Nisa, Turkmenistan

Nisa is an ancient Parthian settlement near the Bagyr district of Ashgabat in Turkmenistan, about 18 kilometres west of the city centre. Tradition holds that it was founded by Arsaces I in the third century BC and it is described by some as the first seat of the Arsacid Empire, though excavators have not established that its fortress was either a royal residence or a mausoleum. Parthian ruler Mithridates I renamed it Mithradatkert, meaning fortress of Mithradates. It was a major trading hub famed for its horses and was destroyed by an earthquake in the first decade BC. Excavations have uncovered substantial buildings, mausoleums, shrines, many inscribed documents, a looted treasury and Hellenistic art including ivory rhytons. UNESCO declared the fortress a World Heritage Site in 2007.