The Sarahs Oasis surrounding the town has been inhabited since 2nd millennium BCE. The main administrative centre was Old Serakhs, located in a slightly raised area somewhat south of the towns's present location. At the original site there remain a few brick fragments of the former citadel. The town claims to have been founded in 507
BCE. Although this is considered to be a somewhat arbitrary choice of date, the city duly celebrated its 2500th anniversary in 1993. During the
Sassanid period a
Zoroastrian fire temple was constructed in
Mele Hairam, about 15 km east of the town. It has been excavated by
Polish archaeologists from
Warsaw University since 1997. In the
Seljuk Era a famous school of architects was located in Sarahs, along with a mausoleum commemorating the 11th century
sufi Abul Fazl (Serakhs Baba). In 1089 Yarty Gumbez mausoleum was constructed 8 km south of the town, possibly as a burial site for Sheikh Ahmed Al Khady. The modern settlement was established in 1884 when Sarahs Oasis was annexed by the
Russian Empire. It served as a Russian military post at the
Iranian border. It was inhabited mainly by settlers of
Russian and Polish origin. An
Orthodox church, which no longer survives, was constructed in the town. In 2010 monuments of Sarahs, including Old Serakhs, the Abul Fazl mausoleum, and the Mele Hairam temple complex were inscribed on the Tentative List to become
UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a part of the "Silk Roads Sites in Turkmenistan" entry by the Turkmen government. == Climate ==