![]() The airport itself is an eccentric absurdity, it caters to just a handful of airlines, a small domestic population relatively unable to travel, and a phantom tourist industry blocked by Turkmenistan’s own visa policies. It’s shaped like a falcon…because falcons fly and you will too if you visit this airport - just as you’ll read if you visit Ashgabat’s book-shaped school. As we left the city, we passed the brand new Ashgabat International Airport, all 2.3 billion dollars of it. Between buildings inspired by either the USSR or the latest NASA space shuttle, you’ll find ideological monuments, gleaming statues, ceremonial guards, endless military, police and…surveillance cameras. The result is a sanitised, inefficient ghost town and frankly, the strangest city I’ve ever visited. I’ll save the detail for another post, but this is Ashgabat, an architectural extravaganza of gilded white marble embellished by manicured green boulevards. Turkmen are mighty proud of their rugs, there’s even a ‘Ministry of Carpets’ just a few blocks away and ‘Turkmen Carpet Day’ is marked in calendars as an annual national holiday. Our driver’s car ended up being decked out in Turkmen carpet seat covers, this pattern is the ‘Teke’ and appears even on the Turkmenistan Coat of Arms. However, this isn’t as strict as in North Korea. For foreigners, independent travel outside of Ashgabat is banned, so guides were mandatory. But that wasn’t the only thing we needed. There’s dune-bashing to reach the ‘Door To Hell’, so we needed a 4WD. ![]() Tight governmental control was ubiquitous, trickling down even to the average and mundane - this clerks badge indicates his registry and license to work for this particular store only, under the ‘Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations of Turkmenistan’. Payment was cash only as international cards are useless in Turkmenistan, including at ATM’s, so every dollar I needed had to be taken into the country. This meant snacks and alcohol, a mix of local, Russian and Ukrainian product. After check-out, we stocked up on goodies for our venture into the desert. I urge you to research Niyazov, he was a nutcase who banned everything from public smoking to opera music. Since assuming power in 2006, his time has been spent dismantling golden statues, portraits and literature from the personality cult left behind by Saparmurat Niyazov, the self-proclaimed ‘Turkmenbashi’, and replacing them with his own. The lobby, alike most of the city, was loaded with artistic displays fixated towards current dictator Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Turkmenistan’s ‘protector’. You will see Presidential Palace, Ruhyyet Palace, Wedding Palace, modern “Yildyz” Hotel, Ferries Wheel, Constitution Monument, Arch of Neutrality, Monument and park of Independence, Ertogrul Gazy Mosque, Ashgabat Sports and Housing facilities, the Earthquake and victims of WWII Mon-uments.Our day began at the Ak Altyn Hotel in Ashgabat, a foreigner-friendly premier hotel that’s home to both the British and German embassies. In 2013 the Guinness Book of Records named Ashgabat “white marbled city” – here you can see the biggest number of structures in the world made out of the white marble. 250 BC – 211BC), and reputedly the royal necropolis of the Parthi-an Kings, although it has neither been established that the fortress at Nissa was a royal residence or a mausoleum.ĭrive to visit Turkmenbashy Ruhy Mosque in Kipchak (the largest mosque in Central Asia).Īfternoon you will have Ashgabat city tour. Nissa described as one of the first capitals of the Parthians. UNESCO declared the fortress a World Heritage Site in 2007. Nissa Fortress -the Sanctuary of Parthian Kings. You will be met by our representatives and transfer to hotel. Cities of Silk Road Beijing Dunhuang Lanzhou Luoyang Urumqi Xian Zhangye Jiayuguan Turpan KashgarĪrrival in Ashgabat International airport.15 Days Great Silk Road from Kashgar to TashkentĢ0 Days Silk Road to Uzbekistan Kyrgyzstan & ChinaĢ3 Days Uzbekistan to Pakistan via Karakoram Highwayġ0 Days Silk Road Xinjiang and Bishkek Kyrgyzstanġ6 Days Silk Road Travel to Uzbekistan and Chinaġ8 Days Travel Silk Road in China with Escorted Guideġ9 Days Xinjiang China and Uzbekistan Tour
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