Ashgabat: the white-marble capital of Turkmenistan

At a glance

• Where: in southern Turkmenistan, at the foot of the Kopetdag mountains, close to the border with Iran.
• How long: one or two days, including Nisa and an Akhal-Teke horse farm.
• Best time: April–May and September–October. July averages 38 °C in the afternoon.
• Getting there: by air to Ashgabat, or overland from Uzbekistan on one of our tours.

Interesting facts

• In 2013 Ashgabat entered the Guinness World Records for the highest density of white marble-clad buildings: 543 new buildings with some 4.5 million m² of marble.
• On the night of 6 October 1948 an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 destroyed almost the whole city. The official Soviet figure was about 40,000 dead; researchers believe the real toll was far higher. The city you see today was built after it.
• Nisa, 18 km west of the centre, was one of the first capitals of the Parthian empire, which ruled from the mid-3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD. UNESCO listed its fortresses in 2007.
• The Akhal-Teke horse appears on Turkmenistan's state emblem and banknotes. In 1935 a group of riders took Akhal-Tekes from Ashgabat to Moscow, about 4,000 km, in 84 days. The country celebrates Horse Day on the last Sunday in April.
• The Turkmenbashi Ruhy mosque at Gypjak holds up to 10,000 worshippers under a gilded dome, with four minarets of 91 m. Turkmenistan's first president, Saparmurat Niyazov, is buried beside it.

What to see and do

Ashgabat is best seen twice: by day, for the scale of its avenues, parks and monuments, and after dark, when almost every building is lit. In between, visit the National Museum for its Parthian finds and the Carpet Museum for the country's famous red carpets, then head out of town to Ancient Nisa and its earth walls on a hill above the plain.

An Akhal-Teke horse farm is a highlight for many: the slim, golden-coated horses are among the oldest breeds in the world. On the edge of the city, Altyn Asyr bazaar, known to everyone as Tolkuchka, has more than 2,000 shops selling carpets, textiles and everyday goods.

Important notes

• Photographs: do not photograph government buildings, police, soldiers, airports or other official sites. Your guide will tell you where it is fine.
• Internet: many apps and websites, including WhatsApp, YouTube and Facebook, are blocked, and VPNs are illegal. Download maps and anything you need before you arrive.
• Money: bring clean US dollar notes printed after 2013. Foreign cards rarely work, and changing money on the street is illegal.
• Rules in public: smoking outdoors in public places and drinking alcohol in parks, squares and streets are banned.
• Visa: read Turkmenistan's new e-visa before you plan.

What to bring

• Sunglasses, a sun hat and sunscreen: the marble reflects strong light.
• Modest clothes for the mosque and museums: long trousers or a skirt below the knee, and covered shoulders.
• Comfortable shoes: distances between monuments are long.
• Enough cash in US dollars for the whole stay.

Ashgabat is on all our Turkmenistan tours, from the 5-day highlights tour to the 4-day crossing from Khiva to Bukhara.