Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Mosque - a photo on Flickriver

            Of the countries in Central Asia that I visited, Turkmenistan was the strangest and certainly the most oppressive that I have visited (by writing these words, It means that I presumably will never get an entrance visa anymore). 

Although the people were friendly, especially in the capital Ashkabat  people were cautious and often not willing to speak to us. 

Ashkabat itself is a rather insane capital. Former president Niyazov started a building program that resulted in a complete new city center where all old building were (and are still) demolished and replaced by 
grand buildings made of white marble, and with big boulevards (12 lanes wide) where hardly cars are driving. If you have a car it has to be white and clean. On every street corner you can see police etc. The city gives you an impression how old Rome might have looked around the Forum Romanum. Impressive it is, but with a rather poor population, you wonder if the oil and gas dollars couldn't have been spend a little bit better. 

The image here is from a mosque that was built under Nyasov, and next to the mosque is the mausoleum that contains the body of Nyasov who died two years after the mosque was finished. The mosque itself is absolutely smashing, but it is somewhat strange when you see soldiers who guard the complex.

We met a few people from Turkmenistan who said the president who now is reigning is the best president they ever had. I am afraid I have my doubts about that, seeing all that I saw.

20 September I came back from my journey over a part of the Silk Road to and through Central Asia. 4 months of traveling through 14 countries (Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran)  before I flew home from Teheran. An impressive  journey in countries that are extremely beautiful, with lovely and welcoming people and diverse cultures and history. 

Intense traveling with more than 20000 kilometers in our mobile home on sometimes roads that hardly could be called that way.  We saw many villages and cities (some wonderful, others very ugly), countries that are transforming from the old Soviet era into something more related to older cultures and the way people live, often funded by oil readily available around the Caspian sea. We saw the amazing mountains south of the Black Sea, the wonderful Caucasus, and the high mountains in the far east close to China with peaks over 7000 meter, and not to forget the (Bulgarian) Alps!

We crossed the great steppe of Kazakhstan. a drive of at least 5000 km, the remnants of lake Aral, once one of the biggest lakes of the world, saw a rocket launch from Baikonur (this little part is Russian owned), we crossed many high mountains passes, and drove the breathtaking canyon that comes from the Pamir, beginning at ca 4500 meter, and going down for ca. 400km to an altitude of 1300 meter, driving for 100's of kilometers along the Afghan border. 

And then the numerous lakes with all sorts of different colors from deep cobalt blue to turquoise, and one rare spectacle in Turkmenistan where a gas crater is burning already for more than 40 years. And finally and certainly not the least to mention an enormous amount of wonderful, hospitable and welcoming people. The woman often dressed in wonderful dresses, and bringing a lot of color in the streets of almost of all countries we visited.

Taken in: Turkmenistan / Herrikgala (show map)

Taken on: September 14, 2019

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Türkmenbaşy

Turkmenistan

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Central Asia

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cupula

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golden dome

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Camera: Sony SLT-A65V, f/8.0, 1/320 sec, 17mm (=25mm), ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Sony SLT-A65V
Lens:	17-50mm F2.8
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/320)
Focal Length:	17mm (35mm equivalent: 25mm)
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Manual
Light Source:	Daylight
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)
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