Turkmenistan – Where Reality Feels… Controlled

by Tom · Published 21/12/2025 · Updated 09/05/2026

I haven’t been to North Korea, so I can’t compare.

But from what I’ve read, Turkmenistan is often mentioned as a strong contender for second place in controlling information—and, to some extent, its own people.

*First impression: controlled, polished, and slightly unreal.*

The country is built around something that feels closer to a personality cult than a political system. The leader is not just a president, but something approaching a symbolic figure above everything else.

There’s a reason journalists are rarely allowed in.

And even as a travel blogger, applying for a visa requires a certain level of caution.

So why go?

For me, it was simple.

There’s something about places that are almost closed off that creates a certain curiosity. A sense of wanting to see what is actually there—behind the controlled image.

Not necessarily to understand everything.

But to see it for myself.

At the same time, the country is trying to present itself differently to the outside world. The current leadership—now the third in line—puts effort into maintaining an international image. Neutrality is one example.

What you see from the outside, and what you experience inside, don’t always align.

*Designed to impress. Not necessarily to be used.*

On this journey, I visit some of the country’s most well-known places.

Ashgabat—the whitest of white capital cities.
Yangykala Canyon—almost unreal in its colours and scale.
The Darvaza Gas Crater—better known as the Door to Hell.
And Kunya-Urgench and Merv—ancient Silk Road cities, largely forgotten today.