Geographically this is
the most western of all
the stans, but
culturally it sure
isn't. The turkmen never
formed a real nation and
only settled in recent
history in cities - if
they did at all. Most of
the cities in
Turkmenistan were
founded by non Turkmen,
but by the Russians,
Iranians and even
Alexander the Great.
If you are not an oil
man, maybe the most
important reason to
visit Turkmenistan would
be not the sights, but
the people and their age
old nomad tradition of
hospitatility. They can
be hard to reach with
stranger at first, but
when they open up,
anything goes.
Ashgabat the capital
city is probably your
point of arrival. It is
filled with monuments in
the honour of the
president Turkmenbasi.
Mary has the ruins of
the old Persian town of
Merv and is worth a
visit as well.
