Welcome to Turkmenistan, my 131st Visit and 126th Run UN Country out of a total of 193. As usual, after the last lot of photos below is a brief summary of the country of Turkmenistan and ten interesting facts that set this country apart.
Our 7am start towards the Iran-Turkmenistan border was met with “Towelgate” at our hotel. The two reception guys checking us out insisted that we pay for new towels given stains in select towels that they claim could not be washed. Extortion. This has happened to me before. Last time was with Antonia in Costa Rica. I offered to buy my stained towel but they refused – this was proof of their attempts to profiteer from inexperienced travellers !!! Not us. We managed to escape Towelgate and set off 15min late – a worthwhile penalty.
Travel to the border covered 227km but took 4.5hrs. Most of scenery was flat farmland hovering around 1200m. It was completely cloud-covered for the first time in a while. It cooled down substantially and started sprinkling as we approached the border around 1130am. It took the better part of 4 hours to get through both halves. There were lots of Turkmen locals re-entering their country carrying heaps of black garbage bags full of food both fresh and packaged. Prices in Iran are tons cheaper than Turkmenistan as I subsequently learned. The border is at the top of a mountain pass at 1730m which explained the cold – we all had to dig up our jackets. Ashgabat is only 50km from the border but took 90min given the windy mountainous descent and that we had to switch from our truck to mini-vans to take us to our hotel in the centre since the truck is not allowed in the centre.
We arrived at the hotel at a late 630pm since we also added 1.5hrs crossing the border into a new time zone. At first site Ashgabat was a sea of white. Almost every building was made of white marble, so much so, that this city is in the Guiness Book for the greatest amount of white marble used in a city !!! Our stay in Ashgabat was 2 nights followed by 3 nights of bush camping so I needed to find 5 nights worth of wine following the Iran dry !!! So off I went based on info from reception. Lucky for me I just happened to pop into a local mini-mart and there it was – a wall of wine (and vodka) at the very back. In Heaven. $15AUD a bottle compared to $35AUD in the hotel. Another bonus – the wine was imported from Georgia – good stuff !!! First time in a long time that I had dinner in the hotel restaurant since it had hundreds of dishes ranging from $5AUD to $15AUD – dirt cheap. Early night tonight given my 126thrun tomorrow and only four mornings in Turkmenistan to make it happen.
And boy did it happen. My fastest and most interesting run to date !!! Felt great and saw great things. Streets were so clean you could eat off them. No cracked bitumen. Flowers and manicured gardens in front of government buildings. People immaculately dressed as if they are going to church !!! Everyone in neat lines for the bus. All men were dressed the same – black suits, black tie and white shirt and even carried the same briefcase !!! So strange. Women in colourful outfits – not a single black hijab in sight. Many women were not even wearing head scarfs. Much more relaxed. Everyone conducted themselves with order. Germans would love it here. I can describe Ashgabat in three words: THE TRUMAN SHOW !!! It is like everything I saw is staged !!! A beautiful, symmetrical, orderly city but without a heart. Too many rules too. No smoking at all outside – it is frowned upon !!! No walking on sidewalk or park grass. No photos or film outdoors – only in designated areas. Locals can only buy white or silver cars. No wonder our big orange truck was not allowed downtown. Like I said, it is like everything is staged – one giant movie set. I returned triumphant ready for our 9am tour of the city.
Ashgabat is the capital and largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies between the Karakum Desert and the Kopetdag mountain range in Central Asia, approximately 50 km (30 mi) away from the Iran-Turkmenistan border. The city was founded in 1881 by the Ahal Teke peoples and made the capital of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic in 1924 when it was known as Poltoratsk. Much of the city was destroyed by the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake, but has since been extensively rebuilt under the rule of Saparmurat Niyazov's "White City" urban renewal project, resulting in monumental projects sheathed in costly white marble that even made the Guiness Book !!! Since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 it has had only 3 Presidents. The white marble is the brainchild of the very first President considered by many as highly eccentric.
Our bus tour of Ashgabat was the best to date. A big new aircon bus with plenty of room. A total of 10 stops over 8 hours covering 14 attractions. Very comprehensive with good commentary from our locally born guide Andy of Russian parents, fluent in Russian and Orthodox to boot. I quickly realised just how spread out this city is. It is the size of Sydney but with only 1 million people. You need a car or public bus or taxi. No one walks. The buildings are incredible, especially government buildings. Ornate, gold trim, huge columns and windows. They look like palaces, one after the other. There are huge monuments everywhere – a definite former Soviet influence. It is like someone dropped Singapore into a desert – so clean – so grand. Overtones of oil-rich Arab states. People speak half-Turken and half-Russian. You can say DA for YES or SPASIBA for THANK YOU and everyone understands. In terms of looks, the Turkmen locals are a cross between the darker Turks and the lighter Russians. The Turkmen have their own alphabet which resembles Turkish with western numerals. English is rarely spoken. We saw the following attractions: Turkmenbashy Ruhy Mausoleum & Mosque, Magtymguly Monument (Famous Poet), Magtymguly Pyragy Cultural Park Complex, Ferris Wheel (Rode it), Chamber of Industry & Commerce (opposite), Berkarar Shopping Centre, Independence Monument, Turkmenbasy Monument, Ruhnama Monument, Wedding Palace & City Viewpoint, Gulistan Russian Bazaar, Turkmen Horses Monument, Turkmen Alabay Dog Monument, St Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Church (Built 1882 & Heritage-listed).
The highlight was easily the Turkmenbashy Ruhy Mausoleum & Mosque. The Mausoleum is the resting place of the first President of Independent Turkmenistan who was interred here in 2006. The Mosque is massive and pristine in design. Opened in 2004 with capacity for 10,000 people. It also has the largest single dome of any Mosque on Earth covered in gold paint. The minarets stand 91m tall to signify independence in 1991. We were allowed inside and the acoustics are amazing. The Magtymguly Pyragy Cultural Park Complex was also impressive. It occupies 41 hectares and is dedicated to 24 famous poets and philosophers from all over the world with many trees and areas for family picnics on weekends. It overlooks the 60m high bronze statue of Magtymguly Pyragy, the most famous Turkmen poet. 1000 tons of bronze was used to build it !!! In the distance is the Star of Turkmenistan. A huge blue octagonal star which was first created by the founder of the Turkmen nation. This star is everywhere, adorning all official buildings and monuments. Another strange site was the 6m high statue of a golden dog whose breed “Alabay” is unique to this country. Another animal that is revered by the Turkmens are horses. They are also of a specific breed and it is illegal to mistreat or eat them. All 6000+ horses in the country are registered with their own ID cards !!! We ended the day by visiting the heritage-listed Russian Orthodox Church of Alexander Nevsky built in 1882. In 1918 the church was deconsecrated and used as a warehouse by the military base next door. It was returned to the church in 1989 but required extensive renovations before being re-consecrated and re-opened in 1993.
Back at the hotel at 5pm for a reward-winning cold Georgian Rose before sitting down to a classic Turkmen dish of thin beef slices, pan-fried with onions and served with a medley of big oven-baked veggies. A perfect end to perfect day – one the best !!!
Ashgabat is one of those cities in the world where seeing is believing – enjoy my version of The Truman Show…
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TURKMENISTAN IN A NUTSHELL
Turkmenistan is a landlocked country with one of the lowest population densities on the Asian continent. Turkmenistan has long served as a thoroughfare for several empires and cultures, especially the Silk Road. Annexed by the Russian Empire in 1881, Turkmenistan figured prominently in the anti-Bolshevik movement in Central Asia. In 1925, Turkmenistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union. It became independent after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Since then, it has been ruled by repressive totalitarian regimes.
Turkmenistan possesses the world's fifth largest reserves of natural gas. Most of the country is covered by the Karakum Desert. From 1993 to 2019, citizens received government-provided electricity, water and natural gas free of charge.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT TURKMENISTAN:
1. 70% desert now but a huge inland sea 30 million years ago.
2. Home to the Darvaza Gas Crater (“Door to Hell”) ignited by geologists in 1971 after failed gas mining.
3. Home of the Telpek: large sheepskin hat worn by men.
4. Ashgabat (Capital) has Guiness Book of Records highest density of white marble buildings in a single city in the world.
5. Famous for Plov: mounds of rice mixed with meat, carrots & spices fried in a pan.
6. Famous for Turkmen Melons: the sweetest, juiciest & largest globally with their own Public Holiday !!!
7. Operas, gold teeth & spandex clothing are all illegal to preserve ancient culture.
8. Famous for the Azhal-Teke Horse: 5th oldest breed globally.
9. Famous for the Alabai Dog: a national treasure with its own public holiday.
10. Internet is highly restricted with few people accessing social media platforms.
TURKMENISTAN SUMMARY
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