9 miles west of Achkhabad, on the outskirts of the desert, lie the ruins of Nisa. Imagine what might have been the ancient Parthian city and capital of the Empire in the IIIrd century BC, right to the IIIrd century AD. The vestiges are leaning on green mountains, facing the desert. Archeological objects discovered on this site now are now housed in the History museum of Achkhabad and the Hermitage of St-Petersburg in Russia.