the entrance to the restored part of Old Nisa
Just outside Ashgabat is Old Nisa – or Nusay -, the old capital of the Parthian empire, which dominated the Turkmen region from the 3rd C BC to the 3rd C AD. Unfortunately, the construction was mostly done with mud bricks, which, thanks to the elements, have largely disappeared. A massive earthquake in the 1st C AD, which destroyed most of the city, didn’t help either.
Part of the structure, however, has been tastefully reconstructed, to give an impression of how the city, and especially its Royal palace, may have looked. And together with the introduction we received in the museum in Ashgabat, the structure actually does come to live, in my imagination, wandering past the various remains of dwelling, and through the remnants of the large reception halls. A worthy UNESCO World Heritage site.
next: to Turkmenbasy
the inner city of Old Nusa, inside the wall
part of the dwellings inside the wall
piece of the outer wall restored
part of the palace, restored
another restored part of the palace
outer realm of the palace
passage through the palace walls, restored
two pilars, lower part original, the rest restored
and this is the unrestored part – I guess
