Ashgabat - Aszchabad

	Ashgabat;
	Arms
	Information
Country	Turkmenistan
Region	Turkmenistan
Population	773 400
Postal Code	744000 — 744901

Ashgabat - the capital and the largest city Turkmenistan, located in the south of the country. It has about 800 thousand. residents.

A street scene from Ashgabat

Ylham Avenue

Beautiful view of the city of Ashgabat

Street view in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Characteristic

The historical term for Ashgabat is "City of Love", but now its modern nickname "City of White Marble" seems much more appropriate. Saparmurat Niyazov, the former president of Turkmenistan, transformed the city from a relatively gray Soviet capital into a city with buildings of pure white marble, many of which contain quite overbearing symbolism (the building of the Ministry of World Affairs is an excellent illustration). Apart from PyongyangAshgabat is arguably the best example of what happens when a city is redesigned according to one man's vision, and most visitors will feel dizzy at first and then severely confused given the sheer similarity of most buildings.

Drive

By plane

1 Ashgabat International Airport (IATA: ASB). From April 2018 flights: Belavia - Minsk; China Southern Airlines - Urumqi; Flydubai - Dubai; Lufthansa - Baku, Frankfurt; S7 Airlines - Moscow; Turkish Airlines - Istanbul; Turkmenistan Airlines - Abu Dhabi, Almaty, Amritsar, Balkanabat, Bangkok, Beijing, Birmingham, Daşoguz, Delhi, Dubai, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Kazan, London - Heathrow, Mary, Minsk, Moscow, Paris (CDG), St. Petersburg, Turkmenabat, Turkmenbashi, Yerevan.

By rail

Turkmendemiryollari (Turkmenistan Zeleznice) operates trains to Ashgabat from Turkmenbashi and Turkmenabad by Mary.

Trains leave Turkmenbashi every other day at 7:30 pm and arrive in Ashgabat at 5:20 am the next morning or daily at 4:05 pm, arriving in Ashgabat at 5:50 am the next day. Prices from Ashgabat to Turkmenbashi or Mary range from 18 to 25 manats on a sleeper train.

Trains depart Turkmenabad daily at 6:00 PM and Mary at 12:25 AM and arrive in Ashgabat at 6:00 PM 8:20 the next morning. There is a day train leaving Turkmenabad at 04:20 and Mary at 10:23 arriving in Ashgabat at 18:35.

2 Ashgabat station.

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.

By bus

Communication

Ashgabat - see fullscreen map

"Taxi"which everyone means hitchhiking is probably the best way to get around Ashgabat. Simply extend your arm at an angle downwards with two fingers outstretched and the car (usually a Lada) will stop. Tell me where you are going. If they nod, get in, otherwise they will go on and you will have to wait for the next car. Expect payment to be around $ 2 per person. Hitchhiking is a completely safe mode of transport in Turkmenistan - everyone uses it.

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

Ashgabat has a very extensive and convenient system bus. The main transportation hub is Teke Bazaar. From here, you can easily reach anywhere in or around the city. In the modern part of the city there are air-conditioned bus stops with detailed maps of the routes of all departing from the stop. The cost of a single ride is 0.50 manat. The price should be paid by each passenger to the bin located close to the driver's seat when getting off the bus. Alternatively, a group ride must be presented to the driver.

Worth seeing

Museums

37.88523158.3489941 National MuseumNational Museum, Archabil sayoli 30 (in front of Kopet Dag), ☎ 993 12 454954. 09: 00-17: 00. Hall 1 is dedicated to post-independence Turkmenistan, hall 2 (upstairs) focuses on ancient history with exhibits from Bronze Age sites and Margiana artifacts. Hall 3 presents artifacts found in the Neisse in Party. Hall 4 displays a model of the medieval Merva, the Konye Urgench and Anau dioramas, and the beautiful Merv vase. In Halls 5 and 6 there are collections of weapons, musical instruments, silver jewelry and women's costumes. In hall 7 (downstairs) there is a 20m x 13m carpet. $ 10, photos $ 1

37.935358.37472 Museum of Fine ArtsMuseum of Fine Arts (west of the Palace of Justice), ☎ 993 12 351566. W-Mon 09: 00-18: 00. There is a large painting in the central room abundance of the harvest President Niyazov. In the Hall of Independence, the heroic figures of the nation (Oguz Han, Togrul Beg, Alp Arslan and the poet Seydi) are shown. The museum also houses a reconstruction of the dragen freeze of the Arnau mosque and exhibitions of Turkmen painting before and after 1950. The first floor is devoted to Russian painting from the 19th century and European painting, including minor works by Tiepol and Poussin. $ 10.

37.940658.37793 Carpet Museum of TurkmenistanCarpet Museum of Turkmenistan, 5 Georogly köcesi, ☎ 993 12 398879. Mon-Fri 10: 00-13: 00, 14: 00-18: 00. The museum houses antique carpets from the 18th and 19th centuries and modern carpets from all parts of the country. There is a carpet with an area of almost 200 square meters, which was supposed to serve as a curtain for the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, but turned out to be too heavy. The pride of the museum is the largest hand-woven carpet in the world, certified by the Guinness Book of Records. It has an area of 300 m² and was woven by 40 carpet makers on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence. 12,000 manatees.

37.88123258.3823184 Museum of Turkmen National ValuesMuseum of Turkmen National Values (inside the Independence Monument), ☎ 993 12 451954. On the first floor of the Museum there are exhibitions of silver jewelery for women and horses as well as replicas of golden sculptures of a bull and a wolf from Altyn Depe. $ 10, 25,000 manatees for photos.

Monuments

37.88121758.3814445 Monument to the Independence of Turkmenistan (take bus 16 or 34 from the city center). The most important monument of Ashgabat is located in the southern part of Turkmenistan's Independence Park, which covers an area of 2 km long and 1 km wide. In the vicinity of the Independence Monument, there are monuments of famous people from the history of Turkmenistan: the founder of the Seljuk dynasty Seljuk Beg, the founder of the Turkmen people Oguz Han, a Turkmen poet Magtymguly, Seljuk leaders Sultan Sanjar, a Turkmen warrior Georogly, Seljuk rulers Alp Arslan and Malik Shah, Eighteenth-century leader Ahal Tekkes Keymir Cor, poets Zelilla and Sydi, leader of the Confederation of the White Sheep Uzyn Hasan, father of the founder of the Ottoman Empire Ertogula Gazy, Turkmen commander and poet Bairam Han, poets Molianepes and Mataji, Turkmen leader Gara Yusup, ruler of the Seljuk Togrul Beg, the spiritual leader Gorkut Ata and poet Kemine

Ashgabat mast with the flag of Turkmenistan

37.88699958.3504786 Ashgabat mastAshgabat mast (in front of the National Museum). Formerly tallest free-standing flagpole in the world and still one of the tallest at 133 meters (436 feet)

Different places

38.00005258.3950777 Tolkuchka bazaarTolkuchka bazaar (8 km north of Ashgabat, behind the airport). Sat Sun 08: 00-14: 00. One of the most colorful bazaars in Central Asia

37.833958.30978 Turkmenbashi cable carTurkmenbashi cable car, Kopet Dag (south of the National Museum). 09:00 - 22:00. Opened in 2006, the cable car rises 1,290 meters, offering spectacular views of the city with a desert in the background of 1,000 manatees

38.10326758.2074019 Jeitun Archaeological SiteJeitun Archaeological Site (about 30 km north of Ashgabat in a dune in the Kara Kum desert). Jeitun is one of the oldest archaeological sites in Turkmenistan. The settlement dates back to the 7th century BC and is considered the first evidence of agriculture in Central Asia. The excavations at Jeitun show that the Neolithic Revolution in Central Asia took place almost simultaneously with similar events in West Asia. Jeitun has been excavated since 1957 by the Russian archaeologist V.M.vMasson. The Jeitun covers an area of approximately 5,000 m². It consists of single-plan, detached houses. The houses were rectangular with a large fireplace on one side, an alcove facing it, and adjoining yards. The floors were covered with lime plaster. The buildings are made of cylindrical clay blocks approximately 70 cm long and 20 cm thick. The clay was mixed with finely chopped straw. The settlement consisted of 30 to 35 one-room houses. Each house is considered a home for 5 to 6 people. 160-200 people could live here at the same time. They have established a tribal settlement and their economy appears to be shared rather than individual. The people of the Jeitun culture grew barley and two types of wheat, which were harvested with wooden or bone knives or sickles with stone blades. In Jeitun, blades were found in every home. It can be assumed that almost the entire population participated in agriculture. The Jeitun settlement was built of one-room houses with an area of 15-30 m². Each house had only one fireplace, it was intended for one family and not for shared meals. The same system designed for the nuclear family has also been found in other settlements in West Asia. The fact that Neolithic settlements consisted of about 30 houses in one room reveals the tendency of nuclear families to build larger units due to the economic necessity of partially utilizing irrigation. Thus, the Jeitun society was formed from nuclear families living in kinship settlements that made up small tribes.

Active recreation

Theaters

Mollanepes Drama Theater, Magtymguly sayoli 79, ☏ 993 12 357463. Wed-Sat 19:00. $ 0.25.
Magtymguly Theater, Shevchenko köcesi, ☏ 993 12 350564. Fri-Sun 19:00. Turkmen music performances
Pushkin Russian Theater, Magtymguly sayoli 142, ☏ 993 12 3654193. Sat Sun 19:00. $ 0.25

work

Science

Shopping

1 Yimpas Shopping Center, Turkmenbashi sayoli 75, 09: 00-23: 00, is the largest modern mall (pronounced "Yimpash" and should be known to anyone stopping to drop you off) and has a western supermarket where you can buy all the essentials things like food, drinks, soap, toothbrush, and cosmetics. Probably the only one in the whole city. The mall has a nice dining establishment on the second floor where you can buy all kinds of kebabs at reasonable prices. You can also rent pool tables, play table tennis, bowling or use the internet cafe.

Tolkuchka bazaar: 8 km north of Ashgabat, behind the airport, Sat No from 08:00 to 14:00, also on Thursday morning on a smaller scale. buy telpek (sheepskin) for $ 10-15, khalat (red and yellow striped coat for men) for $ 15 or a typical red carpet for $ 150-250. Please note that you also need an export certificate which you can obtain in expert committee next to the Carpet Museum, Görogly köcesi 5.
Carpet shop, Görogly köcesi 5, east of the Carpet Museum, run by the government.
Gulistan Market (russian bazaar), ul. M. Kosaev (opposite the Grand Turkmen Hotel). 09:00. Central universal market: fruits, vegetables, handicrafts, clothing. 20:00

Gastronomy

Asuda Nusay, Alishera Navoi Köcesi 54a, ☏ 993 12 352288. Specialty: Caspian Sea sturgeon.
Altyn Jam, Magtymgily sayoli 101, ☏ 993 12 396850. European dishes and sweets

Festivals, parties

Accommodation

Hotel Nissa, ul. Atabaeva, 18B, ☏ 993 12 22-10-25, fax: 993 12 22-10-23, ✉ [email protected]. Supposedly belonging to the Saparmurat Niyazov family, it is a four-star hotel with air conditioning, swimming pool, pool bar, sauna, Turkish sauna, gym, jacuzzi. It is about the "best" quality hotel you will find in Ashgabat (I think it is a bit run down and a bit overpriced for its features) about 10 minutes walk from the war memorial and bookstore. The restaurant has decent Italian food. Expect to meet many foreign workers and women of questionable persuasion in your hotel bar. However, a little English is spoken.
Hotel President, Новоарчабильское шоссе 54, ☏ 993 12 400 000, fax: 993 12 40 00 41, 993 12 40 02 22, ✉ [email protected].
Grand Turkmen Hotel (Гостиница "Грант Туркмен Отель"), ul. Georogly 7 (ул. Героглы, 7), 744,000 Ашхабад, ☏ 993 12 51-05-55, fax: 993 12 511251, ✉ [email protected].
Hotel Ak Altyn, Magtumguly ave 141/1, ☏ 993 12 36 37 00, 993 12 363701, fax: 993 12 363543, 993 12 36 34 94, ✉ [email protected]. Visa accepted (MasterCard is not). It includes the offices of the British Embassy and the American Information Center, so it's a good place to stay if you need any help. Presumably it has Wi-Fi, but it's so slow it's practically useless, although internet is available in telecommunications buildings less than a block away. $ 75 a night.
Hotel Azatlyk, ☏ 993 12 48 87 00, fax: 993 12 48 81 55, ✉ [email protected].
Hotel Ahal, ☏ 993 12 48 87 37, fax: 993 12 48 01 92, ✉ [email protected].
Nebitchi Hotel, ☏ 993 12 489360, fax: 993 12 489312.
Dovranov private accommodation, Garaja Burunov (formerly: Krupskaya) or 1997 st. No: 36 (near "1st Children Hopital"), ☏ 993 12 92-71-78. Accommodation with a host family. USD 10 per night with breakfast and dinner. Jennet's daughter speaks English

contact

Security

Tourist information

Internet

Internet cafes are available in some places in the city. The price is 6 TMT per hour.

Yimpas Shopping Center
Great Turkman Hotel
Russian market
Sofitel, also known as Oguz Kent, offers free WiFi in the lobby and bar. (Ssd: wireless; username: white; password: city)

Airlines

Aeroflot, Turkmenistan Söwda merkazi, Magtymguly sayoli 73, ☏ 993 12 398 792.
Armavia, Turkmenbasi sayoli 15, ☏ 993 12 390 548.
British Airways, Grand Turkmen Hotel, Görogly köcesi 71, ☏ 993 12 510 799.
Iranian Airlines, Magtymguly sayoli 71, ☏ 993 12 510641.
Lufthansa, http://www.lufthansa.com (main hall, Saparmurat Turkmenbash airport), ☏ 993 12 510684, 993 12 510331.
Pakistan International Airlines, Magtymguly sayoli 71, ☏ 993 12 511 838.
Turkish Airlines, Magtymguly sayoli 73, ☏ 993 12 5161666, 993 12 512 219.
Turkmenistan Airlines, Magtymguly sayoli 82, ☏ 993 12 352643, 993 12 394271.
Uzbekistan Havo Yullari / Uzbekistan Airways, main hall, Saparmurat Turkmenbashi airport, ☏ 993 12 378203.
Belavia, ul. 2028 (Govshudova) 50/2, 4th floor, ☏ 993 12 92 64 09

Sudden accidents

Dial 01 for the fire brigade, 02 for the police, 03 for the ambulance service. Please note that operators will only speak Turkmen and Russian.

Embassies and consulates

Afghanistan, Garashsyzlyk köcesi, Berzengi, ☏ 993 12 480757, fax: 993 12 480726. Mon-Fri 09: 00-17: 00.
Armenia, Ingenernaya köcesi 37, ☏ 993 12 354418, 993 12 395542, fax: 993 12 395538, ✉ [email protected]. Mon-Fri 10: 00-12: 00.
Azerbaijan, 2062 köcesi 44, ☏ 993 12 364608, fax: 993 12 3646510, ✉ [email protected]. Mon-Fri 09: 00-13: 00, 14: 00-18: 00.
Belarus, Maxim Gorki köcesi 81, ☏ 993 12 331183, fax: 993 12 331185. Tue-Fri 15: 00-18: 00.
China, Kuvvat Hotel, Berzengi, ☏ 993 12 488105, fax: 993 12 481813. Tue-Fri 15: 00-18: 00.
France, Ak ALtyn Hotel, 3rd floor, ☏ 993 12 363550, 993 12 363468, fax: 993 12 363546. Mon-Fri 09: 00-13: 00, 15: 00-17: 00.
Georgia, Azadi köcesi 139a, ☏ 993 12 933929, fax: 993 12 933914, ✉ [email protected]. Mon-Fri 09: 00-18: 00.
Germany, Al Alty Hotel, First Floor, Magtumguly Avenue, ☏ 993 12 363515, 993 12 363517, Fax: 993 12 363522, ✉ [email protected], [email protected]. Mon-Fri 09: 00-12: 00.
India, Emeryal Business Center, 1 Yunus Emre köcesi, mir 2/1, ☏ 993 12 456153, fax: 993 12 456156.
Iran, Tehran köcesi 3, ☏ 993 12 350236, fax: 993 12 350565. Mon-Fri 08: 30-12: 00.
Italy, Azadi köcesi 139 / A, ☏ 993 12 369212.
Japan, Paytagi Office Building, Parahat District, ☏ 993 12 477081, Fax: 993 12 477083.
Kazakhstan, Garaszylik sayoli 11-13, International Ustay Compound, Berzengi, ☏ 993 12 480 468, fax: 993 12 480 468. Tue Thu Fri 09: 00-12: 00, 17: 00-18: 00.
Kyrgyzstan, Görogly köcesi 14, ☏ 993 12 392064. Mon-Fri 10: 00-12: 00, 16: 00-18: 00.
the Netherlands, Tehran köcesi 17, ☏ 993 12 346700, fax: 993 12 344252. Mon-Fri 09: 00-18: 00.
Pakistan, Garashszlyk köcesi 4/1, ☏ 993 12 482128, 993 12 482129, fax: 993 12 482130, ✉ [email protected]. Mon-Fri 09: 00-12: 00.
Poland, Azadi köcesi 14, ☏ 993 12 274035, fax: 993 12 274035.
Romania, K. Burunov köcesi 43A, ☏ 993 12 347655, fax: 993 12 347620.
Russia, Turkmenbashi sayoli 11, ☏ 993 12 335957, 993 12 391505, fax: 993 12 398466, ✉ [email protected].
Saudi Arabia, Emperyal Business Center, Yunus Emre köcesi 1, ☏ 993 12 454963, fax: 993 12 454970.
Tajikistan, Gorgoly köcesi 14, ☏ 993 12 480 163, fax: 993 12 481877, ✉ [email protected]. Mon-Fri 09: 00-13: 00, 15: 00-17: 00.
Turkey, Shevchenko köcesi 9, ☏ 993 12 354118, fax: 993 12 391914, ✉ [email protected].
Ukraine, Azadi köcesi 49, ☏ 993 12 391874, fax: 993 12 391028, ✉ [email protected].
United Arab Emirates, Kalifa center, Turkembashi sayoli 124, ☏ 993 12 456915, fax: 993 12 456916.
Great Britain, Ak Altyn Hotel third floor, ☏ 993 12 363462, 993 12 363463, 993 12 363464. Mon-Fri 09: 00-17: 00.
United States, ☏ 993 12 94 00 45, fax: 993 12 94 26 14, ✉ [email protected].
Uzbekistan, Turkmenbashy sayoli 124, ☏ 993 12 342419, fax: 993 12 342337. Mon Wed Fri 10: 00-13: 00.

Medical services

Central Hospital, Emre köcesi 1, ☏ 993 12 450303 or ☏ 993 12 450331. Foreigners must pay for medical treatment.
International Medical Center, Berzegi, ☏ 993 12 519006 or ☏ 993 12 519008.
Lechebnia Hospital, Shevchenko sayoli, ☏ 993 12 390 877.
Dr. Arslan Nepesow, Turkembashi köcesi 124, ☏ 993 12 425 250.

Registration

OVIR (State Service for Registration of Foreigners), 2011 köcesi 57, ☏ 993 12 391337, 09: 00-13: 00, 14: 00-17: 00. All persons entering Turkmenistan on a tourist or business visa must register within three working days. You need three passport photos and an entry card. In most cases, the tour operator who invited you will arrange it for you. People with a transit visa do not need to register.

Where next

Close

Nisa, 15 km west of Ashgabat, a settlement from the 2nd century BC
Geok Depe, 50 km west of Ashgabat, site of the last battle between the Turkmen and tsarist troops in 1881-1884, Saparmurat Hags mosque, erected by President Turkmenbashi
Bakharden, 100 km west of Ashgabat, near the Kopet Dag Mountains, a cave with Lake Köw Ata with hot thermal water but fragrant sulfur, a favorite outing destination for Ashgabat residents on weekends.
Nokhur, 150 km from Ashkhabar in southwestern Turkmenistan in the valleys of the Kopet Dag mountains. The inhabitants of Nokhur claim to be direct descendants of Macedonian warriors from the time of Alexander the Great,
Änew, 15 km southeast of Ashgabat
Altyn Depe is a settlement of the Eneolithic and Bronze Age. It was widely excavated during the Soviet period. There are specialized pottery quarters in the settlement, evidence of the diversity of living quarters due to the wealth of their inhabitants, and a monumental cult complex. During the excavations, a small golden head of a wolf and a bull was found. According to the Russian archaeologist V.M. Masson, an iconic complex dedicated to the Good of the Moon, as in Mesopotamia. The site was abandoned in the middle of the second millennium BC.

Even further

By plane

Since 2009 Turkmenistan Airlines' offers domestic flights to Daszoguz (6 flights a day), Mary (3 flights a day), Türkmenabat (5 flights per day) i Turkmenbashi (3 flights a day).

By train

Turkmendemiryollari (Turkmenistan Zeleznice) (☏ 993 12 255545) operates trains from Ashgabat to Turkmenbashi and Turkmenabat via Mary.

Train 24 for Turkmenbashi leaves Ashgabat every other day at 20:40 and arrives in Turkmenbashi at 06:55 the next morning. Train 606 leaves Ashgabat daily at 8:10 pm arriving in Turkmenbashi at 9:15 am the next morning.

Trains to Turkmenabat and Mary leave Ashgabat at 07:40 daily, arriving in Mary at 5:00 PM and Turkmenabat at 11:00 PM. Train 195 leaves Ashabat daily at 5:20 pm and arrives in Turkmenabat at 7:35 am the next morning. Train 21 leaves Ashgabat every other day at 10:10 pm and arrives in Mary at 05:25 am and arrives in Turkmenabat at 09:40 am the next morning.

By 4WD

Ashgabat is probably the best place to hire someone to take you to Derweze. The trip requires a field trip and it is probably best not to leave it with the average Lada.