Ashgabat, Turkmenistan: The First Month

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, lies in an oasis north of the Kopet Dag Mountains, and at the edge of the Kara Kum Desert.

Originally established as a village outpost by the Russian army in 1881, Ashgabat is a relatively young city for the region. The city was founded along important caravan routs, and on the Transcaspian railway, allowing Ashgabat to grow into a major city.

The city served as the capital of Turkmenistan, USSR from 1924 until 1990. Following the country's independence in 1991, Ashgabat became the capital of independent Turkmenistan.

Ashgabat lies just north of the Kopet Dag Mountains, and at the southern edge of the Kara Kum Desert.

Relative location of Ashgabat.

Environment in Ashgabat

Turkmenistan is mostly desert, with very little moisture. The air is very dry, and often dusty.

During the long summer months, temperatures average 95 - 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  Under such temperatures, walking outside for just 15 minutes will result in the feeling of exhaustion and dehydration. Because of this, locals mostly go outside during the late afternoon and evening hours, when the temperatures become much more mild.

Ashgabat sits at the edge of the Karakum Desert, one of the largest and harshest deserts in the world. The flat terrain in the foreground is in a natural state. The pine trees in the immediate background are not native to the environment. In the background, the Kopet Dag Mountains tower above the landscape. The air is colored light tan from the dust. (If you look closely, I can be seen walking home from a long day at work)

This image clearly illustrates the effort to transform the immediate desert environment of Ashgabat. All the trees in this image are planted by man. Each row has a hose to water the trees on a regular basis. Each tree has a moat wall formed around its base to hold desperately needed water, which will evaporate quickly in the hot, dry climate.

Major dust storms have occurred on at least three occasions over a four week period. Strong winds easily pick up sand and dust from the ground, and circulate it through the air. The mountain peaks, just a few miles away, are barely visible during these dust storms. The entire sky is tan in color, and the buildings of the city just seem to disappear within a short distance on the horizon. When walking outdoors, one can feel the fine sand scraping against exposed skin, and if talking, one can taste and feel the sand gritting against the teeth.

Ashgabat does have seasons however. Locals and fellow ex-patriots explained that by October, the temperatures will drop dramatically, often into the single digits. Although rare, it does snow in Ashgabat.

In and Around Ashgabat

Ashgabat is constructed in a variety of architectural styles reflective of the surrounding environment, cultural preferences, Western influences, and historical eras.

Almost all structures in Ashgabat were constructed after 1948, following a devastating earthquake that destroyed nearly all existing buildings.

Ashgabat has two principle building types: Soviet-era and post-Soviet-era. There is a stark contrast between the two styles. The Soviet-era buildings are primarily constructed of concrete, with concrete facades. They have a very "spartan" look to them. They are constructed in clusters, and are all the same height.

Soviet-era apartment clusters can be seen in the background from this modern public park. Most were built with uniformity in height, materials, and style. Today, they stand out in stark contrast to the modern, marble facade buildings.

Most buildings constructed after independence have white marble facades, large glass windows, and hints of neo-classical influence.The average residential building is about 8 - 12 floors in height. Unlike the United States, most high-rise apartment buildings have very little parking space above ground. However, some do have underground parking garages, which are well hidden to the untrained eye. There is also a lack of uniformity in driveway-to-road connections. It is not uncommon to have a narrow, paved access road end, transitioning to dirt, about 20-50 feet before the main road.

Many apartment doors have false gold door knobs. The ceilings nearly twice the height of the average apartment ceiling in the United States, giving the impression that the rooms are much larger than they really are.

An excellent example of the post-Soviet, white marble apartment buildings found throughout Ashgabat.

One of the many beautiful parks throughout Ashgabat. The parks are well lit, with wide sidewalks and many fountains that light up many colors at night.

The impressive Turkmenistan National Library. The Kopet Dag Mountains can be seen in the background.

The Turkmenistan national horse monument. The city's marble facade buildings can be seen lit up in the background.

Downtown Ashgabat at night.

Markets, Bazaars, and Consumer Goods

There are a variety of goods available for sale, including name-brand items, as well as "generic" equivalents and regionally specific goods. Fruits and vegetables are in great abundance, as well as breads and meats.
Many of the local merchants at the bazaars fly to Turkey to purchase their goods for sale in Ashgabat. As a result, many merchants are willing and eager to exchange USD for Manat (Turkmenistan's currency). By doing this, they can take the USD to Turkey and acquire their goods much cheaper, and make a greater profit at market.

The outside of the Russian Bazaar. The Russian Bazaar is one of many bazaars located in Ashgabat where vendors sell a variety of foods and consumer goods. In the background to the left are the massive concrete, open-air roofs from the Soviet era. Underneath are hundreds of vendors selling their merchandise.

A great view of all the vendors under the concrete roofs. There are a great variety of foods available at these bazaars to satisfy the appetite. Along the outer edges and second floor, vendors sell a variety of consumer goods ranging from cleaning supplies to expensive electronics.

Many of the vendors do not mark prices on their goods. This also applies to food products. This opens the possibility to haggle for a better price, or more goods for the same price. But, it can also make it more challenging to bargain shop between vendors, and keep track of how much money one has spent.

Many of the vendors have calculators with them. This device is very handy for breaking language barriers when bargaining with customers. Once it is quickly established that you cannot understand them,  they will punch in the numbers and show it to you. You can then accept the price and pay for the goods, or, you can take the calculator from them and put in a price you think is more reasonable. This continues until arriving at an agreed upon price, or no deal is reached.

There are some Western-style stores in Ashgabat that are set up similar to what is common in the United States. The stores are organized into departments, lined with neat rows of shelves. The department stores are well staffed, and a few speak broken English. The shelves are stocked with a variety of imported items from Colgate brand toothpaste to Heinz ketchup. The prices can be very high however, and if you ask a staff member where something is, they will pick out the most expensive item in its category and hand it to you.

Yimpas (Yim-pash) is one of the most popular of the modern, western style shopping centers. Unlike the bazaars, prices are clearly marked, the store is organized on the department model, complete with a food court and restaurants. However, shoppers pay a premium on many of the items. Because of this mostly wealthy locals and expats shop here.

Inside of Yimpas. The first floor sells groceries, small electronics, and home goods. The second floor features mostly western clothing boutiques, and the third floor has a food court and restaurants. On this particular day, Yimpas had light traffic, but in the evenings and weekends, it can become very crowded with customers.

Transportation

The roads are traffic controlled, but there is an appearance of organized chaos about the streets. Drivers cut each other off routinely, and lane switching is common. Someone from the United States might think of NASCAR: everyone seems to be jockeying for position. However, unlike in the United States, no one seems to get mad or aggressive about these issues, rather they seem to just go with the flow and everyone moves about with little trouble. Pedestrian traffic is similar. People simply walk out into traffic, standing in between lanes waiting for each to clear to finish crossing. But, like driving, there seems to be a natural flow to this appearance of chaos and danger.

There are a variety of vehicles driven in Ashgabat. Toyota appears to be the common make of vehicle driven. But, there are some large, new SUVs, and luxury sedans such as Lexus, Mercedes, and BMW.

There are still some Soviet-era Ladas driven. They are not seen as frequently as I read they were a decade ago, but there is still a sizable minority on the roads. A common characteristic of a Lada is their small size and boxy appearance. I have observed two different types of Ladas. One is a hatch-back model, which I do not see often. The other type is a sedan model. They are built small and practical, with a very plain, squared body style. In spite of the age of many, some Ladas are in good shape and appear well maintained. Some owners indulge in some customization, such as the addition of chrome rims and premium sound systems.

A classic Lada parked near my apartment. This one is sporting custom chrome rims. It is common for drivers of customized Ladas to also have a booming sound system playing while driving.

Ashgabat has an efficient bus system in place; it is possible to travel anywhere in Ashgabat solely by bus. There are frequent bus stops, but if a predestrian flags them down, the bus driver will often stop to let the pedestrian on the bus, even when not at an offical bus stop. It only costs 20 tenge, about 7 cents US money, to ride the bus one way. There is no formal system of fare collection. Instead, the buses operate on an honor system. There is usually a plastic tray at the front of the bus for riders to throw down their coins. Riders can pay after they exit the bus at their destination.

The buses themselves are very clean. They are mostly meant for standing however. There is one row of seats on each side, with single-rider seating. There are plenty of handles and hand-rails to hold to while riding the bus however. The buses also play music. Most of the music is a local flavor of pop rock, a little Russian techno, and occasional uncensored American gangsta rap.

Many locals get around Ashgabat by taking "ghost" taxis. Ghost taxis are nothing more than private citizens with a car willing to give someone a ride, basically like hitchhiking in the United States. Only in Ashgabat, it is a common way to get around. To get a ghost taxi, I put out my arm with my hand slanted down toward the street. Usually within a few minutes, someone will pull to the side of the road. I tell the driver my destination, if willing, the driver will nod their head and I am on my way. The average rate is 5 Manat, or $1.76 US money.

Food and Dining

A variety of foods are available in Ashgabat, but much of it is different from the United States. I have had the opportunity to try a few local dishes. I tried Kasarli Pide, which is a pide served on flat bread, topped with rich cheese mixed with egg. Yogurt Tatlisi, a local desert, which has the look and texture of cornbread, but more moist. The taste is very rich, and is similar to maple. Shashlik, or skewers of meat, is very popular and delicious.

A meat dish at a local restaurant in downtown Ashgabat. The dish included Shashlik, one chicken, one beef; and ground lamb, and a side of roasted tomatoes.

There are many stray cats in Ashgabat. This little guy decided to join our group as we dined. He enjoyed sides of our chicken, beef and lamb. With full bellies, we all relaxed and socialized.

There are variety of restaurants in Ashgabat. However, most restaurants share some similar characteristics. One of the first things that struck me as I walked into these restuarants is that most of the time, they are all empty of patrons. On rare occasion, there may be one or two other people dinning in. The lack of people, combined with the size and usually fancy decor makes for a strange experience. It is also not uncommon to dine at a fancy restuarant with a variety of new-age Russian or Turkmen techno, American hip-hop, and the occasional gangsta rap playing in the background.

A common sight at restaurants in Ashgabat. Although I have observed that some restaurants get more patrons after about 8:00 pm, but not near the volume of the average restaurant in the U.S..

Typically, the servers very formal and thorough. They usually meticulously prepare everything, but one item at a time. When not serving, the server will stand by about 10-20 feet away, ready to serve a patrons needs at a moments notice. If dinning in groups of two or more, it is very common to be served your dish long before your fellow guests. The common practice creates the impression that the chef prepares one dish, sends it out to the table, then begins the next dish. When eating in groups, as a general rule, do not wait for other to be served their dish.

The availability of pizza in Ashgabat has exploded in the last few years. While differing in taste than the average pizza in the United States, they are delicious. The cheese is very rich, and the tomatoes are full of flavor.