With the death of former authoritarian leader, Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan is now ready to open up its culture of Islam to the world It is a culture which is spiced with a hint of paganism, Islam and ancient traditions. An example of which is seen at the grave of Jamal al-Din where people leave hairpins and toy cars to wish for the birth of a baby girl (hairpin) or baby boy (toy car).

There is plenty to see and experience in Turkmenistan such as the ruins of an ancient mosque with front paneling displaying serpent shaped bodies of dragons which were uncovered just outside of the capitol Ashgabat.

Ashgabat itself boast numerous historical sites and museums such as the historical site of Nisa which includes the remains of a Parthian fortress dating back from the second century B.C., and museums such as the Turkmen History Museum housing ancient artifacts and the Museum of Fine Arts which and an eclectic mixture of fine arts.

The Mary Historical site is in the city of Mary which is five hours from Ashgabat and is worth visiting. The museum exhibits archaeological finds from the excavation sites in the Mary oasis, Gonur and Ancient Merv.

One hour from Mary is Ancient Merv.” It is the largest ancient site which has been uncovered in Turkmenistan and was once a stop on the Silk Road.

This desert country on the ancient Silk Road has opened up a new untouched destination for adventurous travelers. There aren’t many places left in the world that have not been raided by tourist so travelers should take advantage of this opportunity as soon as they can. The Turkmen government has been working towards creating a bigger and better tourism infrastructure to accommodate as many travelers as possible. Already, it boasts the largest airport in Central Asia with daily flights from England, Germany, India, Iran, Russia and the UAE to name a few.

According to Dcsalsera, here are some interesting facts about Turkmenistan that she learned on her trip:

There are no taxis. You catch "rides" with people and pay them what you deem to be appropriate

-it costs about $1 to fill a car with gasoline

-$4 for a roundtrip plane ticket between cities, that's how plentiful the oil is here

-Don't whistle in homes...it's a bad omen. I found out the hard way!

-watch out for the camels! When driving between cities, you must watch out for the camels on the road, they're a real hazard!

Check out her blog here.

More information on Turkmenistan here.

Labels: Destinatons