Turkmenistan

Overview

Turkmenistan ( Turkmen : Türkmenistan) is one of the most isolated countries in the world and is dubbed as the "motherland of neutrality". Formerly a part of the Soviet Union , it is situated in Central Asia and is surrounded by Kazakhstan , Uzbekistan , Afghanistan , and Iran . The country has been a thoroughfare for several empires and cultures; many of Turkmenistan's cities were main points of trade on the Silk Road , linking Eastern and Western civilizations. Three of its cities are UNESCO World Heritage Sites .

The Turkmens, the natives of Turkmenistan, have their roots to the Oghuz Turks, a nomadic clan from the Altai region. Having previously been under Persian rule , Turkmenistan was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1881 and became an indigenized Soviet republic during the 20th century.

Places to explore

While the provinces are a helpful way to break down large Turkmenistan into regional travel areas, there is one geographical region present throughout them all, dominating the country: the brutal desert wasteland that is the Karakum .

Culture and food

Expect distinctly average Russian cuisine in restaurants. As in Uzbekistan , plov and more central Asian-type fare can be found in markets. If you can find it, try sturgeon from the Caspian Sea, sometimes prepared in a tempura style.

Meals often start with a soup, as chorba , a meat and vegetable soup. Another national dish is plov , rice with mutton, onions, carrots, spices, raisins, peas or quinces. Manty are steamed dumplings filled with lamb. Ku'urma is lamb, cooked in its own fat. Ichlekli is a meat and onion pie and gutap is a pie filled with meat, potatoes, spinach and pumpkin.

Look out for a range of Turkmenbashi labeled vodka, which can be washed down with the range of Russian Baltika brand beer. It can be harder to find local beers in outlets catering to foreigners, but Berk is well worth asking for; Zip, on the other hand, is awful.

Best to err on the side of caution, and stick with bottled water. As in Russia , you may want to specify byehz gah-zah (literally, 'without gas' or 'still; plain') if you do not like fizzy water. Borjomi mineral water from Georgia is available in Ashgabat's shops.

Planning your route

Turkmenistan has at least one daily train between major cities in the country. Timetable here . Journeys are slow but heavily subsidized (a few USD in the 1st sleeping class to anywhere in the country). Tickets can't be bought online and trains fill up fast so be sure to get one in advance. Train classes are typical for the ex-Soviet Union but most of the Soviet trains have been replaced with modern Chinese air-conditioned cars.

Sights and landscapes

At 488,100 km 2 (188,500 sq mi), Turkmenistan is the world's 52nd-largest country . It is slightly smaller than Spain and larger than Cameroon . It lies between latitudes 35° and 43° N , and longitudes 52° and 67° E . Over 80% of the country is covered by the Karakum Desert . The center of the country is dominated by the Turan Depression and the Karakum Desert. Topographically, Turkmenistan is bounded by the Ustyurt Plateau to the north, the Kopet Dag Range to the south, the Paropamyz Plateau, the Koytendag Range to the east, the Amu Darya Valley, and the Caspian Sea to the west. Turkmenistan includes three tectonic regions, the Epigersin platform region, the Alpine shrinkage region, and the Epiplatform orogenesis region. The Alpine tectonic region is the epicenter of earthquakes in Turkmenistan. Strong earthquakes occurred in the Kopet Dag Range in 1869, 1893, 1895, 1929, 1948, and 1994. The city of Ashgabat and surrounding villages were largely destroyed by the 1948 earthquake .

The Great Balkhan Range in the west of the country ( Balkan Province ) and the Köýtendag Range on the southeastern border with Uzbekistan ( Lebap Province ) are the only other significant elevations. The Great Balkhan Range rises to 1,880 metres (6,170 ft) at Mount Arlan and the highest summit in Turkmenistan is Ayrybaba in the Kugitangtau Range – 3,137 metres (10,292 ft). The Kopet Dag mountain range forms most of the border between Turkmenistan and Iran.

Major rivers include the Amu Darya , the Murghab River , the Tejen River , and the Atrek (Etrek) River . Tributaries of the Atrek include the Sumbar River and Chandyr River .

The Turkmen shore along the Caspian Sea is 1,748 kilometres (1,086 mi) long. The Caspian Sea is entirely landlocked, with no natural access to the ocean, although the Volga–Don Canal allows shipping access to and from the Black Sea .

Turkmenistan is in a temperate desert zone with a dry continental climate. Remote from the open sea, with mountain ranges to the south and southeast, Turkmenistan's climate is characterized by low precipitation, low cloudiness, and high evaporation. Absence of mountains to the north allows cold Arctic air to penetrate southward to the southerly mountain ranges, which in turn block warm, moist air from the Indian Ocean. Limited winter and spring rains are attributable to moist air from the west, originating in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Winters are mild and dry, with most precipitation falling between January and May. The Kopet Dag Range receives the highest level of precipitation.

Travel guide text compiled and adapted from Wikivoyage article (contributors) and Wikipedia article (contributors). Sections were selected and reordered for this guide. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Check current arrangements with your travel consultant.