Turkmenistan

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Turkmenistan may have to be seen to be believed: on one hand the ancient sites conjure up images of caravans of traders making their way across Central Asia, on the other hand the capital's skyline makes you think that you are in some kind of strange fairytale wonderland.

Merv was once known as "The Queen of the World" and was a bustling city along the Silk Road. Then Genghis Khan's son came along and razed it to the ground. Today it is a vast, imposing, bare expanse, with the occasional surviving building sticking out among endless foundations of what once was.

Ashgabat could not be more different: virtually wiped off the map by an earthquake in 1948, it has become the centre piece showcase of Turkmenistan's post-Soviet nation-building effort. The law requires every new building to be covered in 80x40cm slabs of white marble. Many of the buildings are also decorated with gold domes and pillars. Golden statues of the former president feature everywhere in the city. The largest flag in the world, apparently certified by the Guinness Book of Records, flies outside the National Museum. All this makes for a stunning, if slightly clinical and, let's face it, pretty odd, city scape.

There are very strict rules about taking pictures. Our guide indoctrinated us not to take pictures of any buildings guarded by soldiers. Here are, nonetheless, a few snapshots of Ashgabat:

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Photos

Merv
Remnants of a great city

Merv
Kyz Kala - a mysterious palace with corrugated stone walls

Nisa
A maze of an old city, half of which is yet to be excavated.

Ashgabat - The White City
Every new building in the city must be covered in white marble. I guess all that gas money needs to be spent somehow..

Ruhnama - the gospel according to Turkmenbashi
Never mind sales figures as a measure of publishing success, which other book features as a full blown statue in the middle of a capital city?

Turkmen Heroes
Writing history

Neutrality Monument
The golden statue of the first President on the top revolves throughout the day so that it always faces the sun.

Lenin
The last remaining statue of Lenin cuts a rather sorry figure in comparison.

Comments

[Ewan]

Nice photos!
Ashgabat looks hilarious! Looking forward to getting there! Hope spirits are still high and you're not running out of steam on the trip yet!

[Peter Murphy]

Merv
Lucky you, I've always wanted to explore this part of the world. Did you know that Merv used to be known as Margiana, and was the furthest outpost of the Pythian empire? When they defeated Crassus's Roman Legions at the battle of Carrhae in 53BC, they took 10,000 roman soldiers captive. Many of them were sent to Margiana, where they built the walls of the city.