Latest news with #Ashgabat
Telegraph
22-07-2025
- Telegraph
My three-week tour through five of the strangest countries on Earth
The five 'Stans', independent nations since 1991, are influenced by their neighbours, but distinctive and fascinating. Each is a complex melange of tribal cultures, linguistic groups and geopolitical pressures. Binding them is the Silk Road, which left a wealth of architectural wonders as well as a culture of bazaars and warm hospitality. The topography is as diverse as the human geography, comprising deserts, snow-capped mountains, steppe and the fertile Fergana Valley. They are also surprisingly easy to explore. I've just come back from a three-week group tour that encompassed all five. It was essentially a road trip; a whistle-stop ride through some of the strangest, most thrilling and undiscovered places on the planet. Here's what I learnt about each of the five. Turkmenistan: dystopia in the desert When does quirky become disturbing? The standard Western take on Turkmenistan is that it's North Korea lite. I wanted to see it through unjaundiced eyes, but Ashgabat, the capital, didn't help. On landing at the airport, you first run a bureaucratic gauntlet, queuing for an hour to give away almost £100 to cover a visa and Covid test, having already shown you were 'invited' by a local tour firm. Our hotel was in the Olympic Village, a large district full of stadia and convention centres. In 2017, Ashgabat hosted the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, and billions were spent making the capital appear first-world. Result: roads, malls, mega-hotels, fake modernity. No one walks, not because it's hot, but because the blocks are immense. All cars in the centre have to be white. They also have to be clean, if the driver wants to avoid a fine. Also, all cars are taxis, claimed the guide, in that you can stop anyone and ask for a lift. Whiteness is a theme here, as is marble. The independent nation's first president, Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov, imported millions of tons of it to build government ministries, mosques, a massive Ferris wheel and monuments. Many of the latter are on roundabouts (the guide cited a presidential decree that 'no roundabout should be empty') and feature centrepieces such as a giant arch, a golden globe inside a frame of auspicious eight-pointed stars, statues and a giant replica of a book he wrote to instruct his people. None of this looks classy so much as cold. Ashgabat was levelled by an earthquake in 1948. It was de-Sovietised in the 2000s, but it has also been artlessly stripped of character and any patina of time. In the end, it felt like a combination of 1984's Oceania, Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale and The Truman Show. From here, we were bussed across the Karakum Desert, which George Curzon (future Viceroy of India), visiting in 1888, called 'the sorriest waste that ever met the human eye' It wasn't that bad, and there were lots of dromedaries to break the monotony, but the appearance of an ominous sandstorm did cause some alarm. Our main goal was Turkmenistan's most famous 'sight' – the Darvaza gas crater, also known as the Door to Hell. A man-made burning gas field, caused when drilling punctured a natural-gas cavern and a roof collapsed, it was initially ignited to prevent poisonous gases from spreading. When Turkmenistan began to open up in the 1990s, it became a sort of dark tourism attraction. Sadly – or happily – it is currently dying out. Crossing the northern half of the desert brought us to Daşoguz. A smaller version of Ashgabat, it had bits of marble here and there, a few OTT hotels and more of the same mall-restaurants serving shish kebabs and salads. Sixty miles to the northwest on the left bank of the Amu Darya (Oxus) River was the Unesco World Heritage Site of Kunya-Urgench – notable for its towering minaret, mausoleums, mosque ruins and the gate to a caravanserai. Deserted in the early 18th century, it's a dustily evocative ghost town. There were no other visitors. We crossed the border. Uzbekistan: shimmering Silk Road sites The big-hitter of the Five Stans, Uzbekistan can fill a two-week tour by itself. Benefitting from good railways, this is the country posh firms tend to focus on. Its roads are of varying quality, but gold, gas and oil bankroll a fair degree of development. I got to see the famed trio of ancient cities – Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand – and found them enthralling. Khiva is small and still has its ancient wall. Whether you walk the ramparts or drift around the maze of pedestrianised streets, it's beguiling. Despite the best intentions of the guide, it was hard to keep track of the multitude of mosque and madrasa (Islamic school) names. The Kaltaminor memorial minaret, ringed by turquoise, green and white tiles, is especially beautiful. This, and many other structures in Khiva, are highly photogenic – if you can ignore the souvenir stalls that have sprouted up all over. Bukhara has a major archaeological site in its heart surrounded by large, lively squares, with souvenir stalls sited (sort of appropriately) under towers where Silk Road traders plied their wares. Its big draw is the Ark, a citadel where two British agents, Captain Arthur Connolly and Lieutenant Colonel Charles Stoddart, were imprisoned in a verminous pit before being brutally executed by order of the Emir of Bukhara. Outside its walls stands a gorgeous minaret from which numerous malefactors were flung. Like other Uzbek centres, Bukhara is a visual whirl of tiling, domes and lofty iwans (entrance halls) – its four-towered Chor Minor is one of the most photographed buildings in the region – but the all-brick Samanid Mausoleum was the most entrancing architectural attraction; tenth-century bricklayers knew a thing or two about geometry, physics and understatement. Samarkand is probably the Stans' most fabled destination. It's an elegant modern city with ancient sites dotted around, and a convivial place to walk around. The Registan is the most magnificent public square in Asia, perhaps anywhere. You have to buy a ticket to enter, mind you, but there are no unsightly stalls. Other must-see sights include the Ulugbek Observatory, built in 1420 by Timur's star-gazing grandson, and Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, a pilgrimage site. Visiting the three cities was eye-opening, but crowds are crowds and it was a relief to roam around the desert castles of Khorezm – sand-coloured ghost-cities in what climate change has made the middle of nowhere. I also enjoyed a random, unheralded stop at the Rabati Malik caravenserai – a bona fide Silk Road roadside inn beside the bumpy Bukhara-Samarkand M37 highway, between the petrol stations and fast-food joints. Tajikistan: Rahmon is watching you The World Heritage Site of Sarazm might date back 5,500 years but, after Uzbekistan's in-your-face glories, its scattering of rough foundations under corrugated canopies and adjoining patchily curated museum were underwhelming. The gurning mug of president Emomali Rahmon adorns the latter's façade, as it does every roundabout, public building and bazaar entrance. Ruling the poorest of the five Stans since 1994, Rahmon bolsters his dictatorship by means of a personality cult. The Tajiks are descendants of Bactrians, Sogdians, Scythians – Silk Road peoples par excellence. They speak a variety of Persian, while their neighbours speak Turkic languages. This might seem no big deal, but guides in the Stans like to make a point that their country is the oldest/strongest or most admired/feared. Three days wasn't long in Tajikistan, but enough. The highlight was a drive into the Fann Mountains to visit the Seven Lakes, though we only saw six as the road petered out and we didn't have time for the hike to the last. Fed by the Shing River, the lakes, which range from deep blue to bright green, lie beside a winding road hemmed in by vaulting cliffs and canyon walls. At lake number three we stopped to eat a delicious stew at a campsite beside rushing white-waters, and one brave member of the group took a dip in the gelid lake. While the scenery was undeniably dramatic, the road was hairy and busy with tour buses – Tajikistan visas are hard to get but that isn't keeping people away – and there were pylons all the way. Our driver was a veteran of the Soviet Afghan war; his experience at the wheel of tanks filled him, at least, with confidence. A far less nervous ride followed the next day, as we passed from Panjakent up the valley of the Zeravshan River and then turned north for Khujand. It was the most impressive piece of road so far, dynamited through the rocky slopes. On the left were high brown mountains and on the right the lofty Fanns, snow-stained and rugged. Tidy villages were wedged in beside pale green fields. Wherever the land was reasonably level it was tilled. People have been refining agricultural techniques here for millennia. Stopping for lunch at Istravashan, we saw where a local mayor had levelled what remained of the hilltop site of Mug Teppe – possibly founded by Cyrus the Great. Now a sterile reconstruction, it was a classic case of misguided heritage tourism. Tajikistan felt like the most religious of the five Stans. Clothing was more traditional for both sexes, though I saw very few burqas. People touch their heart when they meet tourists, which is an endearing way of interacting and more sincere than 'have a nice day'. Kyrgyzstan: wild upland beauty Great mountain ranges cut across Kyrgyzstan, including the Fanns, Tian Shan, Pamirs and Karakorams. The country apparently once styled itself as a future Asian Switzerland. It's more of a Bolivia in development terms, and early experiments with democracy have given way to authoritarianism. In terms of physical geography, it lived up to expectations. A visit to the village of Arslanbob, surrounded by soaring peaks, involved an easy ramble through semi-wilderness. An old walnut forest was the main 'sight' here, though locals had gathered in large numbers to ride on ziplines and in Lada jeeps, and take photographs in front of a waterfall. A very long drive on horrible, barrier-free, boulder-strewn roads took us up to the pasturelands around Song-Köl Lake. Here, at almost 10,000 feet above sea level, we slept in communal yurts, visited a local shepherd, saw petroglyph sites, and admired hundreds of cattle, sheep, goats and, above all, horses. I hiked up to a series of outcrops above the lake. Tiny flowers in improbable colours – blue, deep burgundy – carpeted the golden-green grassland. Small birds announced my presence at each jutting tor. I sat down to contemplate views over the mountains and the hazy far side of the lake, utterly alone. Kyrgyzstan had landmark mosques and minarets, too, but its chief assets were more left field. I enjoyed a short swim in Issyk-Kul lake, where a former Soviet pioneer camp was mouldering on the beach. I saw an ornate Dungan mosque and had dinner in a Uighur house, and visited my first Russian orthodox churches. In the Barskoon Gorge, I admired two Soviet-style monuments to cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. Central Asia is full of bombastic statues of old warriors and recent dictators, and at least the celebrated spaceman achieved something (though he never visited). Along the way, we ate in service stations and Spar supermarkets; Central Asia hasn't got round to gastronomy. One day there will be a coffee table book about Kyrgyzstan cemeteries. The mini necropolises in earthy tones seem to rise out of the desert floor. Tombs are decorated with red stars and etchings of the faces of the deceased. They are never visited by families once the funeral is over. Kazakhstan: deep canyons and flat whites This was the country I had most anticipated when contemplating a trip to Central Asia. I knew it was massive – the ninth largest nation on earth – and thinly populated. I knew it was largely made up of steppe. I imagined the openness, the big skies, the far-off horizons. Alas, this tour wound up with just two days in Kazakhstan, and all I would see was Charyn National Park and the biggest city, Almaty. The former was stunning, and very popular with local tourists. I had a walk around, surveyed a deep canyon that would have been more impressive if it hadn't been such a hazy, wan day, and scored a good, pricey flat white at the on-site café. If this was my first taste of modern urban living in 20 days, Almaty offered more of the same. A proper cosmopolitan city, with electric vehicles, Irish pubs, posh wine bars and glamorous people, it was a reminder that, while travel is often about seeking out the different and undeveloped, there is comfort in finding good food, craft ale and sourdough bread. I walked around the centre without a map, and saw branches of Marks & Spencer and Next. I visited the national museum, in need of brain food. The last official group lunch was a self-service canteen; adventure tourism firms don't go big on food. Afterwards I googled 'Almaty best café' and went, with three co-travellers, to a joyously pretentious place called Fika ('Whimsical interiors meet Soviet-era industrial detailing,' according to Wallpaper magazine). We toasted a trip of a lifetime and then went to the hotel to sleep in preparation for the 2am ride to the airport. Chris Moss travelled with Exodus (020 3553 6116). The 23-day Five Stans of the Silk Road group tour has departures from May to October. Local guides, transport, accommodation, entrance fees, breakfasts and some meals are included. From £5,149, plus £727 for return flights. Budget at least £120 for visas for Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. Tips, while not obligatory, are expected; allow £60-£100.
Russia Today
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Russia's surprising role in the Israel-Iran conflict that you might not know about
During a recent visit to Turkmenistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with his counterparts and addressed students at the Institute of International Relations in Ashgabat. Among the central themes of his remarks was the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel – a confrontation that not only affects global geopolitics but also directly impacts the security dynamics of Central Asia. For Turkmenistan – which shares over 1,100km of border with Iran and has its capital just miles from that border – the growing tension poses serious risks. Beyond humanitarian concerns, the prospect of a wider war could awaken dormant radical networks and destabilize fragile domestic balances. These risks extend beyond Turkmenistan to other southern former Soviet republics that maintain close political and military ties with Russia. Against this backdrop, Lavrov's call for de-escalation and regional stability carried added weight. For Moscow, Iran is not just a partner – it's a pillar in the buffer zone securing Russia's southern flank. Instability in Tehran could ripple across Central Asia, threatening Russia's near-abroad. In January of this year, Russia and Iran signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement, institutionalizing bilateral ties and hinting at a future formal alliance. Tellingly, just days after Israeli airstrikes targeted Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi flew to Moscow, met with President Vladimir Putin, and held talks with Lavrov. He later described the visit as marked by 'complete mutual understanding' and emphasized Russia's support in an interview with the news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. Russia, along with China and Pakistan, has since pushed a new UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and a pathway to political settlement. As Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia noted, the resolution aims to stop further escalation. Yet Moscow has been careful in its public rhetoric. At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin avoided inflammatory language toward Israel, instead stressing the need for a diplomatic solution acceptable to all sides. This cautious tone reflects Russia's balancing act: deepening ties with Tehran while maintaining working – and in some cases warm – relations with Israel, including in military and humanitarian channels. That dual posture allows Russia to position itself as a potential mediator, should either party seek a negotiated outcome. On June 13, as Israeli airstrikes intensified, Russia quickly condemned the attacks and voiced strong concern about violations of Iranian sovereignty. Putin went further, calling US behavior in the region 'unprovoked aggression.' Moscow's message was clear: it opposed outside military interventions – full stop. Days before Araghchi's trip, Putin publicly revealed that Russia had offered Iran expanded cooperation on air defense systems, an offer Tehran had not pursued. Far from a rebuke, it read as a nudge: if the strategic partnership is real, Iran needs to meet Russia halfway. Moscow remains open to closer defense collaboration, including integrating Iran's air defense into a broader regional security framework. In retrospect, had Tehran taken up the offer earlier, it might have been better prepared to repel the strikes. For Russia, security is measured not in rhetoric, but in results – and it expects its partners to act accordingly. Crucially, the 2025 strategic agreement between Moscow and Tehran does not entail mutual defense obligations. It is not the Russian equivalent of NATO's Article 5, nor does it mandate automatic military assistance. As Putin clarified, the pact reflects political trust and coordination – not a blank check for joint warfare. In fact, the treaty explicitly forbids either side from supporting a third party that launches aggression against the other. Russia has held to that standard – refusing to engage with perceived aggressors, while voicing diplomatic solidarity with Iran and condemning destabilizing actions by the US and Israel. In short, the architecture of the partnership is built on sovereign respect and strategic equilibrium – not entangling commitments. It centers on military-technical cooperation, coordinated diplomacy via BRICS and the SCO, and shared interest in regional stability. But it stops short of dragging Russia into wars that don't pose a direct threat to its national security. One development drew particular attention: just after Araghchi's Kremlin visit, US President Donald Trump abruptly called for a ceasefire and adopted a noticeably softer tone on Iran. With the exception of a few pointed posts on Truth Social, his messaging turned markedly more measured. Prior to his trip to Moscow, Araghchi emphasized in Istanbul that consultations with Russia were 'strategic and not ceremonial.' He made clear that Tehran viewed the partnership as a platform for sensitive security coordination – not just protocol. Whether by coincidence or not, the shift in US rhetoric suggests Moscow's influence may have quietly shaped the trajectory of events. Russia, after all, is one of the few actors with open channels to both Tehran and Tel Aviv. It's entirely plausible that the Kremlin served as a behind-the-scenes intermediary, securing at least a temporary pause in hostilities. Russia remains a calibrated but consequential player in the Middle East. Accusations that Moscow has failed to 'stand by' Iran are speculative and largely unfounded – both politically and legally. Russia offers solidarity, coordination, and leverage – not unconditional support for escalation. And in a region where words matter as much as missiles, a subtle shift in language from Washington – timed to quiet talks in the Kremlin – may say more than any press release. Diplomacy, after all, often moves where cameras don't.
South China Morning Post
24-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Malaysian evacuees' 1,000km escape from conflict-torn Iran
As night gave way to day along Iran 's uncertain highways, a convoy of Malaysians pressed eastward from the capital, racing against the spectre of violence to reach the safety of the Turkmenistan border. The evacuation of 17 Malaysians from conflict-hit Iran unfolded as a day-long odyssey spanning more than 1,000km (620 miles) as tensions mounted. Among them was Khairi Omar, Malaysia's ambassador to Iran, who called the operation 'challenging but successful' amid the precarious security situation gripping the region. 'Thanks to the close cooperation of the Turkmenistan government, we were allowed entry and proceeded directly to Ashgabat Airport for a connecting flight,' Khairi said on Sunday following the group's return.
Forbes
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
After 54 Years, Fires In The ‘Gates To Hell' May Finally Burn Out
The burning gas crater in Turkmenistan dubbed "Gateway to Hell.' During an international conference on hydrocarbon resources in Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat earlier this month, Irina Luryeva, head of the scientific research institute in the state-owned energy company Turkmengaz, announced that the fires feed by natural methane seepage in the 'Gateway to Hell' are slowly burning out. "Whereas before a huge glow from the blaze was visible from several kilometers away, hence the name 'Gateway to Hell', today only a faint source of combustion remains," says Luryeva in a quote published by In January 2022, former president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow appeared on state television announcing plans to 'close' the "Gates of Hell," a giant natural gas crater in the middle of the Karakum Desert, about 260 kilometers (160 miles) north of Ashgabat, citing pollution, health concerns and a loss of 'valuable natural resources.' The crater was (supposedly, as there are no official documents available) created in 1971 during a Soviet drilling accident that hit a gas cavern, causing the rig to fall in and the ground to collapse around it. The Soviets decided to burn off the gas by setting it on fire to prevent the dangerous fumes from spreading. Unfortunately, tapping into a vast natural reservoir of flammable methane gas, the pit has been burning since then, even growing in size over time. The now 70 meters (229 feet) wide and 20 meters (65 feet) deep crater was a popular tourist attraction, especially at night time. Officially named the "Shining of Karakum," the crater is also known as the Darvaza Crater, after the nearby village of Darvaza, and online as the 'Door to Hell', 'Gateway to Hell' or 'Gates of Hell' thanks to the boiling mud and roaring, red burning flames covering the crater floor. According to Luryeva, numerous wells have been drilled around the crater to release the methane in a controlled way and cut off the the flame's fuel supply. Turkmenistan possesses the world's fourth largest reserves of natural gas in its underground, exporting gas to countries such as Pakistan, China, India, Iran and Russia.
Telegraph
09-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Why now is the time to visit otherworldly Turkmenistan
In light of the closure to tourism of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice on Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the five Stans of Central Asia have more kudos than ever. Already renowned as key stops along the historic Silk Road – the ancient trade route linking China to Europe, including the UK – these destinations are also prized for their dramatic landscapes of steppe, mountains and deserts, as well as their rich cultural heritage, blending regional Islamic traditions with post-Soviet architecture and revival Of all the visitable Stans, Turkmenistan is considered the least Westernised, least visited (with just 15,000 foreign visitors annually) and most secretive. However, the recent announcement that the country will do away with the formalities of a letter of invitation, to be replaced with an e-visa (when and how has yet to be clarified) slightly reduces its quirkiness – but it will make arranging a visit less onerous, especially for independent travellers. So what's in store for those who hop on the six-hour flight from London Gatwick? The capital, Ashgabat (population: just over a million), has been rebuilt in the last two decades with profits from the country's considerable gas reserves. Historic sites, canals and old trees have been removed to make space for kitsch-meets-bling mega-monuments, bombastic government palaces and sleek high-rise apartment blocks. In 2013, Guinness, ever on the lookout for daft new records, declared Ashgabat to have the 'highest density of white marble-clad buildings in the world'. The statistic claimed is 48,583,619 square feet; whoever measured it deserves a Guinness entry for dodging Turkmen security. The main drag, Bitarap Türkmenistan Şayoly, had 170 marble buildings at the last count. Some of the buildings and monuments are otherworldly in their scale and conception. The Wedding Palace is a 410,000 square-foot registry office topped by a disco ball inside a frame of eight-point stars. The Arch of Neutrality is a rocket-like tripod with lifts up its splayed legs and awesome views of the city's Brasilia-style roads and general whiteness. The Gypjak Mosque can accommodate ten thousand worshippers, and houses both the Koran and the Rhunama, or Book of the Soul, written by the first post-USSR president, Saparmurat Niyazov – nicknamed Turkmenbashi or 'Head of the Turkmen' – who closed all libraries and hospitals outside the capital and proscribed ballet dancing, beards and the word for 'bread'. A huge monument to the pink-edged, green-jacketed Rhunama is found inside Independence Park. Ashgabat has the world's largest ferris wheel, its largest equestrian statue (Ahal-Teke horses, as once gifted to Queen Elizabeth by Nikita Kruschchev) and used to have the world's highest unsupported flagpole (until Egypt unveiled an even bigger erection). It's also reported that as many as 90 per cent of the cars on its roads are white – owing (depending which source you choose to believe) to a rumoured crackdown on all cars of other colours in 2018, to former-president Berdymukhammedov's alleged personal preference for white vehicles, or to the fact that the colour is considered to be lucky. The Tolkuchka bazaar (also known as Altyn Asyr Bazaar), a 20-minute drive from downtown Ashgabat, affords visitors a glimpse of older Turkmen ways. Its shape is meant to resemble a Turkmen carpet and while it's only the fifth largest in Central Asia, it covers 250 acres. Stalls sell spices, fake Rolexes, livestock, carpets, souvenirs, vegetables and fruit. Melons are a specialism; Turkmenistan has a crossbreed muskmelon called the Turkmenbashi melon. The second Sunday in August is National Melon Day. Turkmenistan is twice the size of the UK, almost as big as Spain. It has more than three thousand miles of railways, including lines to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, Iran and Russia, and the 336-mile Trans-Karakum Railway across the desert of the same name. The most celebrated 'sight' here is the Gates of Hell gas crater at Darvaza, burning since the Eighties when someone took out a match to prevent the emission of poisonous gases caused by a gas field's collapse twenty years earlier. A long, Milton-esque stairway in a cave at the foot of a mountain leads to the Köw Ata Underground Lake, where you can swim in sulphurous waters. Ancient Merv is a Unesco World Heritage site, a repository of 4,000 years of history and 'the oldest and best-preserved of the oasis-cities along the Silk Route in Central Asia '. Nokhur cemetery in southern Turkmenistan contains tombstones decorated with mountain goat horns – believed by the Nokhuris (who claim to have descended from Alexander the Great's soldiers) to protect against evil spirits. Animism, Islam and Zoroastrianism are routinely melded, causing some traditional Muslims to take umbrage at Turkmenistan's bespoke approach to theology. The country is dotted with photogenic rock-scapes. Yangykala Canyon is the one that you see most often on promotional material, with its striated limestone walls rising out of an ancient seabed. Turkmenistan is a de facto one-party state with no serious opposition permitted. Should that put anyone off? Only if you also want to discard China, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Eritrea; the US is a de facto two-party state and is more likely to go in the other direction than to suddenly announce a trio of options. Turkmenistan has some of the slowest and most tightly controlled internet – positive messaging only is firmly encouraged – which is, of course, a major issue for locals. Youtube, WhatsApp and Facebook are blocked. There's no roaming. All in all, it's also an excuse for tourists to switch off and forget screens and report back on their experiences once they get home. Essentials For the time being, a letter of invitation is required (though this will be retired with the introduction of the new e-visa); tour firms will usually take care of the red tape. The FCDO also advises, 'while Turkmenistan doesn't require COVID-19 vaccination, all travellers must undergo a COVID-19 test upon arrival, which costs about 31 US dollars'. The five-star Yyldyz Hotel has doubles from £234 per night.
