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2007 / Turkmenistan

In Turkmenistan you currently need a guide to be with you when not at the hotel in every place outside the capital, Ashgabat. We went with Stan Tours, who gave us Oleg as our guide. Friendly, helpful, irrepressible about the history of his country, he made the trip for us. It was great to have someone else take care of the organising for a while!
Our guide
 
Gas Crater
 
Camels
 
A team of soviet geologists discover a natural gas seam. They try to open it up, but it collapses into a crater a good seventy metres in diameter spewing out natural gas. Several years later, a lightning strike lights the gas. It's been bellowing out ever since. This thing is more like a religious experience than any holy building I have ever been in. Pure earthly power.
Awe inspiring
 
Desert scape
 
A sample of painted pottery I picked up looking around an ancient canal for half an hour, at the site of a city which was destroyed by the Mongols. Just incredible.
Mat the scrounger
 
Turkmenistan is an amateur archaeologist's dream. Old cities are all around, only partially unearthed, and wonders abound everywhere. In a place like this potsherds are everywhere, you can walk around old streets, get a feel for city walls, and see stuff from that age literally lying around. If this was in Europe it would have glass walls, fences around it and a $20 entrance fee. Here... it's just here.
Old city wonders
 
...from about 1000 years ago, sitting around in an ancient city.
Just a pot
 
Look closely at this wall and see the many different layers that have been built over eons. Look down at the smallest, triangular layer. That was put there by the Greeks under Alexander the Great. Look where we are! This far east of Europe, before Rome was more than a village, an army had marched and conquered one of the great cities of the age. Amazing.
Merv wall
 
Turkmen girls are easily the prettiest in central asia. No contest. The national dress is this long, slinky, brightly coloured number which shows off curves wonderfully well, and their smiles are just fantastic, and... where am I? <br/><br/> <br/><br/>Oh, this was at the ancient city of Merv.
Turkwomen
 
This is the famed statue of Turkmenbashi which rotates to face the sun. We weren't quite ready for the fact that it sits on top of a tower straight out of a Tintin comic and it gets lit up with multicoloured lights at night. Classy!
The rocket ship
 
This is just the start...
Modest man
 
Turkmenbashi had this mosque built - the largest in the world apparently - but the Imam refused to bless it because it - get this - gave equal weight to the Koran and to Turkmenbashi's own work, the Ruhnama, which is a fantastic work giving credit to just about everything ever done to either the Turkmen people or to the president himself. <br/> <br/>Inside it looks like a mosque as designed by a Las Vegas real estate mogul.
Sacriligeous Mosque
 

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