Emily O'Dell at Kyz Kala
Marveling at the majesty of Merv, it’s easy to forget that it was once mercilessly sacked by the Mongols. Since the top of one of the walls I was excavating was covered in debris from the Mongol invasion, I recently became interested in gathering historical sources and references about the details of this calamitous event…
By God, we live in violent times:
if we saw them in a dream,
we should be terrified.
The people are in such an evil plight
that he that has died–
deserves to rejoice.
–Abdul Hasan Muhammad b. Muhammad/Ibn Lankak al-Basri
Emily O'Dell in Turkmenistan
