Road sign for Ashgabat Airport and the City Center |
Impressive fountain at the airport roundabout gives first time visitors a glimpse of what is to come |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Try not to get killed crossing the busy street |
Turkmenistan flag, Airport Roundabout |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
No labels identifying the historical figures |
Central mounted figure of the Airport Roundabout |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Archer, Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Archer, Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Ashgabat Airport Roundabout Fountain |
Grand Turkmen Hotel, Ashgabat |
Grand Turkmen Hotel, Ashgabat |
The pool of the Grand Turkmen Hotel |
Central Ashgabat from the Grand Turkmen Hotel |
Central Ashgabat from the Grand Turkmen Hotel |
Central Ashgabat from the Grand Turkmen Hotel |
Panoramic view from my balcony at the Grand Turkmen Hotel |
Three gold domes of the Presidential Administration of Turkmenistan |
Blue domes of Ruyıet Palace, Ashgabat |
Presidential Palace of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat |
Billboard with the statues from the Airport Roundabout in front of the historic sites of Turkmenistan |
No golden statues of the 2nd President, but lots of portraits |
Türkmenbaşy şayoli, Aşgabat |
Soviet War Memorial, Victory Square |
Neutrality Square, Ashgabat |
Hotel Nissa (Nusaı Myhmanhanasy) Neutrality Square, Ashgabat |
Türkmenistanyň Goranmak Ministrligi, Neutrality Square, Aşgabat |
Statue in front of the Ministry of Defence |
"Ruhnama" Orta Mekdebi - shaped like an open book |
On the other side of the street from the Ruhnama Center |
Yimpaş Shopping Center, Ashgabat - Turkish mall with supposedly good internet access |
Saparmurat Turkmenbashy Olympic Stadium of Turkmenistan |
Grand plans for the new sports city in the center of Ashgabat |
Ruhuňyz Belent Bolsun! - a round building in Ashgabat |
Garagum Bank, Ashgabat |
Most of the new buildings are covered in marble |
Marble-clad apartment along the west side of Independence Park |
Independence Park West, Ashgabat |
Nice on the outside at least |
Upscale residential apartments overlooking Independence Park |
Upscale residential apartments overlooking Independence Park |
Upscale residential apartments overlooking Independence Park |
Highway sign in Ashgabat |
Building at the southwest corner of Indepndence Park |
Building at the southwest corner of Indepndence Park |
We'll drive to Mary tomorrow |
The Ministry of Health |
Türkmenistanyň Döwlet Lukmançylyk Uniweritet |
Oncology Center, Ashgabat - Onkologiıa Merkezi |
Archabil Freeway through the Berzengi District, Ashgabat |
Gara Altyn Hotel - one of many small hotels along the main road through the new Berzengi district |
Ahal Hotel, another hotel along the Berzengi strip - opposite US Embassy |
Turkish Embassy, Ashgabat |
Flag of Turkmenistan |
Another row of new apartment buildings along a wide boulevard |
Boulevard leading from the National Museum to the Presidential Palace |
On an Ashgabat apartment - Ruhnama Bitewillik Kitabydyr |
Ashgabat - Gülle Diıar |
Ashgabat - the White City |
Ashgabat |
Crossing the new "river" of Ashgabat |
Türkmen Döwlet Gurjak Teatry - Turkmen State Puppet Theater |
Türkmenhaly |
Dokma Senagaty Ministrligi - Ministry of Carpets |
Türkmen Atlary |
Türkmen Atlary - Ministry of Horses |
The Ministry of Horses, Ashgabat |
Oguzkent Hotel, Ashgabat |
Oguzkent Hotel, Ashgabat |
Oguzkent Oteli - the best hotel in Ashgabat |
Oguzkent Hotel, Ashgabat |
Ministry of Telecommunications |
Turkmenistan Ministry of Telecommunications, Ashgabat |
Daıhan Bank, Ashgabat |
Ten Years of Independence Monument - i.e. Ten-Horses Square |
The 10 Horses represent 10 Years of Independence for Turkmenistan |
Ten Years of Independence Monument |
Ahal Teke Atlary - the horse of Turkmenistan |
Ten-Horses Square, Ashgabat |
Ten Years of Independence Monument |
New apartments of the White City |
Ten Years of Independence Monument |
Ten Years of Independence Monument |
Monument to the Ahal Teke horses |
Majestic Ahal Teke horse, Turkmenistan |
Ten Years of Independence Monument |
Fountain at 10-Horses-Square |
The First and Second Presidents of Turkmenistan face off |
Golden statue of Turkmenbashy |
Turkmenbashy statue at the Ten Years of Independence Monument |
President-for-Life Niyazov |
Ten Years of Independence Monument |
Türkmenistanyň Döwlet Gurjak Teatry - National Puppet Theater |
Türkmenistanyň Baş Döwlet Salgyt Gullugy |
Marble apartment building, Ashgabat |
Heading back towards the National Museum |
Türkmenistanyň Söwda Toplumy - Chamber of Commerce |
Hotel - Prezident Myhmanhanasy |
Turnoff for Ashgabat Airport |
The Arch of Neutrality under reconstruction in a new location on the far edge of Ashgabat |
Türkmenistanyň Aragatnaşk Ministrligi |
The Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan |
The Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan |
The Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan with the new TV Towe |
Globe atop the Foreign Ministry in Ashgabat |
The Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan |
The location of Turkmenistan highlighted in gold |
The impressive Wedding Palace, Ashgabat |
Ashgabat's next great monument under construction |
Aşgabat Şäherinde Medeni Dynç - Alyş Merkezi |
Distances from Ashgabat to cities in western Turkmenistan |
Iranian Mosque, Görogly köçesi |
Archabil Freeway, Ashgabat |
Returning along the Archabil Freeway past the Foreign Ministry |
Türkmenistanyň Aragatnaşk Ministrligi |
The Arch of Neutrality under reconstruction |
The Arch of Neutrality banished from the city center |
Ministry of Health, Ashgabat |
Türkmenistanyň Döwlet Lukmançylyk Uniweritet |
The National Library at the Turkmenbashy Cultural Center |
Independence Park West |
Soviet-era apartment building, Ashgabat |
Soviet-era apartment blocks, Ashgabat |
Soviet-era buildings with mosaics getting a cleanup |
Soviet-era Ashgabat |
Mosaic on a building in central Ashgabat |
Soviet-era mosaic on a building in central Ashgabat |
Passing through Neutrality Square again |
Monument at Neutrality Square |
Turkmenistan State University, Ashgabat |
Magtymguly Adynkady Türkmen Döwlet Uniwersiteti |
Turkmenistan State University - Faculty of Physics and Mathematics |
Türkmenistanyň Ylymlar Akademiıasynyň Arheologiıa We Etnografiıa Instituty |
Miras Bookshop with offerings on Turkmenistan |
Picture book with the Second President at the state bookstore, Ashgabat |
Old Town Ashgabat |
Old Town Ashgabat |
Wokzal - Ashgabat Railway Station |
Türkmenistan National Drama Theatre, Aşgabat |
Lenin perched atop a dias made in the style of Turkmen carpets |
Lenin Square, Ashgabat |
Lenin Square, Ashgabat |
The only remaining statue of Lenin in Ashgabat |
Lenin Square is tucked away behind the Magtymguly Dramatic Theater |
Lenin Square, Ashgabat |
V.I. Lenin 1870-1924 |
Tiles in the style of Turkmen carpets - Lenin Square |
Lenin Square, Ashgabat |
The leader of the workers and farmers of Turkmenistan |
Leninism - the path towards the emancipation of the peoples of the East |
Mekan Palace, early 1970's Soviet architecture |
Türkmenistanyň Syıasy Resminamalarynyň Merkezi Döwlet Arhiwi |
Mekan Palace - Central State Archives of Turkmenistan in a |
Reliefs by Ernst Neisvestniy |
Mekan Palace, Ashgabat |
Work of Russian sculptor Ernst Neisvestniy, Mekan Palace, Ashgabat |
Work of Russian sculptor Ernst Neisvestniy in the 1970s |
Lenin Statue, Ashgabat |
Lenin Statue, Ashgabat |
Türkmenistanyň Beıik Saramyrat Türkmenbaşy Adyndaky Baş Drama Teatry |
Turkmenbasy Drama Theater, Ashgabat |
Türkmenistanyň Döwlet Serhet Gullugy |
Fly Turkmenistan Airlines from Europe to Amritsar via Ashgabat |
Ashgabat - the White City |
Medium-rise architecture, Ashgabat |
Topiary jet on airport road, Ashgabat |
Kamaz, Ashgabat |
Halk We Prezident Bitewidir |
Soviet-era mosaics, Ashgabat |
Cinema - Aşgabat Kinokeatry |
Turkmenistan license plate (yellow) |
I didn't plan on buying a carpet so early in the trip, but Ashgabat is a great place to do so |