Total Turkmenistan

Ashgabat

Ashgabat can’t claim to be one of the oldest Silk Road cities – prior to Russian involvement in the region it was little more than a village, but this changed following the Battle of Geok Tepe, when the Russians finally subdued the Turkmen tribes in 1881. Growing to become an important administrative centre first in the Tsarist Empire and then the Soviet Union, the city was devastated during an earthquake in 1948, which flattened most of the city.

Rebuilt with classic Soviet architecture it remained a fairly unremarkable city until independence arrived in 1991. The first president of independent Turkmenistan, the self-styled ‘Turkmenbashi’, embarked upon a massive programme of reconstruction as part of his nation-building efforts, setting in motion a process which led to Ashgabat becoming one of the most unusual and striking cities in Central Asia – albeit very different from anywhere else.

Today wide highways are flanked by tall apartment blocks, most covered with white marble tiles which almost glimmer in the sunlight, modern and brash and giving Ashgabat an air of the surreal – almost like a space-age city of the future. Monuments abound, linked to the common history of the Turkmen people and an effort to impress unity on a people that were once in constant conflict with each other.

The centre of the city is a showpiece, with enormous statues gracing squares and fountains, and while the golden statue of Turkmenbashi, rotating to face the sun, has disappeared with his demise, the new president builds an equal cult of personality with giant billboards of him in various poses. Ashgabat is sure to be one of the most unusual cities that you will visit, and it certainly has its critics, but is a truly fascinating and utterly bizarre place that won’t fail to leave an impression.

Nisa

The ancient site of Nisa lies not far from the capital, situated on a plain with mountains providing a scenic backdrop. An ancient Parthian settlement dating back to the 3rd century BC it consists of a number of excavated buildings with sturdy mud brick walls enclosing courtyards and hallways that were once adorned with elaborate sculptures, most now contained within the National Museum at Ashgabat. Nevertheless, it is still an interesting place to explore and imagine the ancient civilisation that once flourished in this corner of the world.

Nohur

Situated in the Kopet Dag Mountains not far from the Iranian border, Nohur is home to the Nohurli tribe, who claim descent from the troops of Alexander the Great. Nohur is a very traditional place, at odds with the modern buildings of Turkmenistan, with uniquely constructed houses and great scenery in the surrounding area. Most interesting is the local cemetery, with its carved wooden tombs decorated with the horns of rams.

Dehistan

The ancient Silk Road oasis of Dehistan was an important stop for caravans and merchants traversing this area, and dates back some three thousand years. Sacked by the Mongols, it managed to survive until the 15th century when it was finally abandoned. Today the remains of its capital Misrian hold a few surviving monuments including the mosque of the Khorezmshah Mohammed with its interesting columns and intricate brickwork, as well as the minaret of Abu Jafar Ahmed, a testament to the time when this was a much more important site than it is today.

Turkmenbashi

Named after the former ruler of the country, Turkmenbashi (formerly known as Krasnovodsk) is one of Turkmenistan’s most important cities, a port to the Caucasus and Russia. Established in the 19th century by Tsarist forces, the city was used as a base for further forays into the region as part of the ‘Great Game’, the strategic manoeuvrings of Imperial Russian and Britain. It is the terminus of the Trans-Caspian railway, and from here one can connect to Baku, across the sea in Azerbaijan.

Darwaza

The 60-metre crater of Darwaza is one of the most unusual sites in Central Asia, a vast opening in the earth where natural gas has been set alight and has been burning for more than forty years. This was originally a site where Soviet geologists drilled for gas – not knowing what to do when the drilling rig collapsed, they set it alight for fear that poisonous gas would seep into the atmosphere and contaminate a nearby settlement, expecting that it would burn itself out in a matter of days. Dozens of fires burn inside the crater, some of them with flames up to fifteen metres high. Its otherworldly appearance has led local people to name it the ‘Door to Hell’, and spending the night here will be a real highlight of your trip.

Konye-Urgench

The ancient capital of the kingdom of Khorezm and dating to the 10th century, Konye-Urgench has seen a number of different Silk Road civilisations lay claim to it, with Seljuks and the Khorezmshahs conquering the city and establishing it as the centre of Islam in Central Asia, building numerous stunning mosques and madrassahs.

It was attacked by the Mongols under Genghis Khan in the early 13th century, who besieged the city for six months before destroying it, leaving little but the charred remains of its monuments, and the corpses of its inhabitants. ‘Konye-Urgench became the abode of the jackal and the haunt of the owl and the kite’, wrote one local historian.

Having rebuilt itself it was then sacked by Timur (Tamerlane), adding to its woes. Fortunately, a few architectural monuments survived this tragedy, including the impressive mausoleums of former sultans as well as arched gates and fortresses which stand as testament to the former glories of this remote corner of Asia. Nearby is a local cemetery where people come to pray, pay homage to their ancestors and perform rites and rituals that bear more than an element of the pagan traditions that existed here before Islam.

Merv

The archaeological site of Merv sprawls over one hundred square kilometres, holding the history of centuries of civilisation, making it one of the most important sites in Central Asia. It was once an important oasis for those making the hard journey across the deserts of the Silk Road, and at various times has been under the rule of Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Seljuks and Achaemenians, then viciously sacked by the Mongols in the 13th century on their brutal path through the region.

The wonderful collection of monuments to explore here include the mausoleums of former sultans and Sufi scholars, Buddhist stupas, walled citadels and traditional ‘ice houses’ used for the storage of ice in the fierce climate. With so many different influences Merv is of immense importance in understanding the varied and complex history of the region.