Mary is a city in Mary Province, Turkmenistan. Most travellers' main reason to visit it is to reach the ruins of the ancient city of Merv, which are 35 km to the east.
1 Mary Museum (Mary muzeýi), Komsomolska köcesi 1. Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, lunch break 13:00-14:00 with no visitors allowed. The museum contains a model of Merv and objects displayed from Victor Sarianidi's excavations at the Bronze Age sites of Gonur-depe and Togolok in the northern part of the Merv oasis and discoveries from Sasanian-Islamic times at Merv. In the upper floor Turkmen carpets, a display of household items, everyday, wedding and ceremonial clothings and a fully decorated yurt are exhibited. 17.5 manat (updated August 2018), camera US$5. (updated Aug 2023) 2 Gurbanguly Hajji Mosque (Gurbanguly Hajy metjidi). (updated Aug 2023) Pokrovskaya Church. MIG aeroplane.
1 Mary Theatre. Performances at 17:00 and 19:00. Theatre close to the river. Show lasts almost 2 hours, a lot of kids in attendance. Two Turkmen entertainers and a couple performing sketches. Funny experience, everything in Turkmen (and one song in Russian). No photos allowed during the performance. Very grandiose building. Tickets could be bought during the day or directly before the performance in the same building (Kassa). 5 manat. (updated Aug 2018)
1 Gyzylgum. Very beautifully set restaurant at the river, cheap food and expensive drinks. Wide selection of food (Turkmen, Russian, European). Could be possible to eat vegetarian there. They speak English and have an English menu. 20 manat for a main course, 40 manat for a glass of red wine. (updated Aug 2018) Sachra, Magtymguly köcesi 40 (in Mary), ☏ +993 522 56177. Shashlik, Turkmen and Russian cooking. Altyn Asir Kafe Bar, Gulistan sayoli (inear Hotel Sultan Sanjar in Mary), ☏ +993 522 39350. Shashlik, Turkmen and Russian dishes.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
Top-rated tours and tickets from €34 — book ahead for the popular ones.
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In Sep, Mary typically sees ~33°C daytime highs and 0 rainy days.
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