Ashgabat Turkmenistan – The Foundation Land of Powerful Past Empires

The country of Turkmenistan is considered as the root of many influential empires such as the Parthians, the Seljuks, and the Khans of Khoresm including the invasion of Alexander the Great during his heroic campaign of the 4th century B.C. Later, Islam spread its wings since the 7th century A.D and the current Turkmen are mostly the descendants of the tribes belonging to the 10th century.

For the tourists, all the interesting sights are located enclosing the periphery of the Kara-Kum Desert and in the historic relics such as Merv (Mary). Mary is located in east of Ashgabat and is the second city close to the relics of Merv. Merv, in olden days, was the second city of Islam but was reduced to debris by the Toloi, the son of Ghengis Khan, in 1221. Adding to this, attractions are also offered by Ashgabat, the capital that originally found in 1881 collapsed due to earthquake in 1948.

Turkmenistan Tourist Attractions

• Ashgabat
  This is the modern city and capital located on the southern edge of the Kara-Kum desert. The main new attraction here is the Arch of Neutrality that is a 75 m high structure crowned with a revolving 12 m gilded icon of the late President Niyazov. Next comes the turn of the superb white marble Palace of Turkmenbashi adorned with gold-mirrored glass and dome of Islamic-motif style. Do not miss visiting different museums including the fine-art museum, National Museum of Turkmenistan, and a small carpet museum on Ulitsa Kuragli (formerly Piervomaiskaya) exhibiting the largest handwoven rug in the world. Finally, do visit the Tolkuchka bazaar (Sunday market) that is an ideal shopping place for Turkmen carpets that are wrongly named Bukhara carpets in the West.

• Old Nisa
  Now in ruins, this was the capital of the Parthian kings from 3rd century B.C. to 3rd century A.D.
• Turkmenbashi Stud Farm
  Located at 10 km from the capital, you can spot pure-bred Akhal-Teke horses.
• Anau
  Originally an ancient city of 15th century located at 20 km from the capital, this modern town offers the mosque famous for its striking mosaic tiles and 8 m long dragons.
• Chuli
  This is famous mountain resort where climbing and trekking are undertaken. This resort is accessible by taxi or private car passing via a scenic gorge.
• Bakharden
  Located at a distance of 90 km west of Ashgabat, this region offers an underground mineral lake called Kov Ata in Turkmen meaning the father of lakes. It is famous for its hot springs that flow at a consistent temperature of 37°C. With a little entry fee, bathing can be done, but there is no accommodation here.
• Mary
  Located at the east of the capital, this is a huge industrial centre. This city provides to its visitors an appealing Regional Museum located close to the relics of the city of Merv, which was known as the ‘Queen of Cities’. Taking reasonable amount of your time, the ruins are vast enough spreading a huge land. Currently, view the brick-built mausoleums of the rulers and holy characters. One of the famous ones is the stunning Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar dating back to 1140. However, with time, climate, and attacks, these ruins have been further degraded.

• Dashgouz
  Accessible by a train journey of 500 km from the capital across the Kara-Kum desert, this is the largest city in the northern part of Turkmenistan. Within the city, there are only a handful of places to stay and eat; whereas, the sights of interest are in its outskirts. Do visit the relics of Konye-Urgench that is an old citadel town belonging to the 14th century, Kutlug Timur Minaret that is considered among the tallest Asian minarets at 67 m dating back to 1320s, and the Mausoleums of Sultan Tekesh, Turabeg Khanym, and Najm-ed-din Kubra.
• Turkmenbashi
  Originally known as Krasnovodsk, this city was named so to mark of respect of the late President Saparmurat Niyazov who was been entitled as ‘Turkmenbashi’ meaning the ‘leader of all the Turkmen’. Located to the west of Ashgabat Turkmenistan on the coast of the Caspian Sea, this city is the foundation of Russia erected for heading in the campaign to control Central Asia. Later, it formed the passenger terminal for the Trans-Caspian Railway. For visitors, the region offers a few holistic views from the mountains around the town, a few relaxing beaches, and swimming locations outside the town. Lastly, the Museum of Regional History and Natural History are worth visiting.
• The Silk Road
  This is an historic trading path utilized by the silk merchants since 2nd century A.D. that continued until the 14th century after which they faced a set back. The road is quite long such that is spreads from northern China to barren and isolated desert to the mountainous land and to the ports of the Caspian or Mediterranean Sea. Only parts of this road are inviting the tourists. In this country, the worth visiting attractions on this road include the lively Sunday Tolkuchka market in Ashgabat Turkmenistan famous for wares like traditional carpets, camels, and pistachio nuts and the ancient cities of Konye-Urgench and Merv. In addition, do also visit Kyz-Kala – a windowless fortress called locally ‘House of the Maiden Tears’, the Mohammed Ibn-Zeida mausoleum, and the Kugitang Nature Reserve offering many dinosaur footprints. Trekking along this road is tough as the climate is not that soothing, landscape is rocky, and infrastructure is not yet developed. Ease it with the help of an organized tour company or travel agent.
• Horse Riding
  The country houses a special breed of horse known as the Akhal-Teke having good speed and intellect. Considered as the national pride, there is an old Turkmen saying, ‘Get up in the morning, greet your father, and then see your horse.’ Some of the ideal places for this activity include outside Ashgabat Turkmenistan in the Firuza River’s gorges and to the native hot springs.