🇺🇿🇹🇲🇹🇯 🇦🇿 Stan/Baku 25

Two weeks in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Baku
An enchanting journey through Central Asia, from the ancient Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan to the mountain landscapes of Tajikistan, and the deserts and modern architecture of Turkmenistan Okumaya devam et

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🇺🇿🇹🇲🇹🇯 🇦🇿 Stan/Baku 25 Leonardo Floridia
The Erbent Monument
24 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ 🌬 30 °C
In the middle of the desert lies a small village called Erbent.

The guide made a stop to show us a monument dedicated to the 11 Red Army soldiers killed during the Basmachi uprising in 1931, a series of rebellions against Soviet rule in Central Asia.

This stop gave us a chance to see life conditions outside the large cities full of golden marble monuments. The village is made up of brick and corrugated metal houses, and the presence of a public restroom suggests that many of these homes don’t even have a private bathrooms.

The streets are unpaved and dusty, with a lot of trash along the sides.
Very different from Dashoguz and Ashgabat, where everything is extremely clean and orderly.Okumaya devam et
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After kilometers of sand, a bit of water
24 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ 🌬 30 °C
Near the city of Boturdak, the road crosses a small pond, the first sign of water after kilometers and kilometers of sand and desert.

We thought it was an oasis, but the guide explains that it is actually saltwater. Indeed, we noticed a thick layer of salt next to the road.Okumaya devam et
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Some factories along the street
24 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C
As we enter Ashgabat, our guide points out some factories to our right… steel or cement, I can’t quite remember.

The desert gives way to the first buildings, which I secretly take a picture of, not knowing how legal it is in this country to photograph factories or other infrastructures.Okumaya devam et
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The ancient city of Nissa
24 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
The ancient city of Nissa was founded by the Parthians and served as the capital of their empire.
It is a fortified city established in the 3rd century BC and is often called the Pompeii of Central Asia.

It is verz important from a historical perspective, but it is also the stop I enjoyed the least. It consists of a series of narrow streets among walls, foundations, and ancient defensive structures, which, despite their historical significance, didn’t captivate me much.Okumaya devam et
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Not only camels and desert
24 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
While we were driving, our guide braked sharply. He invited us to get out and held a small turtle that was crossing the road.

After showing the turtle to us, he picked some berries from a tree and encouraged us to try them.
We still don't know what they were, but the taste was just like blueberries. Not bad!Okumaya devam et
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The huge Turkmenbasy Mosque
24 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C
The Gypjak Mosque, named after the village near Ashgabat where it stands, is one of the largest in Central Asia and can accommodate over 10,000 worshippers under its enormous dome.

It is built of white marble and topped by a huge golden dome visible from afar. On the columns there are inscriptions: some are taken from the Quran, others from the Book of the Soul written by Turkmenbashi himself. Just a few meters from the mosque is Turkmenbashi’s mausoleum, where his family is buried.

Perhaps the most beautiful mosque I have ever seen, along with the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.Okumaya devam et
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The president’s family mausoleum
24 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
A short distance from the beautiful mosque is the mausoleum where the first president, Turkmenbasy, and his family are buried. We were accompanied by the mosque’s head imam and our guide.

The building shares the mosque’s style: a white marble palace topped with a golden dome. Inside is the tomb of President Turkmenbasy, surrounded by those of his relatives.

Next to the tombs, along the wall, is another monument commemorating the Ashgabat earthquake, in which the president’s mother and much of his family died (which is why three of the five tombs have 1948 as the date of death).

Upon leaving, we took a photo of the honor guards, something strictly forbidden (the law prohibits photographing military personnel, police, and public buildings).Okumaya devam et
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The golden statue of former President
24 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
North of Ashgabat, there is a square with a huge golden statue of Saparmurat Niyazov, the country’s historic president and considered the father of modern Turkmenistan, at its center.

Another example of the enormous personality cult built around the leader over the years.Okumaya devam et
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The Ruhnama (the book of soul)
24 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
This monument depicts the Ruhnama, the "Book of the Soul."
It is a book written by Saparmurat Niyazov, president from 1991 to 2006, containing a mix of Turkmen history, national mythology, moral teachings, spiritual reflections, and everyday life advice.

Before the president’s death, studying it was mandatory in schools, and some passages were included in driving license and university exams.

The guides explained us that the monument is positioned on moving rails, which allow the huge book to open.Okumaya devam et
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Visiting different malls
24 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
Our guides take us to see the various enormous and lavish Turkmen shopping centers.
For a moment, we think we’re in Dubai.

There are many Western brands, and the Turkish TikToker CZN Burak has opened one of his restaurants.
White dominates everywhere, with golden details. The railings, handles, and columns feature the eight-pointed star and other typical national motifs.

Even here, however, although there are more people, the buildings are definitely oversized compared to the number of visitors.

One curious thing was that the two guides followed us the entire time. When my travel companion and I went to the bathroom at different times, one of the guides accompanied each of us. Local kindness? Perhaps!Okumaya devam et
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Another huge shopping mall
24 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
The guide continues the tour of the shopping malls. All are extremely beautiful, with geometric patterns, fountains and golden details. It almost feels like being in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and prices in Western brand stores are higher than in Italy or Luxembourg.Okumaya devam et
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The incredible wedding palace
24 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
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.Okumaya devam et
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Hearty breakfast at the hotel
25 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Our hotel/apartment, besides being very well furnished and offering a beautiful view of the city, also served us a delicious breakfast as soon as we woke up. The hotel is located in a very nice part of the city, where the embassies are located as well.

Coffee, tea, butter, cheese, eggs, and cold cuts made strictly from beef.
Not bad at all, especially when eaten while enjoying our view on Ashgabat’s skyline.Okumaya devam et
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An incredible hotel room
25 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
We arrive at our hotel room in Ashgabat. We are struck by the beauty of the apartment and, above all, the stunning view of Ashgabat’s white buildings. We are pleasantly surprised, especially considering that we chose the least expensive tour among the options available.

Another thing that surprises us is the bars on all the windows in such a safe country… a way to prevent the entry of thieves or the exit of tourists?Okumaya devam et
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Ashgabat TV Tower & Magtymguly Statue
25 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
In front of the Neutrality Monument, there is a beautiful, meticulously maintained park.

Behind it stands the TV Tower, a tall white and sky-blue building.
A short distance ahead is a huge golden statue of the poet Magtymguly Pyragy, symbolizing Turkmenistan’s cultural and literary identity.Okumaya devam et
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Just 20 Km from the Iranian border
25 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
In the southern part of Ashgabat, the border with Iran is only 20–25 km away.
A road leaving Ashgabat leads toward the mountains, which are the natural border between Turkmenistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran.Okumaya devam et
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A new city called Arkadag
25 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
To the west of Ashgabat, a new enormous city is under construction, intended to become a smart city.
The road from Ashgabat to Arkadag is lined with statues and equine-themed banners celebrating national history and pride.

From a distance, we can see the new city: a series of huge, white buildings, some still under construction. We asked the guides if it was open for visits, and of course, the answer was a firm no.

Still under construction, or a huge ghost town built but never inhabited?!Okumaya devam et
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A morning at a riding stable
25 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
Turkmenistan is famous for horse breeding, and the guides took us to a riding stable outside the city.

Among the various horses, they showed us a young cream-colored horse with blue eyes. They explained that it is incredibly rare and very valuable.Okumaya devam et
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Not just horses
25 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
At the stable, there were also two dromedaries (a mother and a young calf) and a beautiful puppy.

The dog was an Alabai, a breed native to the country. It is a very large and strong dog (weighing up to 70 kilos) used for centuries to protect livestock and property.

The dromedary had extremely coarse and woolly hair, used throughout the region to make socks and other clothing.Okumaya devam et
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The Saparmurat Hajji Mosque
25 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C
The Saparmurat Hajji Mosque is a mosque built in 1995 in memory of the defenders of the Gökdepe fortress, the site of an important battle against Russian forces in the 19th century.

Here too, the dominant color is white, and there is a large turquoise dome. This mosque is also beautiful and very large, but it cannot compete with the one in Gypjak.Okumaya devam et
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The Halk Hakydasy complex
25 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C
The Halk Hakydasy complex consists of a huge square and numerous buildings covering an area of over 650,000 square meters.

In addition to the square, decorated with numerous statues (including one of a bull holding the globe), there is a massive museum that commemorates the victims of various wars, the victimes of 1948 earthquake, and celebrates the reconstruction of Ashgabat and its modern, futuristic buildings.

As in many other places we visited, we were literally the only visitors in both the museum and the square.Okumaya devam et
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🇺🇿🇹🇲🇹🇯 🇦🇿 Stan/Baku 25 Leonardo Floridia
Some Turkmen food in Ashgabat
25 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C
First lunch in Ashgabat.
We tried the ayran made with camel milk and some manti, similar to the Uzbek ones.
The ayran had a very strong flavor and a slightly thick, lumpy texture – quite unique, but not really to our taste because of its strong flavor.Okumaya devam et
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🇺🇿🇹🇲🇹🇯 🇦🇿 Stan/Baku 25 Leonardo Floridia
A mix of huge white monuments
25 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C
The city of Ashgabat is an open-air museum, full of enormous buildings (many of which are empty and unused) and monuments.

The guide took us on a car tour and showed us, in order:

* The Silk Road Monument
* The Constitution Monument, whose height (185 meters) references May 18, 1991, the date the constitution was enacted
* The Neutrality Monument. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country has declared itself neutral, and our guide boasted about the country’s role in negotiations between Russia and the USA, and between the USA and the Afghan Taliban.Okumaya devam et
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The largest indoor Ferris wheel
25 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C
Ashgabat is home to the largest indoor Ferris wheel in the world (built inside a building).
Why build a Ferris wheel indoors? Why not!

The structure is over 95 meters tall, with a wheel 57 meters in diameter, equipped with around 25 cabins similar to cable car gondolas.

From the wheel, through the building’s windows, and from the square in front, you can see Ashgabat’s skyline.

Finally, we spot the first foreign tourists—a friendly European family on vacation who had just come down from the wheel.Okumaya devam et
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Time to leave Turkmenistan
26 Nisan 2025, Türkmenistan ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
To leave the country, there are three options:

- Drive back from Dashoguz to Ashgabat on the same route, but in reverse. Another 8 hours on dirt roads? No thanks!
- Fly from Ashgabat Airport, which, like all the city’s buildings, is extremely beautiful. We decided against it because the national airline was on the European blacklist until a few years ago due to safety standards falling below international requirements.
- The last option is the overnight train that runs alongside the desert road. It departs from Ashgabat at night and arrives in Dashoguz around 8 a.m. We chose this option.

My travel companion said the train moved a lot and was extremely noisy.
I, after having a decent pizza offered by our guide, slept soundly, exhausted from three days of adventure in the strangest country in the world.Okumaya devam et
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