Merv

Merv, ruined city in the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, situated near the modern city of Mary. Since ancient times an oasis in the desert, Merv was once a prosperous city and center of Islamic learning. Destroyed by the Mongols in 1221, it was rebuilt in the 15th century and occupied by the Russians in 1884. Farming is its main occupation.

See also: Turkmenistan.