October 27 – Independence Day in Turkmenistan

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:





















World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
 





Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:



8 comments:

  1. Really, the content that you have put in your post is very beautiful and thoughtfully it is a very good post, I would like to read such post again and again, it gives me a lot of inspiration.
    Escorts Servcie Sector 31
    Gurugram desi girls

    Housewife escort services Gurugram
    Noida Escorts

    ReplyDelete
  2. Really, the content that you have put in your post is very beautiful and thoughtfully it is a very good post, I would like to read such post again and again, it gives me a lot of inspiration.
    Escorts Servcie Sector 31
    Gurugram desi girls

    Housewife escort services Gurugram
    Noida Escorts

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very good post is a post, you salute me, I think on your thinking that I should make a nice block like you but then when I look at your blog, I think I will not be able to be like you.Can you tell if this recipe was on my Instagram account.
    Call Girls Gurugram
    Sushant Lok Escorts Service
    Escorts Service Sector 41
    Call Girl Manesar
    Escorts Service Dlf Phase 1
    Indepandant Call Girl Phase 2
    Dlf City Phase 3 Area Escorts
    Escorts Service Phase 4
    Call Girls Phase 5
    Bhiwadi Escorts Service

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very good post is a post, you salute me, I think on your thinking that I should make a nice block like you but then when I look at your blog, I think I will not be able to be like you.Can you tell if this recipe was on my Instagram account.

    Hello Call Girls Gurugram
    Delhi Escorts Service
    Russian Escorts Gurugram
    Call Girls Noida
    Call Girls In Vaishali
    Call Girls In Manesar
    Call Girls Indirtapuram
    Call Girls Dlf Phase-3

    ReplyDelete
  5. Today, when I saw your article, I felt that we are in a different world. It seems like this is a dream, I love articles like this, I also feel that I should do it too but I can't do it 'Your article is really amazing.

    Call Girls in Gurgaon
    Call Girls Suraj Kund
    Call Girls Medicity
    Call Girls M.G Road
    Call Girls samaspur
    South City Escorts Service
    Gurgaon Escorts Service
    Call Girls Aerocity
    Call Girls Cyber City

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is a good comment, it is an inspiration for today's youth, when we see such comments, we get to learn a lot from such articles. Can you write an article on a delightful subject which is such an article. I want to thank them.
    Manesar Escorts Service
    Call Girls In Surazkund
    Bhiwadi Escorts Service
    Call Girls Huda City Center
    Manesar Escorts Service
    Gurugram Call Girls
    Guurgram Call Girls
    Gurugram Call Girls
    Call Girls Gurugram

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you so much, nice to see such a post to write such a beautiful post, and when I saw this post of yours, I was very happy to see its design and when I read it, I love to appreciate it. Because those who write such a beautiful post must get credit for it.

    Premium Girls Laxman Vihar
    Seductive Girls Madan Puri
    Hot Girls Mainwali Colony
    Jaily GirlsMailbu Town
    Zero Figure Girls Sector M1

    ReplyDelete
  8. When I am alone, I come to see your comments. It is a very good comment, how strange is your loneliness in this city, there are thousands of people but no one is like that. One is changed because you are not there, yesterday even the sunlight did not come on the wall. Thank you from my heart

    ReplyDelete