Parthian Fortresses of Nisa

From modest-looking mounds near Ashgabat, archaeologists have drawn the story of Nisa, among the first great cities of the Parthians, whose empire stood as a counterweight to Rome for roughly half a millennium. Excavations at the twin tells of Old and New Nisa reveal richly ornamented buildings for palace, temple and home, blending steppe traditions with Hellenistic and Roman manners. UNESCO inscribed the Parthian fortresses in 2007.