“Turkmenistan 🇹🇲 ~On Our 5-Stan Tour”
5 Stan Tour: Five countries in Two Weeks! In Total, we explored:
Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬 Tajikistan 🇹🇯 Uzbekistan 🇺🇿 Turkmenistan 🇹🇲
To and Through All Five Countries, we traveled 6,355 Miles in Two Weeks
Turkmenistan 🇹🇲
One of the five Stan republics formerly ruled by the Soviet Union, Turkmenistan is bordered by the Capsian Sea and covered largely by the Karakum Desert. Home to the ruins of ancient settlements while also having one of the world’s most exceptional capital cities, Turkmenistan is a fascinating mixture of rich history and frenzy present, waiting to be discovered by curious adventurists so travel with me to have a glimpse of this mysterious central Asian nation.
Turkmenistan is now run by a president at the center of a cult of personality, where they are known to reject tourist Visa applications. Knowing this in advance, waiting months and wondering, then being granted the Golden Ticket (Visa)… by the time we arrived, I felt we were entering a forbidden place. When we drove into Ashgabat I assumed, like every big city, there would be masses of people and traffic. But the streets and all the beautiful parks stood deserted. In the area we first walked, there were more soldiers than civilians. Ashgabat was recently noted by the Guinness Book of World Records as having the most white marble-clad buildings in the world with 543 new buildings lined with white marble.
Day 11: Thursday, August 29
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan to Darvaza Gas Crater in Turkmenistan
….Start sightseeing tour in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan that has recently been noted by the Guinness Book of World Records as having the most white marble-clad buildings in the world
….During the city tour, you will explore…
The Archeological site of Old Nisa:
The Parthian Fortresses of Nisa consist of two tells on Old and New Nisa, indicating the site of one of the earliest and most important cities of the Parthian Empire; a major power from the mid 3rd century BC, to the 3rd century AD.
They conserve the unexcavated remains of an ancient civilization which skillfully combined its own traditional cultural elements, with those of the Hellenistic and Roman west. Archaeological excavations in two parts of the site have revealed richly decorated architecture, illustrative of domestic, state and religious functions.
Situated at the crossroads of important commercial and strategic axes, this powerful empire formed a barrier to Roman expansion, while serving as an important communication and trading center, between east and west, north and south.
This relic is also included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Turkmenbashi Ruhy Mosque:
stands as the largest mosque in Central Asia, and is the main mosque of Turkmenistan.
Like all other buildings of the period of independence, it differs with its immensity and grandiosity. The mosque was built in 2002-2004 on the initiative of Turkmenbashi, and named after him. Its word-for-word translation means “the mosque of Turkmenbashi spirituality” or “the mosque of spirit of Turkmenbashi.” The mosque is located in Gypjak, which is the Turkmenbashi native village.
The construction of the mosque cost $100,000,000. The whole complex is built in white marble, by the French company Bouygues. The total area occupied by the complex is large. The mosque itself is a one-domed building, surrounded by 4 minarets. The height of the mosque is 180 feet tall, and that of the minarets are almost 300 feet (91 meters) to symbolize the year 1991, when Turkmenistan gained independence.
The building is accessible through 9 entries with arches. Around the mosque there are numerous fountains as though the mosque stands on the water and it makes the mosque look very grand.
National Museum of History: The State Museum of the State Cultural Center of Turkmenistan, is the first and largest one of the 26 museums established; following the independence of Turkmenistan.
The official opening took place on November 12, 1998. It is located on Archabil Avenue in the picturesque Kopet Dagh foothills. Opposite the museum, there is the main flag of Turkmenistan attached to one of the highest flagpole in world.
A three-story museum complex occupies about 161,459 sq feet. Its central hall is topped with a dioctahedral blue dome. The 16 facets mean the number of Turkic states founded by Turkmen ancestors. The dome is supported by 5 columns, according to the number of velayats (provinces) of Turkmenistan.
The complex is built in the tradition of modern national architecture. Finnish granite, precious woods, and bronze, facing materials from Turkey, were used in its decoration. It is also decorated with tracery metal grids, decorative cornices and tinted stained glass windows.
Monument of Neutrality
The almost 312 foot structure is like a giant lighthouse dominating over white-marbled Ashgabat. It is the tallest monument in Turkmenistan.
The structure rests on three pylons forming a trivet, with a Turkmen hearth stand, symbolizing the strength of the state. The pylons are interconnected with disks and rings of different diameter and thickness to support sky decks. Two pylons are fitted with funiculars, bringing the visitors to the monument first level. At the height of just over 70 feet, there is a café-bar greeting an excellent panorama of the city.
A transparent elevator lifts the visitors even higher, to that of 164 feet, to reach an upper sky deck. The structure is crowned with a sculptural composition of a golden statue; the first president of Turkmenistan named Saparmurat Niyazov. The statue is seen raising the arms to the sky on the background of a waving flag.
The Monument of Neutrality is lined with white marble; its pylons and lower cylinder are decorated with bas-relief fragments, depicting Turkmen history. The vertical part of the pylons is hooped with five, according the number of Turkmen tribes, bronze rings with national ornaments of Turkmen carpets.
Earlier, this gigantic structure was slowly rotating around its axis, making a complete rotation for a period of 24 hours, but today it just faces the city.
Ertugrul Gazi Mosque
is one of the most beautiful Muslim mosques of Turkmenistan. Like any other buildings, erected in Ashgabat during the period of independence, the mosque strikes with its size and rich decoration.
The mosque was erected in the heart of Ashgabat, on Azadi street in the 90’s of the 20th century. That is why this building is also called the Azadi Mosque.
The Azadi Mosque is the largest one in Ashgabat and can accommodate up to 5,000 people at the same time. It was built in Turkish style and named in honor of oguzkhan Ertogrul Osman I, the father of Osman Empire’s first ruler.
Independence Park
This park embodies the spirit of modern Turkmenistan and is one of the town’s super attractions.The park is situated between Success Avenue and the Archabil Avenue, on the southern outskirts of the city. It spans 346 acres; nearly half of all the green open space of Ashgabat.
Groomed paths, marble stairs and porches, flowerbeds and cozy benches are all necessary attributes of a recreation-and-entertainment park. But Independence Park is better known for its monuments located in its territory. Moving along the main alley with five-headed eagles-fountains and statues of national heroes, you will go up by a wide marble stairs to the Independence Monument.
This 387 foot column, which is surrounded by a five-star crescent moon, reflects the unification of five Turkmen clans. The lower portion of the memorial is a large yurt that holds the Freedom Museum.
Yyldyz Hotel
is another luxury hotel in central Ashgabat built in 2013. It showcases a unique teardrop shape structure that has both aesthetic appeal and seismic resistance. With more than a hundred rooms, it boasts a large banquet hall that can accommodate up to a thousand guests, and another panoramic restaurant with about six hundred seats.
Turkmenistan Independent Monument
is one of the largest and most extravagant of its kind, in the entire world. The monument sits in the middle of a landscaped park, with numerous water fountains and pools.
27 statues of Turkmen heroes surround the centerpiece of the monument and the golden statue of Turkmenistan’s long-running dictator; Niyazov, stands proudly in front of what appears to be a dome, with a minaret-like tower rising from its top.
The tower is also adorned in gold and features a viewing platform at its top, as well as the oddly-named Museum of Turkmen Values (which is not much else, but a meagre and extremely overpriced ethnographical collection) within the dome below.
Bitarap Turkmenistan Avenue
is one of Ashgabat’s primary roads. A stroll in this area will give you a nice view of some of Ashgabat’s structures in summary. These include the Oguzkent Hotel, the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan, the Dayhanbank, and the Neutrality Monument. This avenue is well-decorated with trees and shrubs, and there are overhead and underground passages along the way. You will be in awe as this avenue have granite-paved sidewalks, tastefully done that even the artistic travelers will appreciate.
Turkmenistan Indoor Ferris Wheel
is the largest Ferris Wheel in an enclosed architectural design in the World, by Guiness Book of World Records.
The Ferris Wheel measures 156 ft 2 in high and with a diameter of 187 feet.
A large glass and white-steel casing, houses the Ferris Wheel, which has 24 six-seat cabins. The structure also houses the Alem entertainment center, which includes a bowling alley, cinema screens, a restaurant, and a planetarium.
Created by the Turkmenistan government, the structure cost approximately $90 million (£57 million) to build, and was opened on Turkmenistan’s Day of Revival, Unity and Magtymguly Poetry.
The Turkmenistan Tower
Completed in 2011, the Turkmenistan Tower is currently the country’s tallest structure at 692 feet. This eye-catching structure serves as a television and radio communication facility, but due to its inspiring look, it has become as famous tourist attraction as well. The main observatory can provide guests an excellent view of Ashgabat, as well as of the foothills of Kopetdag.
The Wedding Palace
is packed to the borders with strange architecture and puzzling statues. One of the most surreal sights in the city is a government building known as the Wedding Palace, which is topped by a massive, geometrically caged disco ball globe.
Built in 2011, the Wedding Palace is a civil building, but it looks as though it was created by a wealthy eccentric. The lower floors of the white and gold structure are star-shaped and stacked in a staggered fashion so that their points do not overlap. Atop the initial floors is a huge globe that features gold maps of Turkmenistan. The oversized disco ball is enclosed by a frame of eight-sided Turkmen stars.
….In the afternoon, drive to Darvaza Gas Crater, located in the middle of the Karakum Desert; 173 miles; 4h
Arrive at the crater
Set up camp
Enjoy a delicious fire-cooked dinner, near the burning Gas Crater
Overnight in Yurt
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6 hours
What a Blast!
We drove to the desert, and enjoyed the camp and the amazing Gas Crater!
It was way too hot to sleep in the Yurt. As soon as Daryl and I hauled the cots outside, others in the group did the same. Nobody came around and said we couldn’t. We slept under the stars and could see the glow of the Gas Crater. It was super cold by morning, which is how the desert is, but we enjoyed our sleep!
This fiery crater has been burning in the Karakum Desert since 1971.
In the hot, expansive of the Karakum Desert, in Turkmenistan, near the 350-person village of Darvaza, is a hole; 230 feet wide that has been on fire for over 40 years. Though technically called the Darvaza Gas crater, locals know the crater as “The Gates of Hell.” Its fiery glow at night can be seen for miles around.
“The Gates of Hell” crater was created in 1971, when a Soviet drilling rig accidentally punched into a massive underground natural gas cavern, causing the ground to collapse and the entire drilling rig to fall in. Having punctured a pocket of gas, poisonous fumes began leaking out at an alarming rate. To head off a potential environmental catastrophe, the Soviets set the hole alight, figuring it would stop burning within a few weeks. Decades later, the fiery pit is still going strong. The Soviet drilling rig is believed to still be down there somewhere, on the other side of the “Gates of Hell.”
Amazingly, despite the crater’s foreboding name and ever-present flames, people still trek into the desert to witness the site in all its blazing glory. The country’s government hopes it’ll become a tourist site, and the nearby desert has already become a popular place to wild camp.
We were told 1 million US dollars of gas burns off every week.
….Duration of tour day: there will be just transfers; around 5 hours in total.
From Darvaza Gas Crater to Turkmen-Uzbek border, then from the border to Khiva.
In Khiva, you will have free time.
The border crossing will takes around 1 to 2 hours
Click on the links below, to see all the photos from this blog
Turkmenistan 🇹🇲
Darvanza Gas Crater in Karakum Desert:
Ashgabat City Tour with all your sights mentioned above:
Archive Blog Posts of Our Country Visits
About Us
About Us
Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More