 | ||
| Ashgabat | ||
| province | ||
|---|---|---|
| Soviet Union has no parent region. | ||
| Residents | 1.031.992 (2012) | |
| height | 219 m | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
| ||
Ashgabat (also Ashgabat / Ashgabat, Ashkabat, Ashkhabad, Ashgabad i.a.) is the capital and largest city Turkmenistan. The city is located in the south of the country near the border with Iran at the crossing point of old caravan routes in the Karakum desert. Approx. 773,000 people live in the city.
background
The name of the city probably comes from the Persian (عشق آباد) and means something like the lovely city. It bore the name from 1919 to 1927 Poltoratsk.
The city is quite young. It was founded in 1819 by Russians who built a fortress here. In 1885 it was connected to the Trans-Caspian Railway, and in 1962 to the Karakum Canal. It has been the capital of the Soviet Republic of Turkmenistan since 1924 and its capital since the independence of Turkmenistan on October 27, 1991.
Several earthquakes, particularly that of October 5, 1948, have severely affected the city. So you can hardly find any earlier building fabric here today. Today's cityscape is characterized by modern buildings from the Soviet era and the 1990s under the Turkmen President Saparmyrat Nyýazow, also known as Türkmenbaşy.
The city was mainly the center of government and administration. Industry (food and textile industry, mechanical engineering, mechanical engineering, carpet manufacturers), a university and colleges are also located here.
getting there
By plane
Ashgabat has an airport (IATA code ASB), which is located about 10 kilometers northwest of the city.
Lufthansa flies to the city from Frankfurt, while Turkmenistan Airlines flies from Frankfurt, London-Heathrow, Birmingham and Moscow-Domodedovo, among others. Other airlines are Turkish Airlines (from Istanbul), Armavia (from Yerevan), Uzbekistan Airways (from Tashkent) and S7 Airlines (from Moscow-Domodedovo).
By train
The most important land transport links are the European route 60, the Trans-Caspian Railway and the Karakum Canal, which run parallel over large distances, roughly from the border in the east to the Caspian Sea in the west.
The Trans-Caspian Railway connects Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with the Caspian Sea. The route on Turkmen territory runs from Türkmenbaşy on the Caspian Sea over Balkanabat, Serdar, Gazanjyk, Ashgabat and Mary to Turkmenabat.
In the street
Ashgabat is located on European route 60, which runs to the Chinese border.
By boat
Ashgabat has a port on the Karakum Canal. There is a ferry connection to Baku.
mobility
Tourist Attractions
Today's cityscape with its monumental buildings, wide streets and parks is modern.
Mosques
- The 1997 built Ertogrulgazi Mosque with its four minarets is the largest mosque in the city.
- Azadi mosque.
- Khezrety Omar Mosque.
Churches
- Orthodox Alexander Church from the end of the 19th century.
Museums
- The Turkmen Museum of Fine Arts was founded in 1927 by the Russian sculptor A.A. Karelin and has been a museum since 1939. Around 6000 exhibits such as pictures, sculptures and graphics by Turkmen and foreign artists are presented.
- Regional Studies Museum.
- The National Historical Museum documents the history of Turkmenistan since Parthian and Persian times and has around 30,000 exhibits.
- The Turkmen Carpet Museum opened in 1994. It houses the largest collection of Turkmen carpets, dating back to the 17th century. The largest carpet measures 14 × 21 meters and weighs a ton.
Palaces
- The Turkmenbaşı Palace served as the presidential palace of the former Turkmen president Saparmyrat Nyýazow until his death in 2006.
- Rukhiyet Palace.
Monuments
- The Neutrality Tower (engl. Neutrality Arch) was built in 1998 and is 75 m high. At its top was the probably gilded statue of the former Turkmen President Saparmyrat Nyýazow (also called Turkmenbaşi), which turned once during the day and always looked at the sun. The statue itself was moved to the outskirts in December 2008.
- The Independence and Peace Monument
- Leninplatz, laid out in 1927, with the Lenin statue on a carpet sample base.
Gardens
- zoo.
- Botanical Garden.
activities
The city has a theater.
shop
The Yimpas Shopping Center is a major supermarket.
kitchen
nightlife
The nightlife is largely limited to the facilities of the hotels.
accommodation
- Grand Turkmen Hotel, 7 Gorogly Ulitsa, Ashgabat 744000. Tel.: 993(0)12 512050, 993 (0)12 510555, Fax: 993(0)12 511251, Email: [email protected]. The 5-star hotel, built in 1995, has 120 rooms with air conditioning on six floors. The hotel has a swimming pool, tennis court and conference rooms. Amex and Visa are accepted.
- President Hotel (Prezident Myhmanhansy), 54 Novoarchabilsk Avenue, Ashgabat. Tel.: 993(0)12 400000, Fax: 993(0)12 400041, 993 (0)12 400222, Email: [email protected]. The 5-star hotel, which was built in the south of the city in 2004 and is approx. 10 km from the city center, has 152 rooms on 21 floors. The hotel has a swimming pool, two tennis courts, a banquet and conference room, sauna and a VIP restaurant.
- Nissa Hotel, 18B Atabaev St., Ashgabat 744000. Tel.: 993 (0)12 390832, 993 (0)12 221025, Fax: 993(0)12 221023, Email: [email protected]. The 4-star hotel with air-conditioned rooms has a swimming pool, jacuzzi, pool bar and sauna.
- Four Points Postcard Altin Plaza, 141/1 Maktumguly Avenue, Ashgabat 744000. Tel.: 993(0)12-363700, 993 (0)12 363701, Fax: 993 (0)12 363543, 993(0)12 363494, Email: [email protected]. The 3-star hotel has a swimming pool.
- Turkmenistan Hotel, 19 Nezavisimogo Turkmenistana St., Ashgabat 744000. Tel.: 993(0)12 350630.
- Ashgabat Hotel, 156 Magtumkuly Avenue, Ashgabat 744000. Tel.: 993 (0)12 350630.
- Gara Altyn Hotel, Novofiryuzinskoe Chaussee, Ashgabat 744000. Tel.: 993 (0)12 518890.
- Ahal Hotel, Novofiryuzinskoe Chaussee, Ashgabat 744036. Tel.: 993(0)12 518737, 993(0)12 488737, Fax: 993(0)12 480192, Email: [email protected].
- Nebitchi Hotel. Tel.: 993(0)12 489360, Fax: 993(0)12 489312.
- Independent hotel, 33 Novoarchabilsk St., Ashgabat.
- Rahat Hotel
- Siyakhat Hotel
Learn
- Turkmen State University
- Turkmen Polytechnic Institute
