Entering Turkmenistan is like entering an alternative universe. I now know why someone called this Disneyland for a dictator. The presidents of the country have been trying to create the most beautiful city in the world. It reminds me of the pharaohs and some of the Roman emperors in the construction did in both Egypt and Rome. The city is being built with big wide streets, buildings that are all made out of marble that comes from Italy with gold decoration and memorials and statues all over the city. For me they are creating the most surreal city I have ever been in. In Ashgabat, you can only drive a car that is either white or just a light silver. Everything is white and gold. But let’s talk about the demographics of the country and the city of Ashgabat. Ashgabat has about 1 million residents. Most work for the government or for textile factories. The country has 5.7 million residents. The language is Turkman, which is similar to Turkish. It has 10% of the world’s global natural gas reserves and exports mainly to Russia and China. There are five major tribal groups that make up the population. They have a 600 km border with Iran. Ashgabat is actually only 7 km from Iran but they are separated by a mountain range. The border with Afghanistan is 800 km. There is a two-year compulsory military service for men. The government owns the gas production and all the apartment buildings. A 100 m² apartment would cost about hundred to $150,000. They basically have not come very far from the economy they had under the Soviets. The government is using the money it gets from the gas to build the city. It would certainly be better if they spent the money on better health care for their citizens. They are supposedly in the process of converting from a more socialist system to a capitalist system. People are going to have to be better educated to make a decent living under a capitalist system.

The presidents of Turkmenistan, since the fall of the Soviet union are:

Saparmurat Niyazov who was also the leader prior to the fall of the Soviet Union. 1992-2006

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow who was a dentist before becoming president. He actually treated the previous president two weeks before his death. 2006-2022

Serdar Berdimuhanedow who is the current president and the son of the previous president.

Our first stop of the day was the independence memorial. It was built in 2007 by the second president of the country.

Our second stop was the side of a XV Century mosque that was destroyed in the 1948 earthquake that leveled about 90% of Ashgabat. There were quite a few steps going up to the site so I chose to stay below. I’ve been having a lot of trouble with my knee. I was joined by three delightful young ladies. The oldest looked about 12 and the two youngest who appeared to be twins were about six. The oldest girl who said her name was Sunshine, and who had the most gorgeous blue eyes, actually spoke a little bit of English. All students study English in primary school. She showed me how she tied her scarf on her head and I showed them pictures of my trip. This interchange was entirely spontaneous and one of the highlights of my trip so far.

After seeing the mosque, we went to a community function that was occurring next-door. People were making huge batches of soup and pilaf to serve anybody that was hungry and wanted to have a meal. All help in cooking but men and women eat separately by tradition. After eating, someone reads from the Koran to bless their lives. They really wanted all of us to join them and I think they were quite sincere. Unfortunately, it’s not safe to eat food that has not been vetted by Roadscholar or some other agency. Like every other place we’ve been in everybody wanted to take pictures. They are such a graceful and generous people. Here are a number of pictures taken of the food and the people.

Next up was a visit to a horse ranch. The Akhal-Teke is a horse from the southern region of Turkmenistan. These horses have been renowned as cavalry mounts and racehorses for some 3,000 years. The Akhal-Teke has superb natural gaits, and is the outstanding sporting horse from this area. They are beautiful animals and very unique looking. Every Saturday and Sunday, there are horse races. Officially there can be no betting but unofficially they have betting. For five dollars you got to ride one and who could resist that offer.

Next, we visited a mosque built in the Ottoman style in 1996. It was a gift to the Turkmen people from Turkey. The mosque was named after Ertogrul Gazi, the father of Osman I, who became the founder of the Ottoman Empire, conquering the entire west of Asia Minor.

We then went to the Monument of Neutrality which is a monument originally located in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. In 2010, it was moved to the suburbs. The three-legged arch, which became known locally as “The Tripod”, was 75 metres (246 ft) tall and was built in 1998 on the orders of the president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, to commemorate the country’s official position of neutrality. It cost $12 million to construct. The monument was topped by a 12-metre (39 ft) tall gold-plated statue of Niyazov which at one time rotated always to face the sun.

Our last stop before lunch was to the National Museum of Türkmenistan. I will show pictures from the museum on my next post when I talk about the Parthians.

After lunch, we got a rest break before dinner. Dinner was at a residence where we were treated to entertainment.

Our group then got the opportunity to dress up in traditional clothing and perform a mock wedding.