There are more than 200 countries in the world. So it is obvious that we don’t know anything about most of them. And Turkmenistan is one of them. Given below are some amazing Turkmenistan facts that will somehow make you fall in love with this country.
Turkmenistan is a country in Central Asia. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Iran are its neighbors.
Turkmenistan has small population
When it comes to Asia Turkmenistan is the least populated country. Its population is 5.758 million which is the lowest in central Asia. Turkmenistan got independence from Soviet union in 1991. So it is not that old country.
The Country is 70% Desert
Most of the country is desert. Karakum desert cover more than half of the Turkmenistan’s land area. The other name of karakum desert is black sand desert. Its name black desert is due to the presence of dark soil that lies beneath the sandy surface.
Fourth Largest Natural Gas Resources
That’s right, World’s fourth largest natural gas reserves are present in Turkmenistan. Since its independence from Soviet Union the government provide free water, electricity and natural gas to the citizens. How cool is this! The citizens don’t have to pay any charges for these facilities.
Ashgabat is the Capital of Turkmenistan
Ashgabat is the largest and capital city of Turkmenistan. Another name for this city is Poltoratsk. This city is located between the KaraKum desert and the Kopet Dag mountain range. The city is home to one of the most famous mosque of Asia known as Kipchak mosque or also called as “Turkmenbashi Ruhy Mosque”.
In 1948, an earthquake destroyed much of the city. But now the renovation projects have removed all the signs of that horrific earthquake.
Official Name of the Country
“Republic of Turkmenistan” is the official name of Turkmenistan. The word Turkmenistan combines two words together, Turkmen comes from ‘Turk’ and the Persian word ‘stan’. So Turkmenistan means Turk place.
Least Visited Country in the World
Turkmenistan is among the least visited countries in the world. Although the country has some amazing tourist destinations but complex visa requirements make it difficult for the tourists to visit Turkmenistan. The visitors need to contact the tour agencies.
Hottest Day in Turkmenistan
Because most of the part of Country is desert so temperature is normally high during day time. But in July 1983, highest recorded temperature in Repetek Reserve was 50 C.
Guinness World Record
Ashgabat holds Guinness world record for having the highest number of white marble buildings. Due to enormous number of white marble building the city is named as white city.
Turkmenistan Facts about Melon Holiday
It is really hard to believe that melons grow in Turkmenistan. Because this country is mostly desert. But Turkmenistan produce most sweet and high quality melons. Turkoman admire these melons so much that they celebrate Melon holiday every year. The melon holiday is observed on second Sunday of August. Everybody eat melons on this day.
Plov is the National Meal of Turkmenistan
Just like every country, the national dish of Turkmenistan is plov. This delicious dish contain rice, meat, carrots and lots of spices cooked in a pot. Plov is a must-have dish in weddings, social gatherings and on every special occasion.
Turkmenistan’s First Satellite was Launched in 2015
As the first satellite was launched in 2015, the same year government banned the satellite channels to stop Turkoman to connect from international media. Due to these weird laws and restrictions Turkmenistan is regarded as a repressive country.
Saparmurat Niyazov’s Book
Saparmurat Niyazov, president of Turkmenistan from 1999 to 2006, wrote a book named Ruhnama. This book contain stories and different Sufi poems. The main purpose of writing this book is to guide the nation by creating a positive image of Turkoman( people of Turkmenistan ). Ruhnama became so famous that now it is taught in schools, colleges and universities.
Ruhnama is also called “The Book of the Soul“.
Turkmen Wear Special Hats
Turkmen wear special hats called ‘Telpek‘. These are large black hats made with sheepskin. The national dress of Turkmen women is Koynek( a dress ), underpants known as balaq and a headdress. In some regions, the women have an indoor coat known as Kurte and another coat for outdoor wear Chyrpy.
Weird Laws Imposed by Saparmurat Niyazov
Here are some strange laws imposed by Saparmurat Niyazov are as follows
- Turkmenbashi or president for life give the order to close all libraries that were outside the capital. He believed that all Turkmen are illiterate.
- Moreover he banned news anchors from wearing any kind of makeup.
- He disallow men from growing long hair and facial hair as well.
- In the year 2005, Turkmenbashi outlaw lip syncing at concerts.
- He named the days of week after the name of her family members.
- Turkmenbashi banned dogs from the capital, Ashgabat, because of their bad odor.
- The president also prohibit smoking in public and in all government sectors.
- He banned circus and opera in his term but in 2008, the ban reversed.
- In 2004, Turkmenbashi disbanded more than 15,000 health workers from their duties. Later he ordered to close all hospitals outside the capital. Because he wanted people to come to the capital for treatment.
Largest Ferris Wheel
Turkmenistan has the honor of having the largest Indoor Ferris Wheel. The weight of this wheel is 150 tons. The indoor Ferris wheel is present in Alem-Center Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The wheel has a diameter 1687 feet. It is 156 feet high. The wheel has 24 cabins. Each cabin is 6-seater.
The Kugitang Nature Reserve
The Kugitang mountains located on the border of Turkmenistan is home to Kugitang Nature Reserve. This mountain range has distinctive ecosystem. This nature reserve is habitat of wild red goat. These wild goats are now included in list of endangered species. So to protect this specie the government has declared the area a nature reserve.
The reserve has another interesting feature of having more than 400 footprints of Dinosaurs. These footprints are 150 million years old. Many researchers believe that these footprints are of Megalosaurus, a species of dinosaurs.
Door to Hell Turkmenistan
Darvaza gas crater, also known as gate to hell or door to hell is present in Ahal province, Turkmenistan. This crater has largest gas reserves. In 1971, the soviet engineers identified this gas reserve. They noticed dangerous gases are emitting from this hole. So they decided to burn the excessive gases. The engineers thought the gas would burn within few weeks but it is still burning.
Carpets in Turkmenistan
Carpets of Turkmenistan are famous around the world. Turkmenistan carpets are misnamed Bukhara carpets, where they are sold. As carpet is the cultural symbol of Turkmenistan, so there is a Ministry of Carpets. If someone wants to buy a carpet he has to complete all the paperwork to buy one. Moreover, the perfection of an unmarried women lies in her ability of how well she wove a carpet.
In addition to this, five major designs belonging to five famous Turkmen group is depicted on the flag.
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