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The capital of Turkmenistan is a fascinating mix of old, new and downright quirky. I’m going to explore with the help of my guide Mekan, so put on your Turkmen hat and let’s hit the spotless streets. Ashgabat is known as the white marble city and also the city of love, which I have tastefully symbolised in the film with cake. But before we get to the white marble, I wanted to see what was left of the old Ashgabat from the days of Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union. Starting with a hunt for Lenin, yes, he’s still here. Catering to the few Russians that remained post independence is the St Alexander Nevsky Russian orthodox church, consecrated in 1900. An ornate place of worship now, but during Soviet times it was used as a warehouse. In Soviet times there was only one place to shop and that was the the so-called Russian Bazaar. It’s still here, and is about the only place in town to find souvenirs, but shopping habits in Ashgabat are changing rapidly. This is just one of a number of shiny new malls that wouldn’t look out of place in Istanbul or Dubai, with the important difference that prices are substantially lower. Not far from Lenin, Park number 1 was laid out by the Soviets, but the funfair is more recent as are the dinosaurs. Other vestiges of past times include the Pushkin theatre from 1926 and the Circus, opened in 1984. Before coming here I had seen lazy comparisons between Ashgabat and Pyongyang. I’ve been to Pyongyang and so can tell you that such comparisons are way off the mark. You can freely walk around Ashgabat and interact with the locals. It’s probably the cleanest safest city you will ever visit. You can hop on the bus, catch a taxi, grab a meal and drive a dodgem, but you can’t rent a car and flying or travelling by train must be arranged with a tour guide. At least that is the position in 2025. Now, let’s step in to the white marbled modern city that gets all the publicity. You see, post 1991, the first president Niyazov, also known as Turkmenbashy, (or father of Turkmen) had a vision. Arguably, without that vision, Ashgabat would be a fairly nondescript Central Asian city with little identity. Of course, without vast gas reserves it would not have been possible either. Love it or loathe it, and most of the locals seem to love it, with its excess of marble and multiple 6 lane highways, this is no ordinary city. A good starting place for a tour of the new city is the Independence Monument. Visitors to the complex are welcomed by Turkmen warriors and a golden statue of Turkmenbashy. Everything is on a vast scale, and everything is white, or green. As we visited the modern Turkish mosque I asked Mekan about the colours. There is an enormous white marble presidential palace in the centre of Ashgabat but filming is totally off limits so we head out of the city along the wide highways towards an even larger mosque. The Turkmenbashy Ruhy Mosque is, quite simply, enormous with a capacity for 10,000 worshippers. Now over 20 years old, it was built by Turkmenbashy in his home village and, in sharp contrast to other mosques of the middle east, blends verses from the Quran with Turkmen beliefs and principles written by Turkmenbashy. Moving on from gold and marble we travel to the era of the silk road and the great Tolkuchka bazaar. Tolkuchka is reputedly the largest market in Central Asia. Operating on Sundays in a new purpose built complex it is the place for acquiring Turkmen carpets and textiles. Haggling is, of course, essential. From carpets we move through the electronics section and arrive at the livestock section. This is Turkmenistan’s premier camel market. I got the feeling that these ships of the desert were not enjoying the rain. Other sights of Ashgabat that feature on any visit are the giant murals depicting Turkmen heritage, the multitude of statues in roundabouts, the world’s largest indoor ferris wheel, the multi-storied wedding palace, the Dubai inspired Yyldyz hotel, the monument of neutrality, the so-called Olympic village, the specatacular ultra shiny falcon-shaped airport, and the recently completed statue to the renowned poet, thinker and humanist Magtymguly, who was born in Turkmenistan. This city is constantly evolving, but one of the largest changes happens every day, at sunset, when the white and green gives way to a multicoloured light show. There’s not much in the way of night life but I’m too old to bother about that. I’ve really enjoyed my time in Ashgabat, the city of white marble and the city of love. Now I want to see what the rest of Turkmenistan holds in store. Filmed March 2025 Jonathan Wheeler www.jonathanwheelerfilms.co.uk @TravelObscurer Additional music licensed through Artist #ashgabat #turkmenistan

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