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Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Author: Thepulin (public domain)


Turkmenistan is a vast, sparsely population country in Central Asia. It covers 488,100 sq km (188,456 sq mi), about the size of Spain, but has a population of 5.1 million people. The capital and largest city is Ashgabat.

Formerly a constituent state of the Soviet Union, Turkmenistan became an independent nation in 1991. It is bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Afghanistan to the southeast, and Iran to the south. It has a coastline facing the Caspian Sea to the west.


Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum, Konye-Urgench, Turkmenistan
Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum, Konye-Urgench, Turkmenistan
Author: Doron (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)

Guide to Turkmenistan Hotels

It's never easy finding the hotel that's just right for your stay. Still, by taking a little time to do your research, you increase your chance of getting a good hotel at the best price. Go through the list of hotels in Turkmenistan which we've put together, arranged city by city, with full description, star rating, address, location map and evaluation. Pick the hotel of your choice and view the rates offered by different booking sites. Yes, we show you prices from different websites, so you don't have to visit them one by one.

More about Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is five hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+5). Traffic is driven on the right here. The phone IDD code is +993. The official currency is the Turkmen new manat (TMT).

Kutlug Timur Minaret, Konye-Urgench, Turkmenistan
Kutlug Timur Minaret, Konye-Urgench, Turkmenistan
Author: Doron (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Turkmenistan is, on paper, a presidential republic, which is another way of saying that it is a dictatorship. It was ruled by President for Life Saparmurat Niyazov until his sudden death on 21 December, 2006. Since then, the government has been taken over by Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, who became president on 11 February, 2007.

Turkmenistan is a totalitarian state that is similar in composition to North Korea. It's a land where the ruler creates a personality cult around himself, where his face and statues line city streets. Opposition in any form is responded with severe punishment. Since President for Life abrupted died, his successor has begun moving the country out of the extremes of leader worship, though subtly replacing it with his own.

Planning your trip to Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan Airlines operate flights between Ashgabat with London. Lufthansa also flies there from Frankfurt.

Visitors to Turkmenistan should get a visa prior to arriving. You should also get vaccinations against diphteria, hepatitis A and B, measles, mumps, polio, rubella, tetanus, and varicella. Foreign visitors have to fill a registration card costing $12 which includes the departure card. The departure card must be presented when leaving the country.

 Darvaza Flaming Crater, Turkmenistan
Darvaza Flaming Crater, Turkmenistan
Author: flydime (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)






Major Cities in Turkmenistan

  1. Ashgabat - capital
  2. Balkanabat
  3. Daşoguz
  4. Türkmenabat
  5. Turkmenbashi

Places of Interest in Turkmenistan

  1. Altin Depe
  2. Anau
  3. Darvaza Flaming Crater
  4. Gonur Depe
  5. Jeitun
  6. Kow Ata Underground Sulfur Lake
  7. Merv
  8. Namazga Depe
  9. Nissa

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Turkmenistan

  1. State Historical and Cultural Park "Ancient Merv" (1999)
  2. Kunya-Urgench (2005)
  3. Parthian Fortresses of Nisa (2007)