Turkmenistan: Holidays, Climate, Events
Public holidays
Date | Holiday |
January 1 | New Year |
February | Kurban Bayram (Festival of Sacrifice) |
19th of February | National Flag Day |
8th of March | International Women’s Day |
March 21 | Noruz (Turkmen New Year) |
May 9 | day of the victory |
May 18 | Day of Unity and Renewal |
June 21 | Election of the first president |
October 6 | Remembrance day of the 1948 earthquake |
October 27th and 28 | Independence days |
November | Ramadan Bairam (end of Ramadan) |
12th of December | Day of neutrality |
Source: Countryaah – Turkmenistan Holidays
Regular cultural events
- April: Akiltec Day (parades and races of the famous Akiltec horses, last Sunday of the month).
- May: Turkmen Carpet Day (last Sunday of the month).
- September: Bakhsi Day (folklore music, second Sunday of the month).
- November: Thanksgiving Day (last Sunday of the month).
Note
Turkmenistan is an Islamic country. Many customs therefore come from the Islamic religion. One generally takes off one’s shoes before entering a house.
Flatbread should never be placed upside down on the table. Women should dress cautiously.
Climate
The best time to travel to Turkmenistan
The ideas of what is meant by a particularly favorable travel climate depend on a number of factors. For example, cultural travelers see the climate very differently than people who want to spend a pure beach holiday, for example. The state of health or age can also play an important role. Therefore, our travel time recommendations are divided into the following two categories:
For sun-hungry people
For people who like to enjoy a lot of sun and for whom higher temperatures do not cause any problems, the following seasons are particularly suitable for a stay in the country: Summer.
For people who prefer a temperate climate
People who prefer a temperate climate and lower temperatures should better use the following seasons to stay in Turkmenistan: spring and autumn.
Climate table
Month | Average number of rainy days | Mean maximum temperatures in (°C) | Mean minimum temperatures in (°C) |
January | 09 | 04 | -04 |
February | 08 | 08 | -02 |
March | 10 | 13 | 04 |
April | 07 | 20 | 09 |
May | 07 | 24 | 16 |
June | 02 | 32 | 20 |
July | 01 | 37 | 22 |
August | 01 | 34 | 19 |
September | 02 | 31 | 14 |
October | 03 | 22 | 09 |
November | 07 | 13 | 03 |
December | 08 | 07 | 0 |
Turkmenistan: Sightseeing
- Abbreviationfinder.org: Presents the way that TM stands for the nation of Turkmenistan as a two-letter acronym.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Silk Road in the Tian Shan Mountains
The Silk Road crosses borders and includes the following core areas.
– the province of Xinjiang in China
– Afghanistan
– Kashmir
– the north of India
– the northern parts of Pakistan
– Tajikistan
– Kyrgyzstan
– Uzbekistan
– Turkmenistan
– Iran’s Khorasan province in the northeast of the country
The Silk Road is an old caravan route. According to our era, it has been known since the year zero.
The Silk Road led from China to West Asia and India, bypassing the Gobi Desert. For example, the cities of Antioch and Damascus became rich through constant trade with other countries – and also gained political importance.
City-states such as Turfan and Chotan emerged along the Silk Road.
A trip from China to the Mediterranean took about three to four years. In this way, China supplied silk, glass and precious metals, among other things. In return, cultivated plants were brought to China from the west.
The tracks of the later railways were largely laid along the old Silk Road. It is hoped that by preserving and renewing the Silk Road, Afghanistan will become a hub between Central and South Asia and the Middle East. The Silk Road was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2014.
Ruins of the ancient city of Merw
In the Karakum desert, an oasis was created on the Murghab river delta in the 6th century BC. It became the cosmopolitan city of Merw. At that time it was an important junction on the Silk Road and a spiritual Islamic center emerged. The buildings in Merw were made of clay and some buildings are still preserved today, e.g. B. the city wall, palace buildings, libraries, water reservoirs and mausoleums. Merw was the center of the Seljuq Empire and had its heyday in the 11th and 12th centuries.
The Mongols destroyed Merw in the 13th century. A “new” Merw was built about 30 km away. The area of the “old” city of Merw was around 60 km² and was completely surrounded by a city wall.
The ruins of the old town of Merw have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.
(Alt-Urgentsch) Kunja-Urgensch
Kunja-Urgentsch is a city on the Amudarja river. It was the old capital of Khoresmia and is located about 500 kilometers north of Ashgabat on the edge of the Karakum desert. Kunja-Urgensch was an important trading center in the 1st century AD and many scholars and philosophers lived in the city. In 1221 Genghis Khan attacked the city, but the city was able to repel the attack. Thereupon Genghis Khan built a dam that dammed the Amu Darya, so that Kunja-Urgensch had no more water and had to give up.
The dam that dammed the river was torn down and the city was flooded and destroyed. Kunja-Urgensch was partially rebuilt later, but the river looked for a new bed and the city fell into disrepair. The 62 m high Kutlut Timur minaret, various mausoleums and a burial mosque of the Sufi dynasty can still be seen from the 14th century.
Kunja-Urgensch was entered on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2005
Parthian fortresses of Nisa
The old Nisa has an area of about 14 hectares, which is surrounded by a high earth wall and about 40 rectangular towers. It is the site of the oldest Parthian Empire in the 3rd century BC. BC to the 3rd century AD. The site preserves the remains of a powerful ancient civilization, in which Greek and Roman culture can mainly be found. The site was a junction of important trading routes and was an obstacle to Roman expansion.
The Parthian fortresses of Nisa were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2007
Special structures
Dome of the congress and cultural center
The dome of the congress and cultural center in Ashgabat was completed in 1999.
Presidential Palace
The Presidential Palace in Ashgabat is a domed structure that was completed in 1997.
Olympic Stadium
The Olympic Stadium in Ashgabat from the year 2000 covers an area of 15,000 m².
Suspension bridge over the Amu-Darja
The suspension bridge over the Amu-Darja has a length of 390 m
Karakum Canal
The Karakum Canal runs through the Karakum Desert between the Amu Darya River and the Caspian Sea through Turkmenistan. It is approx. 1,445 km long.
Museums and theaters
National Museum
The National Museum of Turkmenistan is located in Ashgabat.
Sacred buildings
Kutluk Timur Minaret
The Kutluk Timur Minaret from the 14th century in Kunya-Urgensch on the edge of the Karakoram Desert is one of the highest minarets in Central Asia at 62 m.
Gueok-Tepe-Mosque
The Gueok-Tepe-Mosque in Gueok-Tepe has 30 domes and four minarets with a height of 63 m.
Ruins and mausoleum
Ruins of the ancient city of Merw
The ruins of the ancient city of Merw are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See above for details
Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar
The mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar from 1140 is a monument of bygone times.
Ruins of ancient Nisa
The ruins of ancient Nisa, the capital of the mighty Kingdom of Parthia (3rd century BC), are an interesting cultural testimony.
Universities
Turkmenistan has a total of 9 universities, including:
Turkmen State University
The Turkmen State University was founded in 1950 in Ashgabat.
Natural beauties
Firjusa Gorge
The Firjusa Gorge in the mountains south of Ashgabat.
Kov Ata
The Kov Ata is a mineral lake fed by underground hot springs.
The Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest inland lake in the world. With an area of 386,400 km² and a water volume of 78,700 km³, it also has the largest fresh water reserves. Its main tributaries are the Volga, Urals, Kura, and Terek.
The lake has no natural outflows worth mentioning, but there is a navigable connection to the Black Sea via the Volga, the Volga-Don Canal, the Don, the Sea of Azov – a tributary to the Black Sea and the Kerch Strait. In addition to Turkmenistan (in the east), Azerbaijan (in the west), Iran (in the south), Kazakhstan (in the north) and Russia (in the north) border the Caspian Sea.
The greatest depth under the water surface is around 1,025 m – with an average depth of 185 m.
The sea lies roughly in a north-south direction and has a length of around 1,200 km, with a maximum width in the southern part of around 425 km. The most famous city on the Caspian Sea is certainly Baku – the capital of Azerbaijan.