TDH

The exposition is arranged in the chronological order. The section that opens exposition is devoted to the first world religions, namely to Zoroastrianism, which is, according to scientists, originated from the Turkmen land. Fire temples were discovered by archaeologists in Babadurmaz (Akhal province) at the Akdepe Hill near the village of Artyk and in the Meleheyran area in Serahs oasis. Interesting findings, testifying to the cult of worshipers and funerary rites as described in their holy book of Avesta, were revealed in Balkan, Dashoguz and Mary provinces. The most interesting materials of the first centuries of the new era take roots from the banks of the Amudarya River, which was part of the Kushan Empire.

On display of the next section are the significant artifacts testifying to spreading of Nestorian Christianity in the early medieval Merv. During the epoch of the Roman Empire and then the Byzantine Empire, the followers of this religion were persecuted and were forced to move far eastward, notably to Merv, where they found safe refuge and settled for several centuries. Simultaneously with the Christians, this ancient metropolis became the home for large community of Buddhists. A tangible evidence of that fact is one of the surprising findings - a luxurious inside-painted ceramic vase, used to keep the Buddhist scroll of the VI century. The diorama of the reconstructed complex gives the idea about the appearance of the Buddhist temple with the huge clay statue of Buddha discovered half a century ago in ancient Merv.

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