Posted
on October 27, 2015
You
may not know much about Turkmenistan, but it was at the crossroads of
civilizations for hundreds of years. It was located on the Silk
Road. Caravans traveling between the Middle East, Africa, and Europe,
on the one hand, and China, on the other, often stopped in towns and cities in what is now Turkmenistan for
supplies and rest.
Ashgabat is the current capital. Ancient Merv was an important stop on "the Silk Road." |
Of
course, any region with that kind of important location is enticing
to empire-builders. From the Seljuk Empire to the Mongols to the
Russian Empire and eventually Soviet Union, many different groups
ruled over Turkmenistan. On this date in 1991, it declared
independence from the U.S.S.R., which was in a process of dissolving.
Now
that it is free from outside rulers, is Turkmenistan full of freedom
and liberty for all? No...sadly, it is one of the most repressive
countries in the world, with a bad human-rights record. Words like
“President for Life” and “election” are used in the same
sentence – which seems weird to me – and descriptions like
“draconian restrictions” and “unlimited power” make it clear
that there are no checks and balances, no independent press, no power
of the people.
By
the way, I am often disappointed by how often “mainstream” media
in the U.S. covers news – but looking at the World Press Freedom Index and map created by “Reporters Without Borders” makes
me realize that we in the U.S. could do better, but we enjoy far more
freedom than many! And anyone who has unfettered access to the
internet can dig for unbiased information.
I
don't suggest touring Turkmenistan – who wants to travel to a
nation that treats even its own people badly? – but someday, if it
ever becomes stable, here are some of the beauties we might enjoy:
Door
to Hell
This
part of a natural gas field probably should not have been drilled –
because it collapsed into an underground cavern in 1971.
Of course,
that's a problem – a crater filled with deadly methane gas? What
could go wrong?
So geologists set it on fire. I read that they
expected the excess gas to burn off in just a couple of days.
But
it has been burning continuously ever since!
Yep,
for 44 year the fire has been burning! Looking at the photos, I see
why it is called the Door to Hell. (Some call it the Gate to Hell,
and one source called it the Mouth of Hell! It's also called, very
appropriately, the Crater of Fire.)
Oh,
and despite the fact that Turkmenistan doesn't seem to me to be
exactly a tourists' paradise, more than 50 thousand visitors have
visited the Door to Hell in the last five years alone!
One
guy even went down into the pit! If you want to find out how (and
why!), check out this well-photographed article.
Merv
This
ancient city was probably the largest in the world for a short time,
waaaaaayyy back in the 1100s.
Now
it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
If
you like ancient ruins (and I do!), you'd love this place.
The Great Icehouse, outside (above), and inside (below). |
The
Karakum Desert
Gorgeous
Landscapes...and Architecture...and People...
Also
on this date:
Plan
ahead:
Check
out my Pinterest boards for:
And
here are my Pinterest boards for:
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