Facts About Ashgabat |
|
|---|---|
| Country | Turkmenistan |
| State | Ashgabat City |
| Founded | 1882 |
| Area | 440 km2 |
| Population | 1031992 |
| Lat Long Coordinates | 37°56′N58°22′E |
| Time Zone | UTC+5 |
| area Code | (+993) 12 |
| Language | Turkmen, Russian, Uzbek |
| Major Religion | Muslims, Christians (Eastern Orthodox Church) |
| Point of interest | World of Turkmenbashi Tales, Main Drama Theatre of Turkmenistan named after Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmen Drama Theater named after Mollanepes, Turkmen National Youth Theatre named after Alp Arslan, Turkmen State Puppet Theater, The State Russian Drama Theatre named after Pushkin, Turkmen State Circus, Turkmenbaşı Palace, presidential headquarters, Rukhiyet Palace, Ertugrul Gazi Mosque, Turkmen Fine Arts Museum and Turkmen Carpet Museum |
About City :
Ashgabat, also called Ashkhabad, is the capital city of Turkmenistan. With a population of about 1 million, it is the largest city of the country as well as its administrative center. Turkmen is the official language here. The city has the most number of white marble buildings as recorded by the Guinness Book of Records in the year 2013.
The city was officially founded in 1881 by Russia who built a military fort here. From 1882 to 1918, Ashgabat served as the administrative centre of the Transcaspian Region of Russia following which it became the center of administration of Turkmen Oblast until 1925 when it became the capital of Turkmen SSR. In 1927, after the establishment of Turkmen SSR as a Soviet Republic, the city grew and progressed industrially and otherwise. Ashgabat experienced heavy damage during an earthquake in 1948 which eradicated about two-thirds of the population. The city has recovered since and in 1991, after the independence of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat was established as the capital of the country.
Geography :
Ashgabat lies to the south of the country and covers a total area of 440 sq km. It is situated in an oasis on an elevation of 219 m between the desert of Kara Kum and the mountain range of Kopet Dag. The city is divided into 7 districts.
How to Reach (Transport) :
Ashgabat is served by the Ashgabat International Airport which lies at a distance of 10 km to the northwest of the city. It is mainly served by Turkmenistan Airlines which operates domestic flights to the rest of the country as well as several international flights to cities like Delhi, Dubai, Paris, London and Istanbul. Airlines like Lufthansa, Belavia and S7 also connects the city to Frankfurt, Minsk and Moscow.
The city is also accessible from Turkmenbashi and Turkmenabad via trains. Almaty (Kazakhstan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Mashhad (Iran) and some other nearby cities are also connected to Ashgabat by road.
Inside the city, one can avail of taxis and buses, both of which are readily available and reasonably cheap.
When to Visit :
Ashgabat has an arid climate with long summers and short winters. Summers are very hot and dry with temperatures rising above 40 degree Celsius. Winters are also very cold with temperatures going below 0 degree Celsius. The best time to visit is during the spring months of March, April and May as well as the autumn months of October and November.
Fairs and Festivals :
Ashgabat mainly celebrates religious and cultural events along with the rest of the country. Some of the important events celebrated here are as listed below:
- Nowruz Bayram, celebrated on 21st March, is the first day in the Iranian calendar and a public holiday all throughout the country. Street carnivals are a common sight on this day.
- Melon Day, founded in 1994, is celebrated on the second Sunday of August every year. It is dedicated to one of the most important crop of the country, a special crossbreed of the musk melon. Celebrations include large displays of the fruit and several music and dance events.
- Independence Day, celebrated on 27th and 28th of October, is one of the most important festivals all over the country. Traditional games, storytelling, etc are a part of the festivities.
Other festivals include Eid, Women’s Day and Memorial Day.
Points of Interest (Places to Visit) :
Ashgabat is full of beautiful white marble buildings, high rise residential complexes, museums and places of worship.
- Turkmen Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1927, contains over 6,000 exhibits like paintings, graphics as well as sculptures made by local and foreign artists as well.
- Turkmen Carpet Museum, founded in 1994, is a national museum with official authority over all the country’s carpets. It has over 1,000 carpets and carpet articles. Tekke carpets are the most famous here, some larger than 190 sq m.
- The Ashgabat National Museum of History, housing over 500,000 items, has archaeological as well as geological exhibits like fossils, sculptures, statuettes and historical documents.
- Inspiration Alley, built in 2010, lies around an artificial river and covers a total area of 57,000 sq m. Several sculptures of important men from the country’s history can be found here.
- World of Turkmenbashi Tales is the theme park of the city. It opened in 2006 and occupies about 400 sq m of area. The Ferris wheel, Magic Carpet and a mini replica of Caspian Sea are the most popular displays.
Other must watch places are the Turkmenbashi Cableway, the Tolkuchka Bazaar and the Ashgabat Flagpole.
Accommodation :
The Sofitel Hotel of Ashgabat is perhaps the only hotel with amenities as good as any five star western hotels.Other popular luxury hotels are Grand Turkmen Hotel and Casino and the President Hotel. While the former houses a top notch casino along with the usual 5 star amenities, the latter features European furniture as well as two tennis courts.
Hotel Nissa is a four star hotel equipped with restaurants, gym and offers comfortable and affordable amenities. Budget hotels include Hotel Gara Altyn, Hotel Rahat and Ahal Hotel.