Turkmenistan

Places in Turkmenistan

• Ashgabat

  Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, is known as the 'City of White Marble' for its monumental white marble buildings designed under President Niyazov's vision. It offers a surreal, awe-inspiring cityscape reminiscent of Pyongyang, with grand monuments, museums, and parks.

  Atlas entry

• Balkanabat

  Balkanabat is a modest regional capital in Turkmenistan's Balkan Province, primarily useful as a stopover between the capital Ashgabat and the Caspian coast city of Turkmenbashi. Its real value lies in proximity to dramatic natural landscapes and historical sites, including Central Asia's most spectacular canyon and medieval Silk Road ruins.

  Atlas entry

• Daşoguz

  Daşoguz (also spelled Dashoguz) serves as the primary jumping-off point for visiting Konye Urgench, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and former capital of the Khoresm empire. The city itself is a Soviet-era administrative center with little to detain tourists beyond its market and dinosaur sculptures, but its strategic location near the Uzbek border makes it essential for travelers moving between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan destinations like Urgench and Khiva.

  Atlas entry

• Konye Urgench

  Konye Urgench is a UNESCO World Heritage Site preserving the ruins of the former capital of Khwarezmia, one of the most powerful medieval Islamic regions. The site holds the graves of legendary scholars including al-Khwarizmi (founder of algebra), al-Biruni, and Avicenna.

  Atlas entry

• Mary

  Mary is a provincial capital in southeastern Turkmenistan that most travelers visit solely as a base for exploring the UNESCO-listed Silk Road ruins of Merv, located 35 km to the east. The city itself offers little in terms of traditional tourism but provides essential transport connections and basic services for those venturing into the Karakum Desert region.

  Atlas entry

• Türkmenabat

  Türkmenabat (formerly Charjou until 1999) is the center of Eastern Turkmenistan and the country's second-largest city with about 270,000 inhabitants. The city serves as a convenient stopover on long overland routes connecting Bukhara in Uzbekistan, Mary/Merv, Dashogus, and the Köýtendag Nature Reserve.

  Atlas entry