Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Yesterday the journey to the Silk Road began with the usual disruptions at the Dutch Railways. A cancelled train causes a 45-minute delay heading to Schiphol. Fortunately, check-in goes smoothly, and the flight via Istanbul brings me to Ashgabat early in the morning. Bureaucracy upon arrival takes some time and money; due to extra taxes.
My driver takes me to the Sport Hotel. Ashgabat turns out to be a surreal, white marble city. Everything here is white: the buildings, the traffic lights, and all the cars. During a walk through Independence Park, it is striking how empty everything is, despite hundreds of fountains running. I visit the Ruhnama Monument and the National Museum of Turkmenistan, which is filled with glorifications of the nations leader, but luckily also showcases interesting ancient history. In the evening, I meet the Intrepid group for an excellent dinner at the Mall. We wrap up the day with a beer on the rooftop bar and a walk around the illuminated Olympic Stadium.
The next day an intensive city tour is on the agenda with our guide, a true patriot. We stop at the impressive 118-meter-high Independence Monument, the Ertugrul Gazi Mosque, and the Neutrality Monument. Trying to have lunch with traditional pilaf at a fancy spot fails because it is unavailable despite our reservation, but a local restaurant offers an excellent alternative.
After lunch, we take a short excursion to Old Nisa, the remains of a fortress from the first century BC. Although the great earthquake of 1948 destroyed a lot, the remnants of the walled fortress provide a good impression. We end the day in the Berk beer garden.
Friday, after a morning stroll around the Olympic stadiums, we depart around noon in three off-road vehicles heading north. The road is notoriously bad; we bump through potholes for hours, drive half on the shoulder, or take sandy tracks through the desert.
Along the way, we first stop at the water crater and the mud crater, but the highlight is the burning Darvaza gas crater. We drop our gear in the tents and walk over to the crater. The flames bursting from the ground are impressive, though it was supposedly more intense in the past. It is scorching hot; during the day, the thermometer hits 42°C, and at night, it stays at 37°C.
The next day an early start at 5:30 AM. The drive further north is, if possible, even worse. The bumps are so violent that a massive jolt triggers the side airbag in one of the other cars. Luckily, no one is injured, and the trip can continue after some makeshift repairs with duct tape.
Near Konye-Urgench, we visit the historical remains of the old city, which was once destroyed by the Mongols. We view the ancient gate, the mausoleums of Fakhr ad-Din Razi and Sultan Tekesh, and the tall minaret. The beautiful tilework inside the mausoleum of Turabek Khanum is unfortunately covered in scaffolding, but we catch a glimpse through a window opening. Afterward, we drive to the border at Dasoguz. After completing the necessary stamps, we leave Turkmenistan and travel onward to Uzbekistan.
