Turkmenistan, where crazy is the normal
I have not been to North Korea, so I cannot compare, but I have read that Turkmenistan is a good candidate to be number two. It is like a cult in which their honourable leader is next to God, and the leader number three in the line is now in the lead chair. This post will introduce Turkmenistan, and in later posts, I will go into more detail about places I visited.
Not an open door
Turkmenistan is not the easiest country to visit. They welcome tourism, but you cannot travel freely on your own. You also need a letter of invitation. I am not saying this is unique, but it is a system that most oppressed countries practise. You will need an approved agent to take you around the country. If you are a journalist or even a blogger, you can easily be denied entrance to the country. So why do some of us want to go and see these countries? I guess one of the trills is actually seeing what’s behind almost-closed doors.
Longing for recognition
Turkmenistan and its leaders are longing for recognition from outside. But since they cannot secure that for their human rights, freedom of the press, or other things we take for granted in democracies, they find different ways. One thing that has occupied the presidents, from the first one until now, is the Guinness World Records. If your country manages to reach the top there, again and again, your people must admit that their leaders are extraordinary.
The whitest city in the world
That is why Ashgabat, the capital, is the whitest city in the world according to Guinness World Records. Once, they had the highest flagpole in the world. They have the biggest indoor Ferris wheel, and so forth. These stories were the ones we were reminded of every day when we visited the country. It is easy to recognise propaganda, but you also need to consider who is giving you this information. If the system works, your trained guides will only provide the information the leaders want them to tell. It is easy to read between the lines.
Some other facts
As in so many suppressed countries, the leaders live a totally different life from their residents. And the people I met were very friendly and hospitable. Especially when you come out into the countryside, where fewer police officers and secret service men are watching. There, people came up to us, wanted to take selfies, and tried to talk to us. It is a muslim country, but it is very secular. Men are not allowed to have a beard, and women do not have to cover their hair. However, most women wear something on their heads, but the hair is still visible.
Most people know little about this country, but if you do some research, you can easily find information like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH_yzhPa5T8.
Wi-Fi?
When you arrived at the hotel, you were given a code for the free Wi-Fi. And, what a joke. I am not denying that there is an open net in the country, but all the social Western apps are closed to locals and tourists alike. So, no WhatsApp, Instagram, or Facebook. We found one cafe where we could log on and get in touch with the world outside. But, I will not inform here where it is.
Before USSR
President number one was a representative for the region in Moscow during the USSR. When that collapsed, he took the opportunity to seize power in Turkmenistan. Before the USSR, Turkmenistan was not really recognised as one country. But a collection of several nomadic tribes without unity. So, after the fall, it was important for the president and the government to build up an image and unity of a country that had never existed. Therefore, they reviewed the history of any writers or thinkers who had lived in the area and proclaimed that they had been good Turkmenistanis.
From its early days as a land of nomads wandering the desert, through its forcible incorporation into the Russian and Soviet empires, and into an era where its dictators have free rein to indulge their marble-and-gold-infused delusions, Turkmenistan has endured a history marked by external domination and internal repression. Thus, it appears Turkmenistan is poised to remain one of the world’s last totalitarian regimes.
Despise of all this
After what I have written, it does not sound like the most exciting place to visit, but I would argue the opposite. Follow me on the next posts and have a look at some of the beautiful places I visited, and I still have several fun facts about pure craziness.
