Turkmenistan Country & Tourist Information

Location
Central Asia.

Area
488,100 sq km (188,456 sq miles).

Population
5 million (UN estimate 2005).

Population Density
10.2 per sq km.

Capital
Ashgabat.
Population: 605,000 (official estimate 1999).

Government
Republic. Gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Head of State: Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov since 2007. Recent history: President Saparmyrat Niyazov ruled Turkmenistan for 21 years until December 2006, when he died suddenly at the age of 66. The president had acquired the honorific title of Türkmenbashy (leader of all Turkmen) which conveys something of a spiritual, as well as political, leader. In 1999, he was made president for life. ‘Türkmenbashy’ had evolved a cult of personality to rival any in the world – it reportedly extended to renaming calendar months in honor of him and assorted relatives. Opposition was quickly and brutally suppressed, especially in the wake of a reported assassination attempt against Niyazov in late 2002. Following his death, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov was chosen as his successor in 2007 in an election condemned by international human rights groups as rigged. (No opposition candidates were allowed to stand.) Berdymukhamedov has pledged to continue in the ways of Niyazov, but has also promised some reforms.

Language
Turkmen is the official state language, and is closer to Turkish, Azeri and Crimean Tartar than those of its neighbors Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The Turkmen script was changed from Latin to Cyrillic in 1940, but the process of changing back to the Turkish version of the Latin script is underway.

Religion
Predominantly Sunni Muslim with a small Russian Orthodox minority. Turkmenistan shares the Central Asian Sufi tradition.

Time
GMT + 5.

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz. Round two-pin continental plugs are standard.

Telephone
Country code: 993. Area code for Ashgabat: 12.

Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with some international mobile phone companies. Coverage is limited to Ashgabat.

Internet
All Internet cafes were closed by the Government. The state strictly controls Internet access.

Media
Turkmenistan has an incredibly poor record when it comes to press freedom. Reporters Without Frontiers has said the President uses the media solely to ’promote his own glory’. The Turkmen Government controls all media, monitoring media outlets, operating printing presses and laying down editorial policies. Programs from Russian TV stations are censored. The Government controls Internet access, banning or censoring what it considers inappropriate sites and restricting use.

Post
Letters to Western Europe and the USA can take between two weeks and two months. Stamped envelopes can be bought from post offices. Mail addresses should be laid out in the following order: country, postcode, city, street, house number and lastly the person’s name. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1800. The main Post Office in Ashgabat is open until 1900.

Press
The main newspapers in Ashgabat are Turkmenistan and Vatan (both in Turkmen) and Neitralnyi Turkmenistan (Russian).

Radio
Two stations are operated by state-owned Turkmen radio.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.

2007
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
12 Jan Remembrance Day.
19 Feb National Flag Day.
8 Mar International Women’s Day.
20 Mar Novruz Bairam (Turkmen New Year). 
8 May Heroes’ Day.
9 May Victory Day.
18 May Constitution Day.
6 Oct Remembrance Day (Anniversary of the 1948 Earthquake).
13 Oct Ramadan Bairam (End of Ramadan).
27-28 Oct Independence Day.
12 Dec Neutrality Day.
20 Dec Kurban Bairam (Feast of the Sacrifice).

2008
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
12 Jan Remembrance Day.
19 Feb National Flag Day.
8 Mar International Women’s Day.
20 Mar Novruz Bairam (Turkmen New Year). 
8 May Heroes’ Day.
9 May Victory Day.
18 May Constitution Day.
2 Oct Ramadan Bairam (End of Ramadan).
6 Oct Remembrance Day (Anniversary of the 1948 Earthquake). 
27-28 Oct Independence Day.
9 Dec Kurban Bairam (Feast of the Sacrifice).
12 Dec Neutrality Day.


Note
Muslim festivals (End of Ramadan and Feast of the Sacrifice) are timed according to the phases of the moon and the dates given are approximations.

Contact Information:

State Committee of Turkmenistan for Tourism and Sport
17 1984/Pushkin Street, 744000 Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Tel: (12) 354 777 or 397 606 or 771 or 390 065 or 396 740.
Website: www.tourism-sport.gov.tm

Embassy of Turkmenistan in the UK
2nd Floor, St George’s House, 14-17 Wells Street, London W1T 3PD, UK
Tel: (020) 7255 1071.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1700.

Embassy of Turkmenistan in the USA
2207 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 588 1500.
Website: www.turkmenistanembassy.org


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