Want to know what to see and do in the strangest city on earth? Read on for a budget travellers’ guide to Ashgabat Turkmenistan. A journey into the twilight zone…
Ashgabat Turkmenistan – The strangest city on earth
Turkmenistan is an enigma. Ruled with an iron fist by it’s supreme leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, a megalomaniac of the first degree. It is a bizarre, totalitarian police state that is kept a hidden secret from the rest of the world. With vast amounts of oil, gas and mineral wealth Berdimuhamedov has created an unbelievable white marble city in it’s capital, Ashgabat while the rest of the country crumbles and disappears under the desert sands. It is a show of his wealth and power and has to be seen to be believed.
You have to be lucky to get in
We were some of the fortunate travellers that managed to secure a difficult to get 5 day transit visa to pass through the country. Many applicants get denied as the paranoid Turkmenistan government doesn’t really want foreign visitors.
Need a visa for Turkmenistan? See how we got ours in Kyrgyzstan by following the link at the bottom of this page. It was probably the most difficult visa we’ve ever managed to get!
We spent 3 of our days wandering the vast, empty streets of Ashgabat marvelling at this bizarre wonder world that has been created by Berdimuhamedov and his predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov. It’s spotlessly clean buildings and streets are empty other than soldiers, police and the armies of gardeners and cleaners that toil all day to maintain this showcase that nobody sees. It’s a weird experience seeing how life is here. There’s absolutely nowhere else on earth quite like it.
Things to see and do in Ashgabat
Ashgabat is a huge city full of fascinating buildings, monuments and statues and parks that deserve a few days of exploration. We tried to cover it extensively by using the cheap and excellent public transport service. Unfortunately the most magnificent government buildings such as the presidential palace are guarded by an army of soldiers and police and cannot be photographed so we had to keep a low profile there. There are plenty more incredible sights to see though. Here is a selection of what is on offer. All of these places can easily be found by using the maps.me app.
1. The 10 years of Independence park
The 10 years of Independence park is a vast park in the centre of Ashgabat with absolutely no people in it other than gardeners working and the odd policeman lurking behind hedges. You’ll have no problems finding a bench to yourself! You can sneak a photo of Turkmenbashi if you are careful. If you are caught the police will probably just ask you to delete it. Nearby are plenty of interesting buildings such as the ministry of horses, ministry of carpets, the carpet museum and the central bank of Turkmenistan. Also across the street is the Altyn Asyr golden age park with a large mural of Berdimuhamedov with a huge grin holding some cute dogs!
2. Presidential Palace complex
This is a huge area of government buildings with the centre piece being the golden domed Presidential palace. This is the area where you won’t get a chance to pull your camera out as there are police and soldiers on every corner watching every move you make. We were made to walk down the centre of the empty road so as not to get close to any of the buildings. If you want to get a feeling of what the ultimate ‘Big Brother’ state is like – Come here!
3. The Wedding Palace
A typical bizarre shaped building of Ashgabat. A huge globe within a geometric cube sitting on top of 7 floors of wedding space and a very photogenic place from all angles. It lights up in an array of changing colours by night. This is where the wealthy of Ashgabat come to get wed. We saw nobody here other than shop staff. We were getting hungry by the time we got here and there wasn’t many places to eat but we found a small shop inside where we bought picnic foods to eat outside in the park.
4. Yyldyz Hotel
This supposedly 6 star hotel gets a mention because it is a bizarre and imposing shape on the landscape close to the Wedding Palace. It is apparently very luxurious inside. There seemed to be nobody there when we passed by. It looks a little like the Burj Al Arab in Dubai.
5. Arkadag monument
The Arkadag monument is Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedovs monument to himself. In glorious personality cult style he has perched himself riding a 24 carat gold stallion on top of a white marble cliff to compete with the cities other monuments to the previous president, Saparmurat Niyazov. This is a classic and should not be missed. It is found in the same complex as the Wedding palace, Ydldyz Hotel and the impressive national football stadium. Take the 55 bus to get here. This costs 50 Tenne (half a manat) = about 3 US cents!
6. Alem entertainment centre
Further West towards the outskirts of Ashgabat you will find the Alem entertainment centre. Another standout white marble building of the city, it holds the world record for being the biggest indoor Ferris wheel on earth. It costs only 3 manat to ride the wheel which gives you terrific views of the sprawling city below. In the building are all manner of entertainment games and rides for the kids, all costing very little. We are sure it might get busy on weekends but when we went there on a Wednesday afternoon it was empty except for staff. They turned the wheel on specifically for our benefit! It’s closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
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7. The constitution monument
You will find the constitution monument to the east of Alem. It is Ashgabat’s second tallest monument at 185 metres, made of white marble and stands in an enormous empty square. It is possible to ascend to a viewing platform inside but was closed when we visited on a Monday. The only people there were 2 soldiers guarding it and some bored gardeners sleeping on a park bench.
Golden doves at the constitution monument and the white marble city in the background. Not a soul in sight.
8. The monument of Neutrality
This is a cracker. The government of Turkmenistan declared permanent neutrality in 1995 and to commemorate this, president Niyazov (Turkmenbashi), had this space rocket shaped monument erected with himself stood on top, looking like a golden batman. He used to rotate to constantly face the sun but now he is stuck in one position looking over his marble city.
For 3 manat you can ascend the monument to the first floor in the funicular and then ride in a lift to the third floor for astounding views of the city. There are free binoculars for you to survey the scenery. You’ll no doubt have the place to yourself, just as we did!
9. Independence park
Independence park (not to be confused with the 10 years of Independence park to the North) Is another huge space full of empty pathways, finely clipped hedges, white marble everywhere and bizarre and intriguing monuments. At the south end is the largest structure, the Independence monument surrounded by golden statues of Turkmen warriors. The monument is nicknamed ‘The Plunger’ for obvious reasons.
The golden Turkmenbashi is truly a sight to behold, getting his feet wet in a fountain to the west of the independence monument. One should not get the former president Saparmurat Niyazov (Turkmenbashi) mixed up with the current president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. It’s very easy to, as they look similar, both sporting rather bushy eyebrows.
Other sights in the park not to miss are the large Rukhnama book which is the nations philosophical guidebook written by Turkmenbashi and the huge collection of buildings to the South which is the National Library of Culture.
10. Altyn Asyr shopping centre
At the north end of Independence park is the Altyn Asyr shopping centre. Another building that looks like it came from outer space and another strange Ashgabat white elephant. There was no-one around when we arrived. Inside it is very plush, full of fine clothes shops with bored looking assistants but no shoppers. We wandered around rather confused by this.
We took the lift up to the high end restaurant on the top floor where again there were no customers. The few wait staff were occupying themselves by shouting into a distorted karaoke microphone to sound like alien robots. By this time we were sure we were in a surreal hollywood movie which hopefully wouldn’t end as a horror so we escaped before they saw us. Later we saw 2 people and were relieved that the entire earths population hadn’t actually been abducted by aliens.
11. Berkarar Mall
West of Altyn Asyr is the Berkarar mall where you will actually find people! This is a really popular place where the citizens of Ashgabat actually go to shop, eat and socialise. Not surprisingly it is immaculate in it’s appearance and you can find everything you could imagine in a modern shopping mall. It even has an ice skating rink, a cinema and some excellent cafes and restaurants in the food court. We ate there twice. Really good quality food and the bill came to 65 Manat – just over $4 for the two of us!!
Close to the Berkarer mall is the Ashgabat Olympic complex which is another ultra modern facility that would compete with the best in the world.
12. Lenin Statue
This is one of the few reminders that Turkmenistan was once a part of the Soviet empire. It’s quite a modest statue, being life size standing on a huge, very Central Asian design plinth. You’ll find him in Lenin park in a very central location.
13. Ashgabat Monument
This monument is two blocks north of Lenin near to the drama theatre. Another strange design which looks quite striking by night.
14. The Russian Bazaar
Set in a big, ugly concrete Soviet style open sided building, this is where many local people come to shop for food and local produce. There is a small section for tourist souvenirs outside as well. There are a couple of ordinary cafes. We ate in one once but the food was pretty bland and the portions small so we didn’t return. You come here to change money on the black market which is done surreptitiously down a small alleyway so the police cannot see. We only got 15 Manat to the dollar here whereas we’d got 19 in Turkmenabat.
15. Teke Bazaar
Teke Bazaar is a bit more livelier and more interesting with hundreds of local people milling around doing their trading and shopping. We finally found where the people are! The prices are marked on most produce which makes life easier for the traveller. It’s a few blocks NW of the Russian bazaar near to the Kopet Dag football stadium. There’s a local bus station nearby where you can get buses to most parts of the city.
16. Ashgabat Circus
The Ashgabat circus is like a standard soviet UFO style circus building but with a Turkmenistan slant. A white marble circus? Only in Turkmenistan! We missed the performances here as were leaving on a Thursday and they were on Friday and Saturday. The emphasis of the shows seems to be horsemanship which is typically Turkmen.
17. A Night Tour of Ashgabat
Ashgabat is known for being a beautiful city to be seen by night. Wanting to show off it’s splendour, the city fathers have made a point of lighting up the entire place like a Christmas tree. Every building, street, monument and park seems to flash like a disco ball in a kaleidoscope of colours. The best budget way to see this is to jump on a number 55 bus which does a huge loop of all the main monuments, taking about an hour to do so and then returning to the start. It’ll cost you 50 tenne – about 3 US cents. Jump on at the bus stop to the east of First Park on Turkmenbashi street running south from the train station.
Keep going…
This list is not totally extensive. There are plenty more things to see and do in Ashgabat. There are hundreds of monuments dotted around the city. Mainly in the centre of the many traffic islands all around the place. Just jump on a bus and go for a joy ride!
There are also many fascinating government buildings in weird and wonderful shapes and designs. Just be careful photographing these because it’s a big no-no! Look out for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which has a globe on top, The Ministry of Communications and the Central Bank which has a massive golden coin on top.
An Ashgabat public telephone box! Something that is becoming a thing of the past in most world cities. Here they have white columns!!
The Frugal Travellers’ guide to Ashgabat Turkmenistan
Here’s a few tips to help you along in Ashgabat if you are travelling on a budget.
Money
The current official bank rate of exchange in Turkmenistan is 3.5 Manat to the US $.
The black market rate of exchange in Turkmenistan is 19 Manat to the US $. October 2018.
You don’t want to change at the bank!!!!
We first changed money when we arrived in Turkmenabat at 19 to the dollar in the green market. In Ashgabat we needed more so we asked around at the Russian bazaar. Many people are reluctant to change because technically it’s illegal but they will steer you towards the guys hanging around who will change for you. They want to do it quickly so the cops don’t see.
Keep your wits about you and count your manat before you hand over your dollars. You only need to change a small amount as you will pay for your room in dollars and everything else is dirt cheap, including transport.
You do not want loads of manat left when you leave as nobody wants to buy manat.
Every time we exchanged the rate was slightly different. First time 19, then 15, then 16. It depends on how much you change but you probably won’t need to change more than $20 at a time.
Accommodation
There is only one cheap place to stay in Ashgabat. That’s the Kuwwat hostel.
It costs $10 per person per night for foreigners for the simple rooms (less for locals). $15 for the (luxury) ones!
The address is Kemine Kocesi 101.
Phone +993 – 12 – 936651
It’s a real local joint and is basic. The communal toilets and showers are pretty grim but the rooms are fine. Ours had Russian TV, a fridge and hot water pipes running through it so was always boiling hot.
If this is inadequate then I think the next cheapest hotels in town start at around $60 per room.
Transport
We took local buses everywhere as they are excellent and ridiculously cheap. 50 tenne a ride, that’s half a manat. You pay the driver on the way out. Most of the bus stops have city maps on showing the routes of the buses in colour code. It’s fairly easy to work out and locals will always help if you are struggling. The routes we used a lot were 55, 57 and 20. They seem to pass by the main sights and end up back where they started. Most originate at the Voksal (railway station) or Teke bazaar.
Getting to and from Ashgabat
It all depends on where you are coming from and going to. We were on a 5 day transit visa from Farap to Saraghs border crossings so we crossed from Uzbekistan and took the train to Ashgabat from Turkmenabat. On day 5 of our transit visa we took a bus to Tejen, a small town on the road back to Mary and then took a taxi to the Iranian border at Saraghs. These were the fares –
- Train Turkmenabat to Ashgabat – 28 manat. 13 hours
- Bus Ashgabat to Tejen – 12 manat. 3 hours
- Taxi Tejen to Saraghs – 80 manat. 1.5 hours
Black market exchange rate 19 manat = $1
Blog post to follow with the details of how to do the border crossings
Food
It wasn’t easy to find food in central Ashgabat. Another of the strange mysteries of the city is – Where do people eat? It’s hard to find any kind of restaurant or even a shop when you are out among the huge white marble buildings of the city. They have darkened windows which you can’t see in but sometimes on closer inspection you might find a small shop (Duken) inside on the ground floor.
We had a very ordinary chicken and rice meal in the Russian bazaar- Price 45 manat for 2
We found great food at the Berkarar shopping centre food court restaurants. MB Kebabs – Price 65 manat for 2
Example prices of other food we bought in Ashgabat
- Samosas 3 manat
- Grapes 4 manat a kilo
- Bottle of camel milk in Teke bazaar 5 manat
- Chocolate bar 4 manat
- Bottle of soft drink in Alem entertainment centre 5 manat
- Bottle of Turkmenistan red wine in the Russian bazaar 15 manat
- Slice of delicious cake 5 manat
- Bottle of Kefir (yoghurt drink) 5 manat
Black market exchange rate 19 manat = $1
As you can see it is Ridiculously cheap to eat here!
Take a look at what it’s like in Ashgabat Turkmenistan on our Youtube video
Follow our other adventures through Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
Need a visa for Turkmenistan? See how we got ours in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan!
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Hello. I will like to know more about how you travel to Turkmenistan. I find out your travel and I really like your travel!