Idea #623 – Visiting the capital of the Parthians in Nisa in Turkmenistan
Nisa was the capital of the Parthian Empire that dominated this region of Central Asia from the middle of the third century BC. BC until the dawn of the third century AD. In this capacity, it formed a bulwark against Roman expansion, while serving as an important center for trade and communications, at the crossroads of north-south and east-west routes. Its economic and political power is well illustrated by the surviving vestiges that underline the interaction between the cultures of Central Asia and the Mediterranean. The two tells of the old and new Nisa point to the site of one of the oldest and most important cities of the Parthian Empire. These Toms preserve buried in their soil the remains of a powerful ancient civilization that ingeniously combined elements of its traditional culture with those of Western Hellenistic and Roman cultures. Archaeological excavations in two parts of the site revealed a richly decorated architecture corresponding to domestic, official and religious functions. The site of ancient Nisa, surrounded by a colossal enclosure of land, presents in its center an aristocratic citadel, with a palace and a sanctuary. It may have been built on a necropolis of Parthian kings. The sites are inscribed on the UNESCO Heritage List.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Old Nisa, Nusay, Turkmenistan
