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The cities that developed at Merv span the last 2,500 years, and together they form one of the most complex and well-preserved urban centers on the Silk Route of Central Asia. Throughout its occupation, Merv was the capital of vast empires, a trading center, and a military and administrative center. Its importance began to decline as the east-west land-based trade routes were by-passed by the growing sea trade, and eventually the city was sacked by the armies of Genghis Khan.

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The icehouse structures, of which four still remain intact, are located south of Sultan Kala. These large, conically-domed earthen structures would have had sheets of ice built up on the ground level over the course of the winter to provide year-round ice supplies. There are remains of wood beams that stretched across the domes; it is possible these were for structural support and/or used to hang meats and other culinary items for cold storage.