The incredible wedding palace

The Wedding Palace is situated on a natural hill, offering a spectacular view of Ashgabat and the surrounding mountains. It was opened in 2011 to celebrate 20 years of independence from the USSR.

The building has 11 floors, housing various halls for wedding ceremonies.
Its base consists of an eight-pointed structure (a national symbol), topped by a large cube that contains a 32-meter-diameter sphere, symbolizing the planet Earth with an image of Turkmenistan. Even the cube is shaped like an eight-pointed star.

A majestic and imposing structure, made even more beautiful at night by LED lights.

Right in front of it, a couple was getting married with a lively group of guests. We stopped and took a photo with the young couple. We also had the chance to exchange a few words with some local youth—the only time during this Turkmenistan trip that we could briefly interact with real citizens.Read more