Mary, is a city on an oasis in the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan, located on the Murgab River. It was founded in 1884 about 30 kilometres fro…Mary, is a city on an oasis in the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan, located on the Murgab River. It was founded in 1884 about 30 kilometres from the ruins of the ancient abandoned great city of Merv and was actually named Merv until 1937.