Turkmenistan

Visited: September 2024

Duration of visit: 5 days

Capital city: Ashgabat

Population: 6.4 million (2024)

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

• Crossing the Caspian Sea from Alat port in Azerbaijan to Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan.
• Early morning walk on the cliff above spectacular Yangykala Canyon.
• Stopping in residential neighborhood of Balkanabat and tasting delicious local food.
• Observing graves, marked by the horns of mountain goats in Nohur village.
• Cruising around empty streets of a would-be smart city Arkadag.
• Trying to understand the purpose of marble white buildings in ghost capital Ashgabat.
• Siting on the edge of Darvaza Gas Crater and staring at the flaming fangs.

Considered the second most isolated country after North Korea, the Republic of Turkmenistan is one of the least visited countries in the world, receiving less than 10,000 visitors a year after reopening to tourists following the Covid-19 pandemic (2024).

Possessing the sixth largest oil and natural gas reserves in the world, with only 6.4 million inhabitants, Turkmenistan could be one of the richest countries in the world, but it is shrouded in mystery and contradiction as a result of unusual rules and regulations imposed by the autocratic regime since its independence in 1991.

Turkmenistan was the last country in Central Asia that I visited. Already knowledgeable about the Stans countries and decently speaking Russian, I visited Turkmenistan with my Slovenian friend Ales in September 2024. The country has imposed restrictions on foreign visitors for years after Covid-19 pandemic and only recently reopened under special conditions.

Even though a prearranged tour with a local guide and taxi driver is a must, I managed to make an agreement to be accompanied only by a driver in order to decrease high price of the tour package.

Turkmenistan is cheaper than most of its neighboring country, but due to the regulations and restrictions for foreigners and complicated visa procedures, the visit is rather expensive.

Since breaking free from Soviet control in 1991, Turkmenistan has been governed by authoritarian regimes that have permitted no substantial opposition and have severely restricted the entry of foreigners.

Both, the first president, Saparmurat Niyazov and his successor, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow implemented personal cults, featuring detailed celebrations, statues and illogical development, which amaze with their greatness and, at the same time, raise serious doubts about their purpose.

Meanwhile Turkmens, who could live in one of the most prosperous countries in the world, are stuck in time, strictly supervised and disconnected from the modern means of communication.

I doubt that the current president, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, who inherited power from his father in 2022, can continue to foolishly waste money on unproductive projects and keep the population isolated from international community, on the edge of survival and under strict control.

Sooner or later the gas money will end, and the country will either collapse or open to the world. In the meantime, there will be probably much less tourism if Darvaza Gates of Hell are extinguished and tourism concept will operate on the current restrictive system, instead of being liberalized.

Bottomline, visiting Turkmenistan was a unique experience of natural wonders, bizarre, modern and lifeless capital Ashgabat, delicious food, a lot of driving through arid countryside and constant astonishment at many irrational rules or restrictions.