The History Museum of Mary

The Museum of Mary or Mary History Museum represents the history and culture of the city of Mary throughout the time. It is situated right in the heart of the city. The museum was founded in 1968 under the name Historical and Revolutionary Museum of Mary. The first exhibition was opened in 1974. The new grand building of the museum was built in 2010 by the Decree of the President of Turkmenistan. The total area of the museum is 10.000 square meters, out of which 4000 is for expositions. The exhibits are presented in the 1st and 2nd floors of the building. There are archaeology, ethnography, fine arts, nature expositions, Revival Hall, and temporary exhibition halls. Most of the exhibits in the collections are rare and have important scientific and cultural value. Many of them are archaeological findings from Mary province in recent years.

The archaeological exposition shows the history of the Turkmen land from the Mesolithic period (IX-VII millennia BC) to the XVIII century. It houses exhibits relating to the history of Ancient Margiana, ancient and medieval Merv. The territory of Turkmenistan has been a place of ancient civilizations for a long time and is rich in historical monuments of different eras. For example, the Archaeological Complex of Ancient Merv, which has made an invaluable contribution to the treasures of human culture, has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Revival Hall features photographs, documents, books and other exhibits that tell about the new achievements of Turkmenistan in the fields of education, science, healthcare and culture, as well as the work done to strengthen the domestic and foreign policy of our country, the development of industry and economy.

The ethnographic exposition includes exhibits about the rich material and spiritual culture of the Turkmen people, namely Turkmen national costumes, beautiful handicrafts of women, unique Turkmen carpets, specimens of Turkmen weapons, folk musical instruments and silver jewellery.