This site is well laid out with signage in 3 languages including English so you can get by without a guide, however the guide adds to the experience.
It is great to see the site then go to the National Museum and see some of the artefacts found when the site was excavated.

This is clearly the place to visit near Ashgabat - birthplace of some important discoveries, even if it looks now like an archeological site.
In Spring, the poppies provide a wonderful backdrop.

We made the 30 minutes or so trip to Nisa and spent probably close to an hour - there were very few other people touring the area while we were on the site; our guide was good and related much of the history but one must use great imagination as most of the site is in ruins - some walls have been reconstructed and the walkways or easily navigable. This is the closest archeological area near Ashgabat.