Turkmenistan Travel Guide

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Top Things to See and Do

• Visit Ashgabat, the capital, on the southern rim of the Kara-Kum desert. Some of the more recent additions to the modern city include the Arch of Neutrality, a 75m- (246ft-) high monument with a revolving 12m- (39ft-) tall golden statue of the late President Niyazov at its peak. At the base of the monument, there is a cafe and lifts which can be taken to the viewing platforms. Nearby stands the magnificent white marble Palace of Turkmenbashi, decorated with gold-mirrored glass together with an Islamic-motif dome. There are a number of museums, including a fine-art museum and the National Museum of Turkmenistan. There is a small carpet museum attached to the carpet factory on Ulitsa Kuragli (formerly Piervomaiskaya), which houses the world’s largest handwoven rug. The Tolkuchka bazaar (Sunday market) in Ashgabat is the best place anywhere to buy Turkmen carpets, mistakenly called Bukhara carpets in the West.

• Discover the remains of Old Nisa, the capital of the Parthian kings who ruled from the third century BC to the third century AD over an empire which included Iraq and stretched as far as the Syrian Arab Republic.

• View pure-bred Akhal-Teke horses at the national Turkmenbashi Stud Farm, which is 10km (6 miles) from Ashgabat. Trips are best organized through a local travel agency.

• See the ruins of the famous mosque, revered for its striking mosaic tiles and 8m- (26ft-) long dragons, at the modern town of Anau, once the site of the destroyed 15th-century city, 20km (12 miles) east of Ashgabat.

• Enjoy the natural splendor of Chuli, a popular mountain resort reached by taxi or private car through a picturesque gorge. Climbing and hiking trips can be arranged, and visitors can stay here.

• Take a day trip to Bakharden, 90km (56 miles) west of Ashgabat. The underground mineral lake (known in Turkmen as Kov Ata which means ’father of lakes’) is fed by hot springs and has a constant temperature of 37°C (97°F). Bathing is permitted although there is an admission fee. Accommodation is not available.

• Head east of Ashgabat to Mary, Turkmenistan’s second city. A large industrial center, Mary has little to recommend it other than its interesting Regional Museum. However, it lies near the remains of the city of Merv, which was once the second city of Islam and known as the ’Queen of Cities’ until Ghengis Khan’s son, Toloi, reduced it to rubble and reportedly killed a million of its inhabitants in 1221. The ruins of Merv and of the many that both preceded it and succeeded it are spread over a large area. Most of what remains are the brick-built mausolea of rulers and holy men - including the impressive Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, completed in 1140. Time, weather and invasions have taken their toll on the mud-built cities of the Turkmen.

• Dashgouz is the largest city in the northern region of Turkmenistan, on a direct train route, 500km (311 miles) from Ashgabat, across the Kara-Kum desert. Although there are a few places to stay and eat, the main sights lie outside the city. The ruins of Konye-Urgench, an ancient fortress town with relics dating back to the 14th century, are well worth visiting. Things to see include the Kutlug Timur Minaret, one of the tallest minarets in Asia at 67m (220ft) high and built in the 1320s; the Sultan Tekesh, Turabeg Khanym and Najm-ed-din Kubra Mausoleums.

• Situated to the west of Ashgabat, Turkmenbashi was known as Krasnovodsk, but it was renamed in honor of the late President Saparmurat Niyazov, who was given the title ’Turkmenbashi’ or ’leader of all the Turkmen’. Situated on the shores of the Caspian Sea, it is a Russian creation, built as a bridgehead for the campaign to subdue Central Asia, and later to become the terminal for the Trans-Caspian Railway. There are some panoramic views from the mountainside surrounding the town and visitors can enjoy some good beaches and swimming a little further out of town. The Museum of Regional History and Natural History makes an interesting visit.

• Step back in time and uncover the delights of The Silk Road: this ancient trading route was used by silk merchants from the second century AD until its decline in the 14th century, and is open in parts to tourists, stretching from northern China, through bleak and foreboding desert and mountainous terrain to the ports on either the Caspian or Mediterranean Sea. Among the many silk route attractions worth seeing in Turkmenistan are the vibrant Sunday Tolkuchka market in Ashgabat (selling such wares as traditional carpets, camels and pistachio nuts), the historical silk road cities of Konye-Urgench and Merv (including Kyz-Kala, a windowless castle known locally as the ’House of the Maiden Tears’ and the mausoleum of Mohammed Ibn-Zeida) and the Kugitang Nature Reserve which reportedly bears impressions of hundreds of dinosaur footprints. Travel along the silk road can be quite difficult due to the terrain, harsh climate and lack of developed infrastructure. Visitors to the region are advised to travel with an organized tour company or travel agent.

• Explore the countryside on horseback: Turkmenistan is home to the Akhal-Teke horse, a special breed known for its speed and intelligence. These horses occupy a special place in Turkmen culture and are a source of great national pride. An old Turkmen saying goes, ’Getting up in the morning, greet your father and then see your horse.’ Rides can be arranged through local tour operators or through travel agents specializing in Turkmenistan. Rides can be done just outside Ashgabat through the gorges of the Firuza River and to the local hot springs, and in other parts of the country.

• Spend a day at the races: in spring and autumn, horse races are held at the Hippodrome in Ashgabat, and 10km (6 miles) south of Ashgabat is the Turkmenbashi Stud Farm where the Akhal-Teke horses are bred.