Thirty kilometers east of Mary, in the valley of the Murgab River, there is a huge territory, the archaeological sites of which are united by one name - Ancient Merv.

Each of the settlements, the remains of dilapidated buildings of which both local residents and guests of Turkmenistan can admire to this day, flourished in its own era: Erk-kala in the 6th century BC; Gyaur-Kala in the 3rd century AD; Kyz-Kala in the VI century; Sultan-Kala in the XI century; Abdullakhan-Kala in the 15th century.

Here is what the famous archaeologist Vadim Mikhailovich Masson wrote about Erk-Kala: “The ancient settlement of Erk-Kala, which later became the citadel of the Parthian Merv, occupied an area of about 16 hectares, was surrounded by a wall up to 60 meters thick, made of adobe bricks, and had monumental buildings in the center, located on high platforms. New excavations have shown that the oldest cultural layers of this settlement date back to at least the 6th century. BC.". Numerous finds of coins helped to establish a similar dating to the scientist.

The fortress walls of Erk-Kala have retained their height and power even today, despite the centuries that have passed since their construction. This makes the site stand out from other fortresses. The height of the walls with clearly carved towers is currently 25 - 29 meters. A walk along the wall around the settlement takes about half an hour for tourists visiting these places.

At first glance, Erk-Kala did not have an entrance. In fact, the only entrance to the fortress was located on a hill on the south side.

Roman Teplyakov