishapur built by order of the governor of Merv. Dayahatyn - the only monument, which safety easily allows you imagining its complete image and gives modern restorers an opportunity to recover almost all lost parts of the building and decor elements without any guesswork, on a strictly scientific basis, relying on existing original.


Legends devoted to marital fidelity and love are connected with Dayahatyn. One of them says that the rabat of Dayahatyn was built by local ruler, who wished to hide from all the incomparable look of the beauty named Daya. Another romantic version of the legend is the story of the rich bai, who suspected his wife in infidelity and left home in the cloth of poor dervish. His wife Bai-Hatyn waited for return of her husband many years. Hoping to ease his wandering, she has built a large and beautiful caravanserai in the desert. Bricks for it were made in Merv and by human chain, hand-to-hand, transferred to the construction site. Among builders, there was also the husband of woman, who after long wanderings through the world came back to native land. Bai-Hatyn recognized her husband, but hidden with veil, she remained unrecognized. After completion of the construction, she arranged a feast. The legend ends with the reconciliation of spouses.

Dayahatyn caravanserai is the typical monument of architecture of X-XII centuries. Dayahatyn caravanserai - a beautiful monument of architecture and culture of the Turkmen people is among the sites put forward by Turkmenistan to the consideration of Coordinating Council for nomination of the Great Silk Road to the World Heritage List of UNESCO.