Holiday in Ashgabat

About Ashgabat

Ashgabat is probably the most surreal capital in the world — a city made of white marble in the middle of the Karakum Desert. The Turkmen capital holds the Guinness World Record for the highest density of white marble buildings and offers a skyline reminiscent of science fiction: golden domes, giant monuments, futuristic skyscrapers, and wide, deserted boulevards. The Neutrality Arch with its golden Turkmenbashi statue (which once rotated with the sun), the Wedding Palace building in the shape of an eight-pointed star, and the Alem Entertainment Center (the largest indoor Ferris wheel in the world) are just a few of the architectural curiosities. Despite its futuristic facade, Ashgabat preserves its Turkmen heritage: The Tolkuchka Bazaar, one of the largest markets in Central Asia, sells Turkmen carpets (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage), silk garments, and camel milk products. The National Museum showcases ancient artifacts from nearby Nisa (UNESCO World Heritage), the old capital of the Parthians. The Darvaza Gas Crater (the Door to Hell), a natural gas field that has been burning since 1971 in the desert, is located 270 km to the north and is the most spectacular day trip — a blazing hole in the desert that glows surreal at night.