Can the Stans handle the Merck girls?

September 24: More of Ashgabat and horses

Every roundabout in Ashgabat has some interesting structure on it.

I haven’t told you much about Ashgabat. It’s the capital of Turkmenistan, and is  often described as a “white marble wonderland” in the desert. It began as a Russian garrison town in the 19th century, grew under the Soviets, and was almost completely destroyed by a devastating earthquake in 1948.  Since independence, it’s been transformed into a showcase capital filled with gleaming white marble buildings, golden domes, vast boulevards, and monumental statues. Guinness even lists it as the city with the highest concentration of white marble buildings.

More on the monuments later……Horses are pretty special in Turkmenistan — especially the Akhal-Teke breed. The Akhal-Teke is in fact a national symbol — you’ll find them on banknotes, stamps, and even in giant statues.

Often called the “golden horses” because of their metallic sheen, especially in palomino or dun coats.Known for their slender build, fine coat, long necks, and endurance. They can survive on little food and water, making them perfect desert horses.

We were taken to a local stud to see them…

They’re considered one of the oldest surviving horse breeds in the world, with a history stretching back over 3,000 years. Some scholars even think they influenced the bloodlines of the Arabian and Thoroughbred horses. Turkmen folklore celebrates them as almost mystical creatures, companions of heroes and warriors.

And yes that IS Lisa riding the horse. There is a monument which consists of 10 Akhal-Teke horses, which was  unveiled in 2001,  to mark the 10th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s independence from the Soviet Union

On our visit to Independence Park, we happened to come across a wedding. The bride is the one that is entirely covered up, and her jewellery weighs about 35 kg (and Lisa was invited into this picture). The wedding car was also beautifully decorated.

Independence Park is one of the major public green spaces in Ashgabat, symbolizing Turkmenistan’s independence from the Soviet Union. A central landmark of the park is the Independence Monument, a tall column topped with a crescent moon and five stars, symbolizing the unity of the five Turkmen tribes. The base is fashioned like a yurt. The monument has large black statues showing all the rulers of the area . 

Of course, Turkmen Bashi, the first dictator, got a golden statue, and near to this is a monument to the Ruhnama (Turkmen Bashi’s philosophical-spiritual-political book) that he sent into space in 2005 aboard a Russian Dnepr rocket launched from Baikonur.

We also visited the National Museum, which is a magnificent complex. Opened in 1998, it’s the country’s biggest museum complex.  The main building has a large blue dome with 16 facets (said to represent Turkic states/founding ancestors) supported by 5 columns (for Turkmenistan’s five provinces).

The exhibits are organised into themes, and we spent most time in the Ancient and Medieval history section, which had items from excavations in Nisa, Merv, Gonur.; and artifacts like rhytons (ceremonial horn-shaped vessels) and an ancient eye liner ( yes you read it right !)  

It also had the second largest rug in Turkmenistan. We showed you the largest rug yesterday but it was hard to show just how large it was…this picture should give you a better perspective.

We got back to our hotel with enough time to have a swim in the very impressive pool….can you see me?

And while we were in the pool, we could watch the windows of our hotel being washed from afar. By the time we got back to our rooms, we got to see the cleaners up close!