Majestic Mary

Name of tour: Majestic Mary 

Length: 7 days and 6 nights 

Overnight stays: Ashgabat, Mary

Day 1: Ashgabat  
Your driver and guide will wait you at Ashgabat International Airport. Then you will be transferred to the hotel and have a rest till the lunch time. Later on we will be on horse-fam show for investigating the pride of the Turkmen people for Akhal Teke horses. There will be a traditional tea break, Akhal Teke horse show program. Afterwards we will return to Ashgabat and see important attractions in the evening.

Day 2: Ashgabat
After breakfast our tour begins with Old Nisa, Gypjak mosque and mausoleum the last president of Turkmenistan. Our next destination is State Museum of History. The museum was opened on 12 November 1998. The museum has seven permanent galleries incorporating history, present day culture, and ethnography. The night is in a hotel. 

Day 3: Ashgabat – Merv – Mary
You will have a breakfast and we will drive to Mary region which is located in East of Turkmenistan. Mary is an important city in the southeast of Turkmenistan, an oasis in the desert with a long and fascinating history. Named for the mother of Jesus because in Kerait tradition, she is buried here. However, originally named Merv, it was historically a popular stop on the Silk Road; later it was occupied by Russia until Turkmenistan established independence, after which it became the capital of Mary province. The modern city of Mary is the base from which to discover the nearby ancient sites of wonder. The city's museum contains exhibitions and displays to give visitors a good foundation for exploring the surrounding area. Each city (or "kala") within the vast complex of historic Merv tells its own story of a slice of Turkmenistan's amazing history from the 7th century BC until well past the Medieval period. And, even further back, the excavation site at Gonur Depe marks central Turkmenistan as one of the earliest seats of civilization in the world. Overnight is in a hotel.

Day 4: Mary – Talkhatan Baba – Yekedeshik Caves – Mary
After breakfast we will drive to Talkhatan Baba. Talkhatan Baba, located near the Murgab River near Yolotan town, is the name of an intricately brick decorated mosque, constructed in 1095 in the heydays of Seljuk rule of the region. The mosque is considered an exquisite example of this style construction and one of the best preserved mosques displaying Seljuk architectural master class. The grave of sheikh-mystic Talkhatan Baba is located here. Next point is Yekedeshik Caves. The complex of Yekedeshik is near Tagtabazar, which can be reached by an 8-hour strenuous drive from Mary. Caves stretch along the steep right bank of the Murgab River and over the Karabil Height. Surface investigations of the surrounding locality revealed a number of similar caves along the whole right bank of the Murgab. They stretch up to neighboring Afghanistan. The caves were supposedly Buddhist complexes, a great number of which survived in neighboring countries. The night is in a hotel.

Day 5: Mary – Margiana (Margush) – Mary
Today we will drive to Margiana complex. Margiana – around 5,000 years ago, this historic landscape in eastern Turkmenistan was the cradle of a fascinating and sophisticated Bronze Age culture. For the first time a major exhibition and cooperation project is dedicated to the archaeological remains of this mysterious culture. The centrepieces of the exhibition are the sensational results of archaeological excavations and researches that were executed at the ancient city of Gonur Depe with the involvement of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI). The distinguished German photographer, Herlinde Koelbl, was asked to photograph the archaeological sites, landscapes, people and exhibits. The result is a fascinating symbiosis of unfamiliar archaeological remains and photo art from a largely unknown country. Overnight is in a hotel.

Day 6: Mary – Ashgabat
In the morning you will have a breakfast, then we will return to Ashgabat. There will be one stop at Annau. This is a site of the once great temples of Seyit Demaletdin Mosque built in 1456 which was damaged to great lengths in the 1948 Earthquake.The Temples are located on a hill just above the prayer mosque on the grounds. In the small city of Annau just East outside of Ashgabat on N37 Highway that goes to Mary.There isn't any fee to enter, the mosque of thhe night is in a hotel. 

Day 7: Flight
Night transfer to the Ashgabat International Airport to board a flight to next destination.
 

Transport – Minibus

Price per person:
02 pax – 875 $
04 pax – 755 $
06 pax – 615 $
08 pax – 545 $
10 pax – 500 $
Single – 130 $

Early check-in – 35 $
Single early check-in – 50 $ 

Half board – 65 $
Full board – 125 $

Service includes:
- Transport
- Accommodation:
      Ashgabat – “Menzil” Hotel 3*
      Mary – “Merv” Hotel 3*
- Visa support
- English speaking guide
- Entrances to all museums
- Mineral water during the tour                                           

Service does not include:
- Visa
- Full board
- Single rooms           
- Early check-in
- Travel insurance
- Migration tax (12$)
- Fee for using cameras on monuments 

Note: Each Traveler should have 2 photos (5×6) to be presented at the points of entry.