Ashgabat: the white marble city

Rebuilt almost entirely in white marble after a devastating earthquake, Aşgabat holds the world record for the highest concentration of marble-clad buildings.

A car remains necessary to explore the monumental avenues of the city.

The Arch of Neutrality, a monument topped by a golden statue of former president Niyazov, once rotated to follow the sun, dominates the city skyline.

A short walk away, the Presidential Palace and surrounding ministries, all clad in white marble according to a presidential decree, compose an administrative center with uniform aesthetics.

Continuing on, you visit the Monument to Independence, a tower over one hundred meters tall celebrating Turkmenistan's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, visible from much of the city.

Toward evening, the city's monumental fountains, among the most numerous per capita in the world, light up along the very wide, almost deserted avenues.

Ashgabat holds the Guinness Record for the highest concentration of white marble-clad buildings in the world, an urban project desired by Turkmen presidents after independence.

The 1948 earthquake, which razed almost the entire pre-existing city killing tens of thousands of people, literally paved the way for the subsequent monumental reconstruction.