Ashgabat
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…
Must-see attractions in Ashgabat
Halk Hakydasy Memorial Complex
Ashgabat
Unveiled in 2014, this vast complex features three memorials honouring those that died in the 1948 earthquake, soldiers who perished in WWII and those…
Ashgabat
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…
Ashgabat
Once the centrepiece of Niyazov's Ashgabat, the Arch of Neutrality was erected to celebrate the Turkmen people's unsurprisingly unanimous endorsement of…
Ashgabat
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…
Ashgabat
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…
Ashgabat
The Altyn Asyr Shopping Centre is the curious pyramidal shopping centre at the northern end of Independence Park. The Monument to the Independence of…
Ashgabat
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…
Ashgabat
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…
Ashgabat
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,…
Ashgabat
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…
Ashgabat
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…
Monument to the Independence of Turkmenistan
Ashgabat
This is a popular spot for wedding groups to take photographs with a golden statue of Turkmenbashi. Nearby is a trippy giant copy of Niyazov's once…
Former Archive of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan
Ashgabat
Across the road from the Statue of Lenin this austere concrete building was once the Archive of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan.
Ashgabat
The angular, futuristic Iranian mosque, illuminated with green neon, is on Görogly köçesi on the western outskirts of the city.
Ashgabat
The modern mosque of Khezrety Omar, off Atamurat Niyazov köçesi, is worth visiting for its wonderfully garish painted ceilings.