The Hajj At Home: Turkmen Historical Sites
![The Hodja Yusuf Hamadani mosque in the ancient Silk Road city of Merv, also known as Mary - Turkmen authorities have banned citizens from participating in the Hajj pilgrimage this year due to the risk of swine flu. But they have proposed an alternative: a delegation of officials will embark on a tour of Turkmen historical sites.](https://gdb.rferl.org/71024915-5d6f-4d82-a0d6-ffe19ba4d680_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The Hodja Yusuf Hamadani mosque in the ancient Silk Road city of Merv, also known as Mary - Turkmen authorities have banned citizens from participating in the Hajj pilgrimage this year due to the risk of swine flu. But they have proposed an alternative: a delegation of officials will embark on a tour of Turkmen historical sites.
![Merv is relatively accessible from the capital Ashgabat, but other sites are in remote parts of Turkmenistan.](https://gdb.rferl.org/5d5c43fa-7add-474a-ab60-3e880f5d2fe5_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Merv is relatively accessible from the capital Ashgabat, but other sites are in remote parts of Turkmenistan.
![The remains of the ancient city of Nisa, the capital of the ancient Parthian Empire, near Ashgabat](https://gdb.rferl.org/2549f8a1-55cd-4df4-b54c-1a854956494d_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The remains of the ancient city of Nisa, the capital of the ancient Parthian Empire, near Ashgabat
![Ruins in Nisa - The Parthian Empire lasted from the third century BC to the third century AD -- well before the advent of Islam in Turkmenistan in the eighth century.](https://gdb.rferl.org/c3fe349d-d04c-48f5-9f02-d20e7da11fad_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Ruins in Nisa - The Parthian Empire lasted from the third century BC to the third century AD -- well before the advent of Islam in Turkmenistan in the eighth century.