An excursion in to the desert and back in time.

Visiting the ancient Persian Ruins are the closest I will ever get to Iran, so I was curious to see them even though they were destroyed by many earthquakes. Turkmenistan is fascinating but the hottest country I have ever visited, especially in the desert. I was told that they have cold and dry winters, though this was no consolation in that poorly air-conditioned environment. My hotel in Ashgabat, could not be called luxurious by any stretch of the imagination. . If there happens to be a next visit, I would choose the best hotel in the Capital, the Sofitel.

Turkmenistan is bordered by Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and the Caspian Sea. The country became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991, then a dictator took over until his death in 2006. He bizarrely renamed Monday after himself and erected a 49 foot high gold statue in the capital that rotated throughout the day to face the sun.

I enjoyed visiting the farmers market to buy some fruit, but more so to see the floral headscarf's worn by the women. The soil is extensively irrigated, so Turkmenistan is a major global producers of cotton. They also have an oil and gas industry .

 

The capital city Ashgabat was almost totally destroyed by a 1948 earthquake. The rebuilt Soviet style large grey concrete buildings are evidence that the Russians tried to re-settle their people there to dilute and suppress the Primordial Muslim community. It is one of the oldest inhabited areas on earth and I imagine that some of the people that I saw were a thousand years old, (judging by their costumes.) The exotic clothing worn by the Turkmen. (not in Turkey) in particular.

We had a driver take us out in to the desert to Dekhistan, the lost city of the Silk Road. It’s remote 10th century ruins make an intriguing excursion because you don’t encounter many tourists. Near the city of Mary are the ruins of the ancient Persian town of Merv. With over 4,000 years of history, this is the oldest and best preserved oasis city on the Silk Road.