For the curious!
It would take volumes to describe what we saw and learned in Turkmenistan. So just briefly - me, brief? Yeah well, I’ll try. Ashgabat, the capital. We did a tour of this quite stunning city which was leveled and the population decimated by an earthquake in 1948. Now rebuilt, it is a city of shimmering white and gold - all the buildings are either built of or clad with white ‘stone’. The monuments are stupendous, all shining and sparkling new. Turkmenistan gained independence in 1991 and then status as a Neutral country from the UN in 1995. And of course there’s a towering arched Neutrality monument of white and gold reaching over 100m into the sky against a stunning backdrop of towering Kopet Dag mountains which mark the border with Iran. These mountains were born of tectonic activity eons ago.
The Neutrality monument was shifted from the centre of the city some time ago. Since then the once rotating statue at the top which followed the sun is stationary.
We ascended the tower for a magnificent panoramic view. The landscaping is quite stunning in its geometric symmetry albeit still in relative infancy. It is said that Ashgabat has the highest concentration of white marble buildings.
This is a modern new-built city whose currency is natural gas and white gold (cotton, introduced by the Soviets into Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan a practice which almost drained the Aral Sea).
A new 5 star hotel in the shakpe of a flame. Everything is symbolic. The design of Government buildings reflects their purpose. For example the Department of Medicine is in the shape of a cobra. The gas and fuel building is in the shape of a cigarette lighter - even though smoking is banned!
This is the wedding building with multiple halls seating up to 1000 - they have very big families here! The ceremonies take place in the glass orb at the top.
Most roundabouts have rather stunning artwork in their centres.
While its capital is a modern metropolis, Turkmenistan has emerged from a complex and very ancient history. From Parthians, Sogdianas, Aryans, Zoroastrians and many epochs of domination including Alexander the Great, Ghengis Khan and Timur. It is a real melting pot and this is reflected in the people who have as their ancestors Persians, Greek, Arabs, Mongols and course Turkmen. Their language is based on Turkic, a language which forms the basis of many languages across much of the area including Turkey (which also had a finger in the pie at some point).
I can’t leave Ashgabat without telling you about Nisa ..... read on
[To see more pix of this please go to www.flickr.com/photos/hwheat8pix/ and go to Albums and find ‘Ashgabat’.
Or go to Facebook.com/heather.wheat.925 ]
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