Buzz
From the Holy land of Mashhad in the Islamic world, I took a taxi to Sarakhs, a border city in Razavi Khorasan province of Iran, heading towards Turkmenistan.
Covering a stretch of 178 km, it took me just about 2 hours to reach the border. Iran's infrastructure is quite impressive, even though the terrain here has slightly changed in altitude. I swiftly completed the visa procedures at the border with an invitation letter prepared in advance from Vietnam.
Currently, there are two overland border crossings from Iran to Turkmenistan that travelers can utilize. One is from Mashhad, where tourists can take a taxi to the small town of Quchan and then another taxi covering an additional 60 km to reach the border area with Turkmenistan. This route is often chosen by foreign tourists who want to explore the capital, Ashgabat, first. It's a popular choice among many international travelers.
The second option is the one I experienced. I took a taxi to Sararkhs and crossed the border directly, from there taking a ride to the city of Mary. Few tourists opt for this method, as they mainly want to visit the capital of Turkmenistan. However, this route is quite appealing to bikers, as the road from Mashhad to Sararkhs is breathtaking, with challenging hilly terrains for travelers to experience.
After completing the exit procedures on the Iranian side, I boarded a bus serving in this area, transporting across the border to the Turkmenistan side for a cost of 100,000 rials (75,000 dong), covering a distance of approximately 5 km. This is equivalent to the fare I paid for a shared taxi from Mashhad to Sarakhs.
Given the limited foreign tourist traffic in this border area, the immigration procedures for them, including the various forms of transporting bicycles across the border and visa processing at the checkpoint, may not be as smoothly handled by the immigration officers. I arrived at the border area at 10 am, undergoing several security checks such as body temperature, luggage inspection, photography, manually recording entry information in the guard's log... and only then submitted the formal visa application.
I was directed to pay the entry fee and service fee for the bank at the adjacent counter before returning to the visa approval area. After a few small waits due to power outages, customs officers having lunch breaks, and time spent calling the travel agency where I requested an invitation letter service, I returned to the adjacent counter to pay the approved visa fee of 55 USD and a 2 USD bank fee. By 1 pm, I held my passport with a freshly stamped Turkmenistan visa, rushing out the gate to find transportation to Mary.
The weather in Turkmenistan on that day was said to be the hottest since the beginning of summer. I saw the temperature displayed on the driver's vehicle as 43 degrees Celsius. Despite over half a day of travel, processing, and relentless Middle Eastern heat, when I received the visa, it seemed like I had forgotten everything. So, I finally made it to what can be considered the most isolated country in Central Asia to begin the journey of exploring the famous Silk Road landmarks.
Turkmenistan boasts 3 UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites all situated along the Silk Road: the architectural complex of Kunya Urgench, the Parthian Fortresses of Nisa located 18 km southwest of the capital Ashgabat, and the archaeological site of Merv near the city of Mary with a history spanning thousands of years. Among them, Merv is regarded as a crucial oasis city on the Silk Road, connecting with the economic, political, and religious center of Bukhara in Uzbekistan at that time. I plan to visit Merv and then fly back to the capital, Ashgabat, considered the most beautiful capital in Central Asia.
The journey began as the vehicle took me across the desert terrain to reach the beautiful city of Mary. This is a typical provincial city in Turkmenistan, home to around 200,000 inhabitants and predominantly built in the Soviet style with interconnected railway lines and high-rise and low-rise apartment buildings.
However, the entire city is planned with wide roads and a unique architectural system featuring monuments, squares, markets, and churches. Just spending one day in Mary, I could still feel the grace and antiquity similar to any European city. A notable aspect is that everywhere I looked, I saw portraits of the current president as a true hero of the people of Turkmenistan.
The next day, I dedicated a full day to explore the ancient site of Merv, around 40 km from the city of Mary. This archaeological marvel once held a crucial position during the Persian Empire, reaching its pinnacle of prosperity under Turkic leadership in the 12th century. By 1221, Merv began a gradual decline after being ravaged by Mongol forces in a punitive campaign, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties. During the reign of the Russian Tsars, Merv was rediscovered and unearthed after centuries of neglect.
I climbed the highest hill in the area, gazing across to envision a Merv that spanned thousands of years of history, once the world's most populous city, now reduced to the earthen walls enclosing a vast area in the KaraKum desert.
Currently, Turkmenistan ranks fifth globally in natural gas and oil reserves. Consequently, fuel and gas costs are very affordable. The common means of transportation between cities are trains or planes. I decided to try air travel in this Central Asian country when a local friend I met in Mary mentioned that, during the time of the former President Niyazov, airfare in Turkmenistan was very cheap, around 15-20 USD for a one-way trip from Mary to Ashgabat. Now it might have increased slightly due to somewhat challenging economic conditions. I was advised to buy tickets directly from the airport since the demand for travel by the people or tourists in Turkmenistan is quite low.
The capital, Ashgabat, welcomed me with slightly milder weather, as it is adjacent to the border with Iran, where high mountains provide shade. The city is relatively modern, as the taxi driver explained, thanks in part to the tenure of the first post-Soviet President, Niyazov. He laid the initial foundation for the miraculous transformation of Ashgabat and Turkmenistan.
After his passing in 2006, the current President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov continued the beautification of the capital to make Ashgabat the most beautiful city in Central Asia. The common sights in Ashgabat include buildings made of marble with modern, intricate architecture, adorned with golden roofs, along with a wide network of inner-city roads, expansive square areas, colossal fountains, and statues of President Niyazov and images of the current president displayed prominently everywhere.
After exploring Ashgabat, I decided to venture to the 'Door to Hell,' located 280 km north of the capital. It's a desolate place without daily bus routes, so I opted to hire a 4-seater car for a day trip. In reality, the 'Door to Hell' is a massive gas crater. During the Soviet era, when Soviet geologists conducted exploratory drilling in the Karakum desert, they accidentally punctured underground layers containing gas.
Concerned about the potential spread of toxic gas, they decided to ignite the crater in hopes of burning off the released gas, expecting the fire to extinguish within a few weeks. However, for over 40 years, no Turkmenistan expert has been able to extinguish this fire. In return, the everlasting flames at the mouth of the Darvaza artificial volcano have become a symbol of Turkmenistan's vast reserves of natural gas, earning the nickname 'Door to Hell' as the smoldering flames persist in the desolate desert.
The driver informed me that the country's president had ordered to seal the crater to ensure the safety of nearby residents, but so far, no viable solution has been found. For tourists like me, experiencing the 'Door to Hell' is a stroke of luck, as who knows, in the future, it might disappear permanently due to human intervention.
A week passed swiftly in the mysterious land of Turkmenistan, blending both past and present. Parting ways with the cheerful and optimistic people of Turkmenistan, I embark on a new journey from the city of Turkmenabat, the northern gateway of Turkmenistan, to explore the fascinating stories of the 'camel traders' around the four famous heritage cities in Uzbekistan.
Source: Zing News
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Reference: Travel guide Mytour
MytourSeptember 11, 2015
