Ashgabat
Offering the best value in the city at this price, the Hotel Aziya's rooms are enormous and come complete with flat-screen TV, good Turkmen carpets and eye-wateringly tasteless furniture. Despite the hotel's large size, there are just eight rooms – the rest of the building houses offices. To get into town, take bus 19 to Görogly köçesi or bus 34 to the station.
There’s a good Chinese restaurant here too, but otherwise you're somewhat out of the city centre on the edge of Berzengi.
0.51 MILES
Looking like a lost palace in the urban desert, the National Museum occupies a striking position in front of the Kopet Dag. It’s actually a collection of…
3.78 MILES
At the centre of Ashgabat is the enormous Independence Square, on which sits the golden-domed Palace of Turkmenbashi (the place of work of the former…
1.68 MILES
Once the centrepiece of Niyazov's Ashgabat, the Arch of Neutrality was erected to celebrate the Turkmen people's unsurprisingly unanimous endorsement of…
2.95 MILES
While there’s a limit to the number of rugs the average visitor can stand, the central exhibit, the world’s largest handwoven rug, really is something to…
3.76 MILES
The Museum of Fine Arts is located in an impressive building with a big rotunda, two tiers and lots of gold. The collection contains some great Soviet…
1.08 MILES
The Altyn Asyr Shopping Centre is the curious pyramidal shopping centre at the northern end of Independence Park. The Monument to the Independence of…
4.08 MILES
The statue of Lenin, in a small park off Azadi köçesi, is a charmingly incongruous assembly of a tiny Lenin on an enormous and very Central Asian plinth…
4.94 MILES
This Soviet-era circus building, which resembles a flying saucer, has been 'Turkmenised' with a coating of white marble. It's definitely worth a look if…
0.51 MILES
Looking like a lost palace in the urban desert, the National Museum occupies a striking position in front of the Kopet Dag. It’s actually a collection of…
2. Monument to the Independence of Turkmenistan
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This is a popular spot for wedding groups to take photographs with a golden statue of Turkmenbashi. Nearby is a trippy giant copy of Niyazov's once…
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Taking a leaf out of Kim Jong-il’s book, the Turkmenbashi Museum houses all the gifts and awards presented to former President Niyazov by various people…
1.04 MILES
Beyond the southern end of Independence Park is the huge, golden domed Palace of Knowledge: three large buildings that include a library, concert hall and…
1.08 MILES
The Altyn Asyr Shopping Centre is the curious pyramidal shopping centre at the northern end of Independence Park. The Monument to the Independence of…
1.68 MILES
Once the centrepiece of Niyazov's Ashgabat, the Arch of Neutrality was erected to celebrate the Turkmen people's unsurprisingly unanimous endorsement of…
2.95 MILES
While there’s a limit to the number of rugs the average visitor can stand, the central exhibit, the world’s largest handwoven rug, really is something to…