With its two fortified tells including a palatial complex, Nisa represents one of the oldest and most important cities of the Parthian Empire, a great power from the middle of the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD that rivalled the Roman Empire. Nisa lies 15 km south-west of the Turkmen capital Ashgabat, and is one of the country's 8 historical and cultural parks, a status reserved for the most important national sites. The site has revealed a wealth of information about the Parthian Empire thanks to the archaeologists who have been working at Nisa for 70 years, but it has also suffered enormously as a result of these excavations. The structures uncovered were unfortunately left exposed to the elements without any form of conservation for years. The first conservation work has only recently been carried out under the supervision of the DPM, which has installed technical staff on site to supervise the work. The archaeological team led by archaeologist Carlo Lippolis also contributes to the conservation of the site.