Ashgabat

Ashgabat (Turkmen: Aşgabat, also Ashkabat, Ashkhabad, Ashgabad, etc.) is the capital of Turkmenistan, surrounded by Ahal Province. It was designed as to be an impressive capital city, filled with monumental projects sheathed in costly white marble.



Understand
Ashgabat's historical appellation is "The City of Love" but nowadays its modern nickname, "The City of White Marble" will seem vastly more appropriate. Saparmurat Niyazov, the president of Turkmenistan from 1985 to 2006, transformed the city from a relatively drab Soviet capital to a city of pure white marble buildings, many containing some rather overbearing symbolism (the Ministry of World Affairs building is a perfect illustration). Short of Pyongyang, Ashgabat is probably the best example of what happens when a city gets redesigned according to the vision of exactly one man, and most visitors will find themselves at first awestruck and then severely confused given the sheer similarity of most of the buildings.

By rail
Turkmendemiryollari (Turkmenistan Zeleznice) runs trains to Ashgabat from Turkmenbashi and Turkmenabad via Mary.

Trains leave Turkmenbashi every second day at 19:30 and arrive in Ashgabat at 05:20 next morning or daily at 16:05, arriving in Ashgabat at 05:50 next morning. Prices from Ashgabat to Turkmenbashi or Mary vary from 18 to 25 manat in a sleeper train.

Trains leave Turkmenabad at 18:00 and Mary at 00:25 daily and arrive in Ashgabat at 08:20 next morning, Another train leaves Turkmenabad at 21:55 and Mary at 02:50 every second day, arriving in Ashgabat at 09:35 next morning. There is a day train leaving Turkmenabad at 04:20 and Mary at 10:23, arriving in Ashgabat at 18:35.

By car
Distances to Ashgabat: Almaty in Kazakhstan 2120 km, Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan 1870 km, Tashkent in Uzbekistan 1290 km, Samarkand in Uzbekistan 1000 km, Shakrisyabz in Uzbekistan 1100 km, Turkmenabad 590 km, Mary 350 km, Mashhad in Iran 270 km, Dashoguz 650 km.

Get around
"Taxi", by which everyone means hitchhiking is probably the best way to get around Ashgabat. Simply hold out your arm at a downward angle with two fingers extended, and a car (usually a Lada) will stop. Say where you are going. If they nod, get in, otherwise they will go on and you have to wait for the next car. Expect payment to be about US$2 per person. Hitchhiking is an entirely safe mode of transport in Turkmenistan—everyone uses it.

There are also official taxis which can be easily found in front of the arrivals hall of the airport and close to the railway station. They are safer but more expensive.

Ashgabat has a very extensive and convenient bus system. The main public transport hub is Teke Bazaar. From that place any location within the city or in its environs can be easily reached. In the modern part of the city there are air-conditioned bus stops with detailed maps of routes of every bus line departing from a stop. The cost of a single ride is 0.50 manat. The price should be paid by every passenger to the basket located close to driver's seat while getting off the bus. Alternatively a multi-ride should be presented to the driver.

Buy

 * Tolkuchka Bazaar: 8 km north of Ashgabad, past the airport, Sa Su 08:00 to 14:00, also Th morning at a smaller scale. Buy a telpek (sheepskin) for US$10-15, a khalat (red and yellow striped robe for men) for US$15 or a typical red carpet for US$150-250. Be aware that you also need an export certificate, which you can get at the 'expert commission' behind the Carpet Museum, Görogly köcesi 5.
 * Tolkuchka Bazaar: 8 km north of Ashgabad, past the airport, Sa Su 08:00 to 14:00, also Th morning at a smaller scale. Buy a telpek (sheepskin) for US$10-15, a khalat (red and yellow striped robe for men) for US$15 or a typical red carpet for US$150-250. Be aware that you also need an export certificate, which you can get at the 'expert commission' behind the Carpet Museum, Görogly köcesi 5.

Internet
Internet cafes are available at some locations around town. Price is 6 TMT per hour.
 * Yimpas Shopping Center
 * Great Turkman Hotel
 * Russian Market
 * Sofitel, aka Oguz Kent, Features free WiFi in lobby and bar. (Ssd: Wireless; username: white; password: city)

Emergencies
Dial 01 for the fire brigade, 02 for police, 03 for ambulance. Be aware that the operators will speak Turkmen and Russian only.

Embassies and consulates

 * 🇦🇫 Afghanistan
 * 🇦🇲 Armenia
 * 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
 * 🇧🇾 Belarus
 * 🇨🇳 China
 * 🇫🇷 France
 * Georgia
 * 🇩🇪 Germany
 * 🇮🇳 India
 * 🇮🇷 Iran
 * 🇮🇹 Italy
 * 🇯🇵 Japan
 * 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
 * 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan
 * 🇳🇱 Netherlands
 * 🇵🇰 Pakistan
 * 🇵🇱 Poland
 * 🇷🇴 Romania
 * 🇷🇺 Russia
 * 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
 * 🇹🇯 Tajikistan
 * 🇹🇷 Turkey
 * 🇺🇦 Ukraine
 * 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
 * 🇺🇸 United States
 * 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

Medical services

 * Central Hospital, Emre köcesi 1, or . Foreigners have to pay for their medical treatment.
 * International Medical Center, Berzegi, or.
 * Lechebnii Hospital, Shevchenko sayoli,.
 * Dr.Arslan Nepesow, Turkembashi köcesi 124,.

Registration

 * OVIR (State Service for the Registration of Foreign Citizens), 2011 köcesi 57,, 09:00-13:00, 14:00-17:00. All persons entering Turkmenistan on a tourist or business visa have to register within three working days. You need three passport photos and your entry card. In most cases the tour operator that invited you will organise this for you. Persons holding transit visa are not required to register.

Nearby

 * Nissa, 15 km west of Ashgabat, settlement dating back to the 2nd cent BC
 * Geok Depe, 50 km west of Ashgabat, site of the final battle between troops of Turkmen and tsarist troops in 1881/84, Saparmurat Hags Mosque, erected by President Turkmenbashi
 * Bakharden, 100 km West of Ashgabat, near the Kopet Dag mountains, cave with the Köw Ata Lake with hot thermal water, however, smelling of sulphur, a favorite place for excursion for people of Ashgabat at weekends.
 * Nokhur, 150 km from Ashgabar in South Western Turkmenistan in the valleys of the Kopet Dag mountains. The people of Nokhur claim to be direct descendants of Macedonian warriors of Alexander the Great's times,
 * Anau, 15 km south east of Ashgabat
 * Altyn Depe is a settlement of the Eneolithic and Bronze Ages. It has been extensively excavated during the Soviet period. The settlement has specialised potter's quarters, evidence of a differentiation of the living quarters according to the wealth of their inhabitants and a monumental cult complex. During excavations a small golden head of a wolf and a bull were found. According to the Russian archaeologist V.M. Masson, the cult complex was dedicated to the Moon Good as in Mesopotamia. The site was abandoned in the middle of the second millennium BC.

By plane
Turkmenistan Airlines offered domestic flights to Dashogus (6 flights per day), Mary (3 flights per day), Turkmenabat (5 flights per day) and Turkmenbashi (3 flights per day), as of 2009.

By rail
Turkmendemiryollari (Turkmenistan Zeleznice) runs trains from Ashgabat to Turkmenbashi and Turkmenabat via Mary.

Train 24 to Turkmenbashi leaves Ashgabat every second day at 20:40 and arrives at Turkmenbashi at 06:55 next morning. Train 606 leaves Ashgabat daily at 20:10, arriving in Turkmenbashi at 09:15 next morning.

Trains to Turkmenabat and Mary leave Ashabat at 07:40 daily, arriving at Mary at 17:00 and at Turkmenabat at 23:00. Train 195 leaves Ashabat daily at 17:20 and arrives at Turkmenabat at 07:35 next morning. Train 21 leaves Ashabat every second day at 22:10, and arrives at Mary at 05:25 and at Turkmenabat at 09:40 next morning.

By 4WD
Ashgabat is probably the best place to hire someone to take you to Darvaza. The trip requires going off-road and is probably best not left to you average Lada.