Merv to the Oxus: a desert survey of routes and surviving archaeology

Abstract

A site of Merv in Turkmenistan supported a series of major urban settlements from the 5th century BCE to the 13th century CE and is now a World Heritage Site. The Institute of Archaeology has been involved in international research at Merv since 1991, including both archaeological excavation and field survey. This paper describes the latest field survey, which is investigating Merv's place in the famous Silk Roads that traversed Central Asia.