Map of cities in Turkmenistan

Ashgabat was the capital of the Soviet Turkmen Republic. When USSR collapsed and Turkmenistan became an independent country in 1991, the government decided to limit entry to the country for foreigners. Currently, this is one of the most closed countries in the world. Ashgabat, the capital of modern Turkmenistan, is a beautiful place but, as a rule, there are not many people outside. There are many soldiers on the streets, but it is prohibited to take photos of them in order not to create conflict situations. Ashgabat is present in the Guinness World Book of Records because of the white marble constructions that occupy a truly giant territory – approximately 4.5 million square meters. The Teke people started the history of the Turkmen capital. They were the first settlers in the previously wild and unpopulated land. Teke chose a small plot of land not far from Kopet Dagh and named it Ashk-Abad. In Persian, this literally means “the city of love”. At the end of the 19th century, the Russian Empire moved its troops to conquer this region. Russians built the first military garrison on the site of the town and built the first railroad in the region. These changes gave a powerful boost to the settlement that no one heard about before. Ashk-Abad became a populous city. …