Turkmenistan Adventure

My first 36 hours in Turkmenistan were a real learning process. I quickly learned any conversation I had with my guide about Turkmenistan had to be approached very, very gently! This became very apparent to me when I innocently asked a question about the changes and freedoms in Turkmenistan since the 2006 death of “Turkmenbashi”, the former president for life, God on earth, dictator, cult figure and “father of all Turkmens.” Not. A. Good. Idea! He instantly turned around asking me in a very defensive voice what I meant by “freedom”? I sat there a bit petrified as he ranted on for a good five minutes on how the Turkmen people were the freest people on the planet and that they have always been free, so just how could they be freer than they were before? At that point I knew I better keep my mouth shut as any question may be seen, as my questioning the greatness of Turkmenistan! The wall of propaganda was too thick to penetrate and I certainly was not going to try it!

The main mosque in Mary

Our next destination was the nation’s second largest city, Mary. Once in Mary we would meet up with our driver who would take us out on a muddy and dirt road to the ancient Byzantine City of Margush (a UNESCO designated heritage sight). Joining us on this journey would be my guide and a government archaeologist who would give us an overview of Margush. Since it had just rained several days ago there was some debate to whether we should venture out on a three-hour drive. Our driver concluded the road would be passable since he had just been out there.

So, off we went in our “Jeep” over the pothole filled, muddy, rough, dirt road bound for Margush. You may wonder why I put the word Jeep in quotation marks? In Turkmenistan if the vehicle is four-wheel drive it is considered a jeep, no matter if it is a Toyata 4WD van, or a Land Cruiser or really anything. By the time we arrived at our destination I was absolutely exhausted from every small, big, medium, huge, gigantic pothole, bump, etc… As we pulled into the village standing right in front of our car was a man with his pet.…………snake, yes you read that right, a snake! It was rather funny how casually he held this guy; I suppose it did not faze him that one spit of venom could kill him within seconds!

The man with a pet snake

The monument was absolutely breathtaking!! In the 2^nd and 3^rd century BC, Margush was a thriving metropolis only to fade into history. Every spring archaeologists and historians from around the world descend upon Margush where they feverishly work to uncover, understand and restore this ancient civilization. Due to the unrelenting heat in the summer, there is a very small window to work with. Luckily, though there were no worries about the weather giving us plenty of time to explore every last inch of this fascinating sight!!

After a full three hours of soaking in all the history it was time for us to journey back to Mary over the road from hell. The experience of being able to see these sights and have a world-class archaeologist by my side to explain everything (in Russian) was absolutely priceless! When we finally made it back to civilization I felt great. I was on fire, nothing could stop me……..except maybe a biological souvenir…… 

Restored walls of Margush

Margush UNESCO monument