photos from TURKMENISTAN - photos du TURKMENISTAN

Ashgabat Independence Square

Ashgabat : Independence Square and the "Palace of Turkmenbashi",
(gold and white marble) and other government buildings

Ashgabat Berzengi

Ashgabat (Berzengi) : the monument to the Independence of Turkmenistan
also known as "the plunger" and a golden statue of the President,
Mr Saparmyrat Niyazov, who calls himself Turkmenbashi ("leader of the Turkmens)

Ashgabat Arch of Neutrality

Ashgabat : the Arch of Neutrality.
Guess whose statue is on top, covered with gold, rotating to follow the sun....
You guessed, it's Mr Megalomaniac President Turkmenbashi

Ashgabat Tolkuchka bazaar

Ashgabat : the colourful Tolkuchka bazaar

Karakum desert

small settlement in the Karakum desert
(more deserts here)

Karakum desert

Traffic on the road across the Karakum desert
(more deserts here)

Karakum desert : sand dunes

Karakum desert : sand dunes
(more deserts here)

Konye-Urgench : at the bazaar

Konye-Urgench : Sultan Ali Mausoleum

Konye-Urgench : Sultan Ali Mausoleum

Konye-Urgench : Sultan Ali Mausoleum, underside of the dome.
The geometry represents the calendar. 365 mosaic sections represent
the days of the year. Below, 24 arches represent the hours of the day,
and yet below, 12 bigger arches represent the months of the year