The Amu Darya — the ancient Oxus River of classical geography, the river that Alexander the Great crossed on his way east — forms the border between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan at Chardzhou, and the Turkmenistan bank has a promenade where locals walk in the cooler hours of early morning and evening. The river itself is wide, brown, and fast-moving, carrying the meltwater of the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains on its long journey toward what remains of the Aral Sea.
Standing at the riverbank, you can watch the occasional barge crossing toward the Uzbek side and see, on clear days, the buildings of Farap across the water. The Amu Darya has defined this region for millennia: the ancient Silk Road crossed here, the Greek colony of Antioch Margiana lay to the north, and the river's annual floods determined where and how people lived in the surrounding desert. It's now shrunken considerably from its historic volume — irrigation withdrawals have taken most of its flow — but still impressive. Early morning is the best time: the light is good, the heat is manageable, and fishermen work the banks in quiet concentration.