ASHGABAT, the capital of Turkmenistan. We had the pleasure (if you look at it that way) to spent (7) days in the city.

This building is nick named a female part (we leave it up to your own imagination).

Ashgabat was almost completely destroyed in the 1948 earthquake.

The current and former ruler have made it their mission to rebuilt the entire city with palaces, huge golden statues and white marble highrises.

The Independance Park is in walking distance from our hotel.

The grand entrance to ...

...the 24/7 guarded golden statue of the President.

Beyond the statue is the so called plunger or Monument to the Independence of Turkmenistan.

Many more statues of famous Turkmenistan People...

... are displayed around the Monument.

The famous RUHNAMA BOOK was written and published by former President Niyazov.

The Altyn Shopping Centre and the Minera Restaurant on the top floor are located in this pyramid shaped fountain structure.

Her husband wanted us to take a picture of his beautiful 41 year old wife. They have (3) grown up children.

On our way back to the hotel, we are blinded by all the lit buildings.

It is like walking through a deserted movie set, a facade with nothing behind it.

The Monument to the Independence of Turkmenistan changes colors. Every fountain and even the golden statue is brightly lit up.

The apartment blocks that line the perfect manicured super highways, 3-lanes wide in one direction are barren of people and vehicles. During the early morning hours hundreds of women are on the streets with brooms cleaning away.

May 30, 2010. We get on this bus and head 8km north of Ashgabat.

Passengers kept on getting on the bus, heading the same way as we were.

Our goal was to reach the TOLKUCHKA BAZAAR, which is most impressive on Saturday and Sunday.

We arrive after 9am and the bazaar is in full swing.

At first we tried to keep track of the direction we were walking, but we soon realized that it was hopeless.

It is truly enormous and covers a huge area. Sections are covered by make shift tarps to allow for some shade.

There is no shortage of great food.

Our favourite, Plov.

Ruby can not resist some Samsa (meat pie) for breakfast.

The bazaar is kind of divided into sections. Here we enter the carpet section.

Sometimes, spices or nuts are also for sale in the carpet section...

...as can be seen here.

The carpet on the farest right is a typical Turkmenistan Designed Carpet.

Rows and rows of carpets.

We watch as a older woman fixes a carpet.

Then around the corner there is the car parts section.

It is amazing what you can find here once you take a closer look.

This colorful area is the fabric section.

The area is packed with women buying silk for their pretty dresses. This bazaar is not to be missed and a great experience.

June 01, 2010. 4:45am, part two of our escorted tour by StanTours begins. We are taking the 6:40am 40 minute flight to Mary, which only costs $15.00/person.

We travel to the ancient site of MERV, straight from the airport.

Our first stop was the small Margush Archaeological Museum at the ticket booth, ...

...it also displays some information regarding Gonur, a place we would visit the following day.

Pilgrims are present at the shrine of the Mausoleum of Mohammed ibn Zeid.

A very old man sits on a carpet, and we are able to take a picture of him.

A weathered face and eyes that have seen a lot of change.

A typical water cistern,...

...still used today (but we will not try it).

Entering the Mausoleum of Mohammed ibn Zeid.

The only pictures of Merv that can be easily found on the internet are of the Great Kyz Kala.

This koshk is located outside the main walls...

...and date to the 7th century AD.

Inside the structure.

The walls are crumbling ...

...and we wonder how many more years it will take before it all erodes.

We catch a glimpse of a donkey pulling a carriage from our view point.

Only a few meters away is the smaller Kyz Kala.

From afar it looks more in ruins, but the inside actually has some great examples of rooms.

A look across the plains to the Great Kyz Kala.

Old Merv is spread out over a large area. Another important pilgrimage site is the Mausoleums of two Askhab.

In walking distance is another water cistern.

The structure was built by reusing building material from other ancient buildings. (Something that we have seen in many other empires)

In the distance our next destination...

...the Sultan Kala.

This picture was taken at the turn of the 19th century.

The Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar has been recently restored.

The inside of the Mausoleum.

The dome.

Archaeologists are not sure of the purpose of this building.

There are (3) theories. Either a libary, grain storage or...

...a secret meeting place, as there are no windows.

In the distance we can make out the remains of the walled city of Sultan Kala.

We climb to the top of the citadel...

...for a 360Degree view of the area.

Excavation here expose the base of an old mosque.

Archaeologists have exposed portion of the walled city...

...showing the different layers/periods of construction.

Over the years the walls grew to a massive size.

Only a small portion of the wall has been exposed.

This is one of several large ice houses.

It is in a domed shaped and could keep ice cold for up to 2-years.

After our visit to Merv, we return to Mary to check out the new Museum.

In Mary we are staying at the Hotel Rahat. There is never anyone at reception, therefore Ruby pretended to be in charge for a while.

Our huge room.

June 02, 2010. Another early start, we are picked up at 5:30am from the hotel by a Russian VW look-a-like vehicle. This is an amazing machine and seems to go everywhere, it has huge clearance.

It is a 2 1/2 hour drive to Gonur. The last hour is just a bumpy trail.

GONUR, another UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the largest archeological digs in recent time.

The ancient settlement called the Marigana Oasis dates back 5000 years.

Without any doubt the site is truly fascinating.

The scale of excavation (dirt removal) can clearly be seen by an area left at original elevation with a tree still present.

Ceramic pottery can be found everywhere.

The following pictures are only a glimpse of how much...

...pottery (complete and broken) pieces are scattered around the entire site.

The museum in Ashgabat has a reconstruction model of Gonur.

All the major discoveries from the excavation are displayed at the Ashgabat museum.

Each room comes with a unique fire place, one area for the fire and beside it an area for the lamb/meat.

In this pit, pottery was fired. The heat generated can clearly be seen by the green solidified column in the centre.

The crumbling walls of the palace.

Portion of the walls have been rebuilt to preserve the site. In the foreground irrigation piping has been exposed.

A piece of irrigation pipe.

There is still a lot of unknowns, as no written inscriptions have been found.

Archaeologists do not know the purpose of these crypt like channels.

Current excavation is still on-going.

Our guide for Gonur, Yevgenia Golubeva. Her expertise of the Gonur site made this excursion priceless.

Recent excavation uncovered graves of horses with offerings.

The pottery excavated are flawless, skillfully manufactured with thin walls. It is hard to believe that they were produced in the 3rd millennium BC, as quality like that can only be found today from a factory.

Most of the pottery has no motives or decorations. Ceramic pots decorated with figures were used to prepare the special magic drink. Archaeologists were able to determine the ingredients of the drink, as they found residues inside some of the pottery.

Now enclosed for preservation in a building the grave site of a camel ...

...and five (5) dogs ...

...with four (4) bronze chariot wheels dating to the 3rd millennium BC is most impressive.

A close up of the skeleton of the camel.

There was no shortage of little creatures on site.

Colorful Geckos.

We even encountered a large hairy black spider at least 15cm in length.

We meet Michael with his Mercedes overland vehicle in Mary, who also uses StanTours.

June 03, 2010. We travel from Mary to Ashgabat. It is an approx. (7) hour drive.

Enroute we stop at ABIWERD, an ancient settelement.

The outer fortress wall are now only large mounts.

Another stop is ANUR. The sign shows what the mosque used to look like.

The ruins of a 15th century mosque are still visible.

It was destroyed by the 1948 earthquake.

Today it is another pilgrimage place. Women who want children place home made craddles at the mosque.

People take mud blobs rub it against an area that hurts on their body and then slap it against the wall. It is to remove the hurt from the injured body and transfer it to the wall.

Steps lead to a former water cistern.

Now it is another place for pilgrims to visit.

June 04, 2010. We visit the Ashagbat National Museum.

The museum has a great exhibition of artifacts found at Nissa, Merv and Gonur and especially interesting once the archaeological sites have been seen in person.

June 06, 2010. We left Ashgabat in the afternoon heading north into the Karakum Desert.

Approx. 160km north of Ashgabat we enter the village of JERBENT, ...

...which gives us the opportunity to walk among the sandy streets and yurts.

Children follow every step we make, excitingly posing for pictures.

Underground cisterns are located beside yurts which collect rain water from the roof.

Bread is baked in traditional large earthen oven called tamdyr.

Camels are kept fenced in, as they are an essential part of the day to day life.

A baby camel.

We are able to witness a woman milking a camel.

Walking further we are able to see more women harvesting milk from the camels.

The baby camel has to wait its turn.

After a few more kilometers down the road we turn to look at a massive sinkhole, containing water.

A result of a Russian Gas Exploration, created during Russian's occupation.

Then another crater with bubbling mud.

Located almost halfway between Ashgabat and Konye-Urgench and about 5km of the main road turn-off, a very sandy track through sand dunes lead to the crater.

We set up camp for the night.

Our first visit to the DARVAZA GAS CRATER is in the day light.

Pictures are not able to capture the shear size of the crater or the intense heat that suddenly hits you like a blazing furnace ...

...when getting too close to the edge.

The crater is another result of a gas exploration gone wrong.

The Russians left the site unattended with gas gushing out until scared locals ignited it one day.

Oleg and the driver prepare dinner.

Michelle and Michiel, the Dutch couple, who spent the second half of our tour through Turkmenistan with us.

We all had become good friends, and would run into each other later in our travel yet again. Our last supper together.

At 9:30pm after sunset, we return to the crater.

It is even more awe inspiring at night.

Ruby takes a peak into the crater.

A change in wind direction catches us off guard a couple of times and almost roasts us alive.

The massive crater releases gas over a huge area...

...and flames shoot high into the sky.

The red glow in the sky can be seen for miles.

The surrounding hills are illuminated. This one in particular looks like a booby.

A unique site in the world, not naturally created, accidentally man-made, but nevertheless incredible.

Back at the campsite, the stars are out in full glory.

June 07, 2010. We head north from the Darvaza Gas Crater to KONYE-URGENCH.

Old Konye-Urgench, is today part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We enter via the Portal of an unknown building.

The oldest monument is the II-Arslan Mausoleum.

The floral terracotta moulding on the facade is unique. The Mausoleum dates to 1172.

We climb the Forty Mullahs Hill. A hill of graves called Kyrk Molla.

A view of the Gutlug Timur Minaret and Turabeg Khanym Complex.

The Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum.

A group of women want to have their picture taken with us.

The Gutlug Timur Minaret is the only surviving portion of a 1320's mosque. Note that the only entrance is via a ladder high above the ground.

The most beautiful building located on the southern end of Konye-Urgench is the Turabeg Khanym Complex.

Old Konye-Urgench used to be the centre of the Islamic World.

Numerous invations leveled most of the old town, plus the redirection of the Amu-Darya river causing the movement of the Khorezm main city to the new Urgench now located in Uzbekistan.

The entrance portal of the Turabeg Khanym Complex.

The entrance has a unique ceiling.

The interior ceiling of the dome is beautifully decorated.

A closer look at the detailed decorations.

In the centre of town is the Nejameddin Kubra Mausoleum and Sultan Ali Mausoleum.

The Sultan Ali Mausoleum.

A continuous stream of Pilgrims visit these sites to pray.

The entrance portal of the Nejameddin Kubra Mausoleum.

Our last stop before entering Uzbekistan is the local market.

We get the opportunity to watch bread (corek) being baked in the traditional large earthen oven called tamdyr.

We exchange $100.00US, which gave us 209,000.00SOM. The largest bill is 1000.00SOM ($0.50US) in the Uzbekistan currency. It would have been not too bad to receive (209) 1000SOM bills, but they run out of 1000SOM bills and gave us (200) 500SOM bills. Onwards it is to Uzbekistan.