Turkmenistan: The Great Marble; Secret Land;
If you’ve ever dreamed of visiting somewhere that feels like a mash-up of ancient Silk Road wonderland, Soviet surrealism, and a stroke of “what on earth is going on here,” Turkmenistan might be your next go-to destination. Encased in between Iran, Uzbekistan, and the Caspian Sea, this Central Asian country is as fascinating as it is perplexing. It is a place where golden statues of presidents can be found alongside ancient desert ruins, and where you might find yourself the only tourist in sight unless you include one more camel. Let’s kick things off with Ashgabat, the capital city and arguably one of the strangest places on Earth. Think this: long, pristine streets lined with shiny white marble buildings that gleam in the desert sun. It’s so clean and symmetrical that it’s almost as if it’s a futuristic city, built by someone who truly, truly adores order. You’ll see towering monuments and fountains and a golden statue of the former president that once rotated out to the sun. The type of city where you never quite know if you’re in a real world or a highly intricate simulation game space. After you’ve stopped staring at all the marble (there’s so much of it), head out to the desert for something less preposterous. The Darvaza Gas Crater, commonly known as the “Door to Hell,” is a giant hole of flame that has burned since the 1970s. It was supposedly set alight by Soviet engineers while they were drilling for gas and they concluded that it was best left burning. Decades on, it’s still burning, a glowing reminder to all of us that perhaps we shouldn’t play with nature that much anymore. When you find yourself standing at the edge of that crater in the dark, the flames licking the darkness, the awe at human thought seems to be balanced with something of trepidation. If you want a bit of the past, you need to visit the ancient city of Merv. Once great as one of the great cities of the Silk Road, it has become a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with derelict walls and weathered domes that tell stories about caravans and conquerors. You can almost hear the merchants’ voices murmuring as you scour the ruins, negotiating over silk and spices. It’s eerily beautiful and revitalizingly devoid of crowds. You could even take the whole ancient city all by yourself, which is equal parts magical and a bit spooky. Weirdly enough, a visit to Turkmenistan wouldn’t end without some peculiarities. Internet connections are inconsistent, photography guidelines can be confusing and local bureaucracy possesses a flair for drama. But that’s part of the appeal. Turkmenistan is not aspired to be your ordinary tourist destination. It’s unapologetically itself grand, mysterious and a little weird. So if you are the kind of traveller who prefers surprises to souvenirs and stories to selfies, put your sense of humour under your belt and go. You could return without perfect tan lines or beach photographs, but you’ll certainly have stories to tell. And in a world of cookie-cutter destinations, that is not to be forgotten and worthy of its weight in marble. |
