Turkmenistan in a week: Ashgabat, Merv and Kunya-Urgench
A white-marble capital, the ruins of ancient Merv, an underground lake and a gas crater in the desert. How to see the highlights of one of Asia's most closed-off countries.
In this article
Turkmenistan is one of the least-explored countries in the world. It's harder to get into than its neighbors, but those who make it are rewarded with places unlike anything else: a city of white marble, ancient capitals and a fiery crater in the middle of the desert.
How to Get In
You need a visa, issued on the basis of an invitation letter. It's hard to arrange on your own, so nearly all travelers go through a tour operator, who handles the paperwork, guide and transportation.
Ashgabat: A City of White Marble
Turkmenistan's capital looks as if it was built yesterday: wide avenues, fountains, golden domes and buildings clad in white marble. Ashgabat even made the Guinness World Records as the city with the most marble buildings.
Near Ashgabat, in the Kopetdag foothills, lies the mountain village of Nokhur with its unusual cemeteries decorated with mountain goat horns, and the underground lake Kov-Ata, where the water stays bath-warm all year round.
Merv: A City Bigger Than Baghdad
In the Middle Ages, Merv was one of the largest cities in the world and a key Silk Road crossroads. Today it's a vast field of ruins covering dozens of square kilometers, listed by UNESCO.
Here you can see fortresses from different eras standing side by side — Erk Kala, Gyaur-Kala and Sultan Kala — and the 12th-century Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, which survived the Mongol invasion.
Darvaza: The “Gates of Hell”
The gas crater in the middle of the Karakum Desert is the country's most famous sight. It's about 70 meters across, and the fire inside has been burning for decades. The best time is after sunset: in the dark the flames are visible from afar, and at the very edge you feel heat like a giant bonfire. Visitors usually spend the night nearby in tents or yurts.
Kunya-Urgench: The Ancient Capital of Khorezm
In the north, near the Uzbek border, lie the ruins of Kunya-Urgench. Towering above them is the Kutlug-Timur Minaret, about 60 meters tall — the highest in Central Asia — and nearby stands the Turabek Khanum Mausoleum with its stunning mosaic dome.
How to Combine It
It's convenient to start in Ashgabat, travel through Merv and Darvaza north to Kunya-Urgench, then cross the border into Uzbekistan and continue on to Khiva. That way you fit two countries into one trip.
We've already turned this entire route into a tour “Turkmenistan: From Merv to Ashgabat” — with visa support, a guide and transportation the whole way.
