Turkmenistan

Guardian Cat

Turkmenistan, Annau, 2015. Every building in Ashgabat has a feral cat that stands guard outside. This happy cat is the unofficial guard of the shrine of Seyit Jamal ad-Din just outside the city. The shrine was destroyed along with much of the captial city, Ashgabat, by an earthquake in 1948.

The Golden Turkmenbashi

Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 2015. The top of the Arch of Neutrality Monument, colliquially known ask Three Legs due to the tripod structure of the monument. The golden statue at the apex portrays the former president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov -- the self proclaimed "Turkmenbashi" or "Father of All Turkmen", and used to rotate to always face the sun. Niyazov was perhaps most well known in the West for the "interesting" laws he created. From forbidding TV presenters from wearing make up, to banning gold teeth, ballet, circus, and beards, Turkmenbashi controlled nearly every aspect of life during his reign. The cult of personality surrounding Niyazov was perhaps almost as grandios as his apparent ego. The monument was originally constructed in 1998 in the heart of the captial city of Ashgabat, and was moved to the outskirts of the city by the current president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, in 2010.

Moonset over Ashgabat

Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 2015. The mood sets behind the Kopetdag Mountains in the early morning hours on a winter morning in Ashgabat Turkmenistan. Lights from the city echo the moon's color and contrast with the deep blue of the surroundings. During winter months, the sun rises relatively late in Turkmenistan (about 08:30), so I had the unusual opportunity to watch the moon set and sun rise every morning during my walk to work.

White City Ashgabat Sunset

Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 2015. Children pose for their father to take a photo in front of the White City Ashgabat Park Monument. The setting sun reflects off the gold of the monument, contrasting with the blue-purple of the sky. The monument's complex architecture is not without meaning. The olive branches at the top represent Turkmenistan's policy of Positive Neutrality. The three vertical sections of the middle represent Independence, Happiness, and -- again -- Neutrality. The large gold heart represent the meaning of Ashgabat's name in the origianl Persian: "city of love". The word "Ashgabat" is written down the middle of the statue, with the letters surrounded by geometrical ornamentation usually seen in traditional turkmen carpets. The open book presumably represents the Turkmen Government's goal to be seen as an open nation -- a goal they have thus far failed to acheive.

Floating City

Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 2015. Late January brings an unexpected occurrence to the desert of Turkmenistan: morning fog. The rolling fog and soft morning sunlight give the already architecturally interesting city an otherworldly quality as buildings seem to float and the horizon disappears.

Golden Ashgabat

Late January brings an unexpected occurrence to the desert of Turkmenistan: morning fog. The rolling fog and golden morning sunlight give the already architecturally interesting city an otherworldly quality as buildings seem to float and the horizon disappears.

Poppies at Chuli Canyon

Turkmenistan is home to the harsh Karakum Desert, where summer temperatures can reach as high as 50 °C (122 °F). However, once a year, the desert blossoms into a red carpeted oasis covered in thousands of brilliant red poppy flowers. The flowers are short lived -- typically peaking in bloom for only two weeks before the desert heat begins to take its toll. During this bloom, many locals can be seen strolling through the mountain trails that pepper Turkmenistan's Kopetdag Mountains enjoying the burst of spring color.

Wild Horses in Pink Canyon

The Akhal Teke horses are a national emblem of Turkmenistan. They are known for their endurance, intelligence, and seemingly metallic coats. Here, a herd of wild horses moves slowly, but steadily, through Yangykala Canyon (also known as Pink Canyon) in the Western Karakum Desert.

New Year's in Ashgabat

No one does opulence quite like Ashgabat, the capital city of Turkmenistan. With the highest concentration of white Italian marble clad buildings in the world, it also boasts of the world's largest indoor ferris wheel, world's largest star-shaped building, and the world's 5th tallest flagpole. Fireworks, both official --like the ones seen here -- and homemade ones, are commonly used to celebrate major holidays.

Turabek Khanum Mausoleum

Turkmenistan, Konye-Urgench, 2016. A pigeon flies over the Turabek Khanum Mausoleum in Konye-Urgench, Turkmenistan. The Turabek Khanum Mausoleum is named after the wife of Kutlug-Timur (ruled from 1321 to 1336), and is one of the largest and most impressive surviving buildings at the UNESCO site in Konye-Urgench. It is notable for its early use of beautiful mosaic faience and sophisticated architectural design.

Mosaic in Turabek Khanum Mausoleum

Turkmenistan, Konye-Urgench, 2016. The mosaic tile domed cealing of the main hall of the Turabek Khanum Mausoleum in Konye-Urgench, Turkmenistan. The Turabek Khanum Mausoleum is named after the wife of Kutlug-Timur (ruled from 1321 to 1336), and is one of the largest and most impressive surviving buildings at the UNESCO site in Konye-Urgench. It is notable for its early use of beautiful mosaic faience and sophisticated architectural design. The mosaic faience with its motifs of flowers and stars make the mausoleum difficult to accurately date, as there are no other surviving buildings of presumed building time which utilise this method.

Rug Weaver

A village woman hand weaves a large wool carpet. While this carpet bears the traditional Teke Tribe symbol, it uses a less-traditional white background (as opposed to the traditional red). The wool is hand spun, and dyed by the weaver and her family. The woman works from memory, no pattern is necessary, she says, because she has been weaving carpets for decades. She carefully, but quickly ties each knot; never wasting any of the precious spun wool. Off camera, the weaver's daughter explains that she is learning the family trade. She says she spends eight or more hours per day kneeling over carpets like this one, working along side her mother and trying to master her mother's technique and speed. "It's difficult work. It hurts your back. A lot of girls choose to go to the city to find a job." she says. A carpet this size will take the two of them several months to complete.

Ruhnama

Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 2017. A giant statue of the Ruhnama (The Book of the Soul) surrounded by a gold relief statue showcasing the glory of Ashgabat in Independence Park, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The Ruhnama was written by Turkmenistan's first dictator-president, Saparmurat Niyazov (president from 1990 to his death in 2006) as a spritual guide to the Turkmen people. It includes passages from Turkmenistan's most famous poet, Magtamguly, heroic "interpretations" of Turkmen history, as well as elements of Niyazov's life story. The Ruhnama became a large center piece for Niyazov's cult of personality within Turkmenistan. The book was required reading for schools, universities, and government organizations, and knowledge of the book was even required to pass the driving test. Niyazov reportedly said that any student who read the book three times would automatically get into heaven.

TV Tower in Winter

Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 2017. Turkmenistan TV Tower soars over the snow dusted foothills of the Kopetdag Mountains, the blue of the glass matching the blue of the sky. As with most government-owned buildings in Ashgabat, a giant portrait of the current president, Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedow, hangs just above the main entrance. The Turkmenistan TV Tower holds the distinct, if somewhat strange, honor of being the largest architectural image of a star in the Guinness Book of World Records. Built by the Turkish company, Polimeks, the tower is also the tallest structure in Turkmenistan. Polimeks says "This giant star that can be seen from miles away symbolizes the stability of the state of Turkmenistan, Turkmen traditions and customs. The tower also represents the innovative feature and the advance of an ascending country in communications." Unsurprisingly, the tower only services the tightly censored state-controlled media stations.

Wildflowers and Monuments

Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 2017. The Turkmenistan TV Tower and the Arch of Neutrality Monument stand in the foothills of the Kopetdag Mountains with a foreground of desert wildflowers. The TV Tower is the largest architectural image of a star in the Guinness Book of World Records. While the Arch of Neutrality Monument was built to honor the late president-dictator's adoption of positive neutrality as official political policy (it was also commissioned by and features a gold statue of the same president).

Mesmerizing Lines

Moon over Darvaza

Turkmenistan, Derweze, 2017. The cresent moon shines just after sunset over a silhouetted mountain near the fire crater, Darvaza (Derweze) in remote Turkmenistan.