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Ashgabat

With its lavish marble palaces, gleaming gold domes and vast expanses of manicured parkland, Ashgabat (‘the city of love’ in Arabic) has reinvented itself as a showcase city for the newly independent republic and is definitely one of Central Asia's – if not the world's – strangest places. Built almost entirely off the receipts of Turkmenistan’s oil and gas revenues, the city’s transformation continues at break-neck speed, with whole neighbourhoods facing the wrecking ball in the name of progress, and gleaming white marble monoliths springing up overnight like mushrooms.

After the 1948 earthquake, Ashgabat was rebuilt in the Soviet style, but its modern incarnation is somewhere between Las Vegas and Pyongyang, with a mixture of Bellagio fountains, Stalinist ministries of state and national monuments. There are some decent restaurants and no shortage of quirky sights, making it a pleasant place to absorb Turkmenistan’s curious present before heading into the rest of the country to discover its fascinating past.

Explore Ashgabat

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Ashgabat.

  • Museum

    National Museum

    Looking like a lost palace in the urban desert, the National Museum occupies a striking position in front of the Kopet Dag. It’s actually a collection of…

  • Memorial

    Halk Hakydasy Memorial Complex

    Unveiled in 2014, this vast complex features three memorials honouring those that died in the 1948 earthquake, soldiers who perished in WWII and those…

  • Square

    Independence Square

    At the centre of Ashgabat is the enormous Independence Square, on which sits the golden-domed Palace of Turkmenbashi (the place of work of the former…

  • Monument

    Arch of Neutrality

    Once the centrepiece of Niyazov's Ashgabat, the Arch of Neutrality was erected to celebrate the Turkmen people's unsurprisingly unanimous endorsement of…

  • Museum

    Carpet Museum

    While there’s a limit to the number of rugs the average visitor can stand, the central exhibit, the world’s largest handwoven rug, really is something to…

  • Museum

    Museum of Fine Arts

    The Museum of Fine Arts is located in an impressive building with a big rotunda, two tiers and lots of gold. The collection contains some great Soviet…

  • Park

    Independence Park

    The Altyn Asyr Shopping Centre is the curious pyramidal shopping centre at the northern end of Independence Park. The Monument to the Independence of…

  • Statue

    Statue of Lenin

    The statue of Lenin, in a small park off Azadi köçesi, is a charmingly incongruous assembly of a tiny Lenin on an enormous and very Central Asian plinth…

  • Landmark

    Circus

    This Soviet-era circus building, which resembles a flying saucer, has been 'Turkmenised' with a coating of white marble. It's definitely worth a look if…

  • Mosque

    Azadi Mosque

    More a statement of foreign-policy leanings than a sign of religious awakening, the Azadi mosque, similar in appearance to the Blue Mosque in İstanbul,…

  • Notable Building

    Palace of Knowledge

    Beyond the southern end of Independence Park is the huge, golden domed Palace of Knowledge: three large buildings that include a library, concert hall and…

  • Museum

    Turkmenbashi Museum

    Taking a leaf out of Kim Jong-il’s book, the Turkmenbashi Museum houses all the gifts and awards presented to former President Niyazov by various people…

  • Mosque

    Iranian Mosque

    The angular, futuristic Iranian mosque, illuminated with green neon, is on Görogly köçesi on the western outskirts of the city.

  • Mosque

    Mosque of Khezrety Omar

    The modern mosque of Khezrety Omar, off Atamurat Niyazov köçesi, is worth visiting for its wonderfully garish painted ceilings.

  • Notable Building

    Majlis

    Turkmenistan's parliament building is opposite Independence Square.