Tour leader Antonia Morris recently returned from leading our Cities of the Silk Road group tour. Below Antonia reflects on her time in Turkmenistan.
Our journey now heads towards Mary in Turkmenistan, with the heat ever increasing and the temperature rising to the high 30s. As luck would have it, at the border we found a friendly 'man with a van' which fortunately avoided the need to have to walk the kilometre of no man's lands in the scorching heat. After showing our passports more than a dozen times and having every inch of our luggage checked we continued our journey south, where the land became a sea of sand and shrubs as we entered the vast expanse of the Karakum Desert.
Turkmenistan is a land full of surprises with cities of white marble and modern monuments built for giants amidst lands where camel caravans once passed through and battles were fought within areas of never-ending desert. We were surrounded by forever smiling people and women with headdresses, which increased with size as we got nearer to Ashgabat, and were matched by outrageously high heeled stilettos – the current fashion statement clearly being "size does matter"!
Our destination that day was Mary, a now relatively modern city following the massive earthquake in 1948. Our long straight road through the Karakum Desert gave us sites of old caravanserais and herds of camels and, as we neared the city, fields of cotton pickers dotted the landscape. On arrival, our hotel in the centre of town stood out like a beacon, flashing in neon multicoloured lights, situated next to a flagpole of epic proportions. With rooms on the top (15th) floor we had views looking over the illuminated city with the impressive Gurbanguly Hajji Mosque taking centre stage.
It was here that we could visit the awe-inspiring ancient cities of Merv and Gonur. As spirituality in central Asia is still strong, wishing trees are a common anomaly in these parts, a ritual where locals tie pieces of fabric to a tree or branch and leave their wish, usually for good health; the widely photographed tree in Merv (above) illustrates this perfectly.
Having soaked up the atmosphere of Mary and its surroundings we headed to the infamous capital city of Ashgabat and home to the tallest flagpole in the world – towering a mighty 133 metres!. As we entered the town at dusk our jaws dropped to the ground; fountains adorned every corner, large gold statues towered high above and the dazzling white marble city was lit up by a million and one lights of every colour and variety.
Our trip also timed perfectly with the wedding season and brides dressed in the most ornate bejewelled dresses of varying styles and shapes could be seen with their grooms throughout the city posing for their wedding photographs amongst the famous monuments and statues.
After visiting the impressive ancient parathion city of Nisa and seeing the elegant, strong and incredibly silky to touch Akhal-Teke horses, we continued our journey to the centre of the desert. Here we witnessed the seemingly eternal burning fire pit of the Darvaza Gas Crater and, after retiring to our sleeping bags, we were able to lie in our tents watching the red glow of the fire pit under a clear view of the Milky Way in all its glory; a perfect ending to another perfect day.
A very early start the following day took us north all the way to the poorest part of the country and where, although now mostly underground, the old city of Konya Urgench still has a few visible monuments which have stood the test of time and provide an idea of the city’s former glories. Heading on to the border we ended our trip in Uzbekistan’s dazzling city of Khiva, where every corner produced an array of beautifully preserved mosaics and tiles, the blues of which were a stark contrast against the terracotta buildings and a perfect foreground against the cloudless blue sky. It was also an ideal place to have a cup of proper coffee!
We then had to say goodbye to this amazing part of the world which provided such an array of adventure, excitement, wonder and awe. With the cities hosting such a complex and interesting history we left with an instant urge to return...
