Margush

About four thousand years ago, an agricultural civilization flourished in the ancient delta of the Murgab River, leaving numerous traces of a high culture. Archaeologist, founder and long-term leader of the Margiana expedition, academician Viktor Ivanovich Sarianidi devoted many years to searching for the capital of this civilization. There was a capital city, now called Gonur-Depe, with its palace and several temples that could compete with the buildings of Assyria and Babylon. Gonur-Depe is the capital temple city of the Margush country. Archaeologists have managed to discover convincing facts of spiritual rituals and traditions, proving that the Gonur people adhered to the Zoroastrian faith. In the very center of the settlement there was a palace with many large ceremonial rooms, surrounded by powerful, thick walls and several square towers. Outside the walls, on the south side, there was a pool measuring 180 by 80 m and a depth of 2 m. On the northern and western sides of the temple complex there were two more pools, but smaller ones. They were erected symbolically, and not for the purpose of defense. Archaeologists have found fragments of the facade parts of buildings, indicating that stone mosaics were used to decorate the walls. But the technique of the Gonur masters is unique in that initially the image on the wall was painted with paints and only then it was trimmed with stones. Nowhere else in the world has a similar mosaic laying technology been found. On the territory of Gonur-Depe, a number of pottery workshops were also found, indicating that such products were in great demand at that time. One of the most interesting finds is the underground burial chambers found on the eastern side of the large pool. Everything testified that these were the burial places of the local elite of those times. In total, archaeologists unearthed 5 tombs-crypts, each of which looked like a full-sized multi-room house. The remains of several people rested in two tombs at once. Most likely, the bodies belonged to servants who, according to ancient customs, were supposed to accompany their master to another world. Also, according to tradition, the tomb was filled with valuable things that once belonged to the deceased. Not far from the tombs, a pit 2.5 m deep and 5 m in diameter was found, also with burials. This place turned out to be unplundered and archaeologists managed to extract many interesting objects and remains of ancient people and animals from there. In addition to a large pit, smaller burials were found, as well as some amazing things that scientists still cannot give an exact explanation for. For example, in one of the tombs, next to ceramic dishes, they found several stones processed into smooth, even balls, and not far from them a few more stones resembling pistachios in shape. What these items were made for and what role they played is still unknown. The Gonur-Depe necropolis to this day keeps many secrets that historians, archaeologists and scientists have to unravel. This place is one of the important tourist sites of Turkmenistan, where thousands of tourists from all over the world come every year. By visiting this amazing and mysterious building, you will be able to touch the secrets of the distant ancestors of the Turkmens, who in ancient times were talented sculptors, builders and jewelers.