Turkmenistan is the most bizarre of the Central Asian republics. With a gold statue of him available on every pedestal, several towns named after him and enough public portraits to fill several National Portrait Galleries, President Niyazov – otherwise known as Turkmenbasi (Head of all Turkmen) - has a personality cult that makes Lenin look shy and this appears to remain unabated following his death in December 2006.
Although the second largest Central Asian country, four-fifths of it comprises the Karakum desert, an inhospitable lunar-like desert that conceals unexploited oil and gas deposits. Though never a goal in itself, this barren land between the Caspian Sea and the Amu Darya passed from one empire to the other as armies decamped on their way to richer territories. Alexander the Great established a city on his way to India and in the 11th century the Seljuq Turks used Alexander's old city, Merv, as a base from which to expand their empire into Afghanistan. Two centuries later, the heart of the Seljuq Empire was torn out as Jenghiz Khan stormed down from the steppes into Trans-Caspia ruining the great cities of Merv and Konye-Urgench. Neither ever fully recovered.
While the empire-builders tussled, nomadic horsebreeding tribes of Turkmen drifted in searching for grazing on the edge of the Karakum desert and, from their oasis strongholds, they preyed on the caravans crossing the desert, pillaging goods and stealing slaves. It was only when they started kidnapping Russians from the strengthening tsarist empire that they fell into trouble. Military forces were sent to Trans-Caspia to rout the, by now, wildly uncontrollable tribes. Although resistance was strong initially, a series of massacres - most notably at Geok-Tepe where an estimated 7000 Turkmen were killed – weakened the Turkmen resolve and by 1894 Russia had secured all Trans-Caspia for the tsar.
Group Adventure Tours and Tailor-Made Holidays in Turkmenistan and on the Silk Road.
Turkmenistan remains by far the most unexplored country along the Silk Road. In this vast strip of land stretching between China and Persia, the Turkmen culture has preserved the nomadic and Shaman traditions and many items and periods associated with Silk Road cultures have emerged from the largely nomadic Turkmen.
Turkmenistan is a truly fascinating country with something for everyone from the archaeological ruins of Merv and Gonur Tepe to the surreal architecture of the capital city, Ashkabad
