![]() | Merv was nominated as a Geography and places good article, but it did not meet the good article criteria at the time (November 20, 2021). There are suggestions on the review page for improving the article. If you can improve it, please do; it may then be renominated. |
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Is it accurate to describe Charles Marvin as a Russophobe? I realize he described himself as "both a Russophile and Russophobe" (intro by Louis Dupree to his book "The Russian Advance Towards India", but in the book itself it appears he is an almost credulous believer in Russian good intentions. Kd5mdk 06:04, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Tekke links to a type of Sufi practice or meeting place. Surely this isn't connected to the tribe. Wrong wikilink? Thanks --Dpr 02:56, 8 October 2005 (UTC)
"Some say...: "Some say that Merv is the origin of Hindu belief in Mount Meru, which Hinduism declares to be the center of the world. Others suggest, however, that Mount Meru is another name for Mount Kailas in Tibet." This is babble unless we can be told who said... and when they said it... and even why this is relevant to Merv at all. Is there actually anything more than a very general confluence of phonemes in this? --Wetman 15:55, 8 October 2005 (UTC)
I just ran across the sentence "Merv is mentioned with 'Bakhdi' (Balkh) in the geography of the Zend-Avesta, which probably dates from the 7th century BCE though traditionally given extravagantly earlier dates."
I'm not sure what exactly that means: Is the reference in the Avesta or in the Zend? (the commentaries on the Avesta).
The texts of the Avesta is significantly older than its commentaries, but the commentaries linguistically date to our side of the BCE/CE line.
For now, I've rephrased the above sentence to read "Merv is mentioned with Bakhdi (Balkh) in the geography of the Zend-Avesta (commentaries on the Avesta)."
I hope thats an acceptable solution (unless of course, the mention isn't in the commentaries but in the Avesta proper). -- Fullstop 09:48, 24 March 2006 (UTC)
I've removed the following reference from the main article space:
In the twelfth century Merv was briefly the largest city in the world [1].
These lists are both interesting and amusing, but it looks like generalizations and rough estimates. Such remarks need very good references. Valentinian (talk) 16:27, 23 July 2006 (UTC)
Article Brahui people mentions that Dravidian people Brahui's live in this area but doesnt however mentions numbers. Does anybody know about Brahui presence in this area today? Luka Jačov 23:07, 15 November 2006 (UTC)
MERV is also a unit used for filter performance —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Mkbnett (talk • contribs) 23:00, 9 March 2007 (UTC). Yes brauhi people live in balochistan province.They are actually balochs and we have seen the existence of baloch in merv. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.96.229.85 (talk) 11:01, 5 March 2009 (UTC)
I'm a new Wikipedia member but I happen to know a lot about Merv -- I'm a grad student and I've just written a small overview paper on the archaeology which has been done at Merv. I was wondering if you would be receptive to a major edit/embellishment on most of the sections, especially the "Remains" section. I guarantee it will be well-sourced and from a neutral point of view; most of my sources were Preliminary Reports by the International Merv Project and the Ancient Merv Project. If it's bad do not hesitate to revert to a previous version. I have already written the new version, I am waiting for some feedback before I post it. Xaphoo 03:06, 14 March 2007 (UTC)
I went ahead and changed it. I hope it's ok. Xaphoo 19:31, 18 March 2007 (UTC)
User:99.130.8.150 added a claim previously in this article that the Chinese general Ban Chao reached Merv in 97 CE. Today he or she repeated this claim on the Ban Chao page and gave the same reference - a link to a tourist website: [2] which makes the romantic claim that: "Accompanied by horsemen arrayed in bright red leather,he himself went as far west as Merv and made contacts with Parthia,Babylonia and Syria." There is no reference or even date for this amazing account given on the website. There is absolutely no such reference in any of the Chinese historical texts, or any other ancient source. This appears to be pure fantasy. All that we really know about these contacts with the West is included in the 'Chapter on the Western Regions' in the Hou Hanshu which says:
You can check this out in my draft translation at: [3] or wait until my new book - a much revised and enlarged version - which is due to be published soon: Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han Dynasty 1st to 2nd Centuries CE. An annotated translation of the Chronicle on the ‘Western Regions’ from the Hou Hanshu. Booksurge. ISBN 978-1-4392-2134-1. It contains detailed discussions of the movements of Ban Chao as well as Gan Ying. In any case, there is no evidence whatsoever that Ban Chao ever got farther than the Tarim Basin except for one brief reference in his bibliography that he once went as far (south) as the "Hanging Passages," which were probably in northern Hunza. Sincerely, John Hill (talk) 04:10, 27 September 2009 (UTC)
Based on modern estimates, Merv was not the largest city in the world at any point in the 12th century; nor was it really that close. To my knowledge, though perhaps there was another, even larger, city that I don't know about, Constantinople consistently held that title. Back in the 80's, it was assumed that the 11th and 12th centuries were periods of economic and demographic decline across the board in the Byzantine empire, including Constantinople, but since the 90's archaeological and literary evidence has consistently shown that there was, in fact, widespread economic and population *growth* in that period. Recent estimates of Constantinople's 12th century population by historians like Paul Magdalino and Angeliki Laiou give a minimum estimate of 300,000, but likely closer to 400,000, for the mid-late 12th century. Considering this, I'm going to remove the portions of the article that claim Merv was the largest city in the world.
Jeandukeofalecon (talk) 00:33, 3 November 2017 (UTC)JeanDukeofAlecon
@Visioncurve:, I would highly advise you to request Marw al-S̲h̲āhid̲j̲ān at Wikipedia:WikiProject Resource Exchange/Resource Request. Historic cities of the Islamic world has a section devoted to Merv, I'll send it to you now. Also, as LouisAragon said, the article has some non-WP:RS sources. --HistoryofIran (talk) 16:22, 6 September 2021 (UTC)
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Reviewer: TrangaBellam (talk · contribs) 21:02, 24 October 2021 (UTC)
peacefully took over Merv under the leadership of Tughril—the Ghaznavid sultan Mas'ud I was extremely unpopular in the city— an unsourced line.
The conquest of the great city of Merv, for instance, is not even distinctly recorded; the last Ghaznavid garrison is mentioned in 428/1037, but later the same year sources allude to Chaghrı’s presence there. [..]
In the absence of Ghaznavid authority, it was left to urban notables to decide how to react. Some towns, such as Abiward, seem to have defected to the Seljuks on the initiative of these local elites. Years of over-taxation, religious oppression, and Mas‘ud’s own personal venality and incompetence meant that Ghaznavid governance was regarded with suspicion and sometimes outright hostility by many groups in Khurasan.
At the same time, urban society in Khurasan was fragmented by factionalism. A decision made by the elite – or one group of it – to accept Seljuk authority might be opposed by other social groups. In Merv, Herat, and Nishapur, the Seljuks faced popular rebellions which seem to have been instigated by the lower social classes, and it was these, rather than Ghaznavid forces, which on occasion temporarily evicted the Seljuks.
However, starting from 1118, it served as the capital of the whole empire.
The city was notable as a home for immigrants from the Arab lands and those from Sogdia and elsewhere in Central Asia
You need to paraphrase the sources but only after understanding them so as to not rob them of their contexts.In 673 Khurasan, the 'eastern lands', became a separate governorate, of which Merv served as the capital and as the all-important seat of the governor. It was thus the source of patronage. This was precisely the time that eastern Iran was heavily settled by Arab immigrants. Naturally they clustered around the major seats of power, such as Merv and Nishapur.
and great-grandson Ahmad Sanjar (sultan from 1118 to 1157) were buried at Merv, the latter at the Tomb of Ahmad Sanjar.