Parthian Fortresses of Nisa
Perched on a natural plateau at the foot of the Kopet Dag mountains near Ashgabat, the Parthian Fortresses of Nisa (comprising Old Nisa and New Nisa) represent one of the most important archaeological sites of the ancient Parthian Arsacid Empire (247 BCE – 224 CE). Founded by Arsaces I as Mithradatkert ('Fortress of Mithridates'), Old Nisa served as the sacred royal stronghold and dynastic mausoleum of the Parthian kings who successfully defied Rome. Excavations revealed grand columned palaces, fire temples, royal treasury vaults, and world-famous carved ivory drinking horns ('rhytons'). Destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in the 1st century BCE and later sacked by Sasanian invaders, Nisa's subterranean vaults and thick earthen bastions have earned a eerie reputation for phantom sentries, whispering court shadows, and mysterious glowing lights reported by night caretakers.