Turkmenistan – Hell and (football) heaven

July 8-10

Hello everyone!

The last posting may have suggested that Ashgabat was a bit of a hellish place. It’s not: hell is elsewhere in Turkmenistan.

The Gateway to Hell

Views of the Karakum Desert

Over 80% of the country’s land mass is situated in the Karakum Desert. That makes travelling in summer…well, stupid. Temperatures soared above 50°C as our truck bumbled north. Scenic views are limited, with miles of pale yellow and orange stretching to the horizon.

The Karakum is Central Asia's hottest desert

Camels have many purposes here, from load-bearers to a food source

It is very much a road less travelled. The quality of the road dipped sharply after leaving the capital, with potholes becoming our enemy both for speed and safety. Without many amenities even at petrol stations, it can be an insufferable experience.

Occasionally petrol stations would have cold drinks. This one...didn't.

An example of a road we bounced over

Within this sandy land is a strange, man-made sight. It’s in the centre of the country just outside a settlement called Darvaza.

Our truck Helena travelled 270 km to reach Darvaza from Ashgabat -
it took 9 hours with a few stops

Darvaza is in the centre of Turkmenistan

There are actually three craters in this area, all caused by Soviet exploration for gas reserves between the late 1950s and early 1970s. One has an off-teal water pool and the other has bubbling mud. The latter had a particularly sulphuric smell but most of the mud had dried in the heat, reducing the visual effect.

A negative effect of humanity isn't visible in the picture -
a large collection of plastic bottles in the water

The most infamous is actually called the ‘Gateway to Hell’. In 1964 (according to our guide) or 1971 (according to most sources), the Soviets drilled 1 kilometre into the ground at Darvaza, where they found a gas pocket. Soon after, the change in pressure and heat caused the ground to collapse into itself, creating a large crater measuring about 70 metres in diameter.

We visited at dusk and night time to see the crater at its brightest

The upper reaches of the crater are about 120°C, with the
centre being in excess of 200°C

For reasons of safety, the Soviets didn’t want the gas filtering into the air. Considering what they did to much of Central Asia, this is actually a surprisingly thoughtful step. They thought it would be best to do was light the crater on fire, burn off the gas and then leave. They did two of those things…

Getting to 'Hell' requires a 4x4 - we camped about 3 km away
and used one to get to the crater

As you can see, the gas has definitely not burnt off. In fact, this hole in the ground has been constantly on fire for almost 50 years. It is a remarkable sight, though the searing heat emanating from the crater has taught me that I would be a terrible firefighter. When the wind picked up it felt like I had been tossed towards an oven.

A Canaduan team entered the crater in 2013 for research and
documentary purposes - it was flimed by Discovery

Apparently it used to be even more hellish. The current president apparently learnt about the crater when using the internet (he must have been outside Turkmenistan for that as most sites are blocked and the speed is Stone Age) and visited in 2011. After consultations, the government drilled another hole 800 metres away. That gas goes into the electricity grid and has reduced the volume in the crater by up to a third already. Maybe it will eventually burn out, just like the Soviets intended.

The fence was only erected a week before we arrived - before
this you could get as close you wanted to the edge

Further north from here – much further north on these roads – is a town called Konye Urgench. It used to be an important place in the ancient land of Khorezm.

Getting to Konye Urgench took another 9 hours or so
from Darvaza, a 280 km drive

A mausoleum in Konye Urgench

For a while, Konye Urgench was also a very important town in the Muslim world. The town was razed twice, once by Ghengis Khan’s Mongol army in 1221 and later, fatally, by Tamerlane’s crew in 1388. Most of the ruins you can see have been reconstructed.

Islamic patterns in a mausoleum

All the sites have some original brickwork or patterns -
apparently this is a stipulation of becoming
a UNESCO Heritage Site

The standout sight is a minaret which leans to such a degree that four iron rods had to be installed in its interior to keep it standing. We were told a story that a cow once walked in and couldn’t turn around, so struggled up to the top of the minaret and started mooing. As calls to prayer go, it would be fairly unorthodox. Many stories here don’t have happy endings and this is no different; the cow’s moo out of the minaret would be his last.

Built in the 1320s, the Gutlug Timur Minaret in 59 m tall

The cow didn't climb the ladder - there used to be
a bridge connecting a mosque to the minaret

Other stories have much better outcomes. We were wild camping at this point (very close to, but not on, a graveyard, our guide assured us) and had no access to the outside world…even the World Cup. With a Belgian in the group desperate to watch her team in the semi-final, we inquired about the chance of finding somewhere to watch it. Not in town, as there is an 11pm curfew for entertainment places. But someone’s house…

We had a lovely view of the structures from our camping spot

A friend of the guide took us to his surprisingly large home in the modern part of Konye Urgench. Having not had access to a shower for two days, I felt very embarrassed about stepping into his home of colourful carpets with the filthiest feet I’ve ever possessed. Our hosts were unperturbed and invited us through to the main room, which contained a flatscreen TV on the wall. Oh, and a table straining with food from almost every colour of the rainbow.

A fruit bowl on the table at Rusol's house

Just one section of the table

One of the men spoke English, meaning we were able to converse freely and enjoy the delicious plov, salad and fruits. I do hope the wife had plenty of food as well. It was a wonderful experience and showed the country in a much better light. Rusol, Batyr and Farhat were incredibly generous to welcome us into their home and watch the football, as well as share their food and culture. And not too much vodka, thankfully…

Plov is the national dish of Uzbekistan - as we're close to the
border, it is understandable that it is popular here as well

Finding out what exactly was in the bottle...

Turkmenistan has been a very strange place to visit, a barren, challenging desert mass with all of its money seemingly channelled into unnecessary quantities of imported marble. However, there is always an oasis even in the most inhospitable desert, and we found it in Konye Urgench.

Love you all,

Matt