As night falls, the white façades of Ashgabat’s monuments are transported into a colourful wonderland, an electric mirage in the middle of the Karakum Desert.

Photo credit: Cornelia Steinigen (Germany, @cornelia_la_andarina)

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Rising out of the ground, seemingly out of place amid the greenery, these pristine buildings dominate the landscape of the Turkmen capital. High-rise towers have proliferated since the country gained independence in 1990, fuelled by close partnerships with French construction firms (Bouygues, Vinci) and Turkish companies (Polimeks). Turkmenistan, one of the world’s most gas-rich countries, draws on export revenues to fund monumental construction projects : extravagant, almost hallucinatory visions that flourish in the capital, Ashgabat, in the heart of the Karakum Desert.

Photo credit: Cornelia Steinigen (Germany, @cornelia_la_andarina)

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Rising above the white mass of buildings, a statue of a horse stands over 40 metres tall. It marks the Olympic Stadium built for the 2017 Asian Games. 

In 2013, Ashgabat was entered into the Guinness Book of Records as the city with the largest number of white marble buildings in the world, totalling 543 structures with a combined surface area of 4,514 million square metres.

This is the result of the vision of its two successive presidents, Saparmurat Niyazov (who died in 2006) and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow. The latter also wrote a book entitled ‘Ashgabat, the White City’ to mark the 140th anniversary of the city’s founding.

Credit: Cornelia Steinigen (Germany)

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Spectators are waiting for the doors of the Astana Opera House to open. The building’s strict symmetry contrasts with the hustle and bustle of the crowd.

Credits : Simone Bergonzi (Italy, @simobergz)

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The Ashgabat Wedding Palace opened its doors in 2011, to mark the 20th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s independence, and quickly became one of the city’s most recognisable and iconic landmarks. 
Located in the south-western part of Ashgabat, this monumental building is recognisable by its five upper storeys, comprising a glass sphere encased within six concrete and white marble Turkmen stars. Maps of Turkmenistan, crafted from titanium, adorn the sphere. Some people like to joke that it resembles a disco ball, which is fitting for this building named ‘Bagt Koshgi’ (Palace of Happiness).

The interior of the palace, decorated in the Turkmen style, comprises, in addition to administrative offices, reception rooms, wedding shops, cafés, a photography studio, a beauty salon and even a 22-room hotel where anyone can spend the night.

Photo credits : Anton Pfaller (Germany, @apr_jnr)

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The late afternoon sun passes behind the Khan Chatyr shopping center in Astana, illuminating the framework of this original building. An immense 150-meter-high tent, it was designed by architect Norman Foster at the request of Kazakhstan’s president, Nazarbayev. The tent’s walls are made of a special flexible material, allowing transparency while protecting the building from temperature variations.

Credits : Tolgahan Biskin (France, @tolgahan.iso)

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In front of the Tashkent Circus, a charming equestrian portrait is improvised. Inaugurated in 1976, the building is recognisable by its dome, often compared to a UFO or a piala (Uzbek teapot), and was designed by architects Genrikh Aleksandrovich and Gennady Masyagin. It is now part of the Tashkent Modernism XX/XXI research and conservation project, supported by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Foundation.

Credits : Grégoire Chesnot (France, @greg_che)

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‘Tajikistan – it is a land full of treasures, but its main wealth lies in its children, its nobility and its culture.’ Inscribed on one of the impressive decorated ceilings of the Kohi Nowruz in Dushanbe, President Emomali Rahmon‘s words comment on the decorative splendour.

The finesse of Tajik craftsmanship cannot fail to move the viewer. Paintings on plaster and wood carvings are displayed in the building’s 12 reception rooms. A colossal construction project completed in just four years, the Nowruz Palace has stood 50 metres tall since 2014, celebrating Tajik culture. It follows in the footsteps of the colossal architectural projects launched by the former Soviet leader, who has jealously guarded his power since 1997. A 40,000-square-metre architectural complex, the palace was initially designed to be a tea room in a modern national style. It was enlarged to become the building that now houses restaurants, billiards, bowling, cinema, and more.

The sheer size of the venue makes it a prime location for receptions. It hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit when it opened. A showcase for national culture, the Nowruz Palace easily outshines the Rohat tea house a few streets away. A historic site of Tajik culture and a symbol of its capital, the teahouse had also been a gathering place for Tajik artisans since its opening in 1958. Built under the direction of Soviet architect K.N. Terletsky, this popular venue frequented by local residents was demolished in the spring of 2025. Despite protests from residents, high green hoardings covered the building before it was demolished. Perhaps there is only room for one national symbol. 

Credits : Mathieu Lemoine (France)

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Bright sunshine and winter cold: ideal conditions for strolling around Registan Square in Samarkand. The stream of tourists, cameras, and colorful flags of organized tours has dissipated, giving way to the silence of ancient stones. Winter marks the return of the low season and bitter cold: the wind sweeps across the historic sites of Samarkand, emptied of the crowds that flock here in the milder months. While they may have to contend with icy roads, the few winter visitors can admire the shades of blue of the mosques and madrasas in the January light.

Credits : Hélène Garnier (France, @suneclat)

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The inner courtyard of the Kukeldash Madrasah in Tashkent appears in a pointed arch opening. Built around 1570 during the reign of the Shaybanid Khan Dervish Khan, it owes its name to its patron, a vizier nicknamed Kukeldash — ‘milk brother of the Khan’. It is the largest madrasa in the Uzbek capital. Initially converted into a caravanserai, it became a prison during the Tsarist era and was one of the few religious buildings to remain standing after the devastating earthquake of 1966, which destroyed around 80% of the city.

Credits : Martin Scheer (@martin.j.sc, Germany)

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Leaning over a pile of embroidered fabrics called suzanis, a man wearing an atlas-patterned waistcoat tidies up his shop in the city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Once an important stop on the Silk Road, Bukhara was one of Central Asia’s major trading centres. At the crossroads of the main thoroughfares of the old city were covered merchant passages called tâq, three of which remain today: Tâq-e Zargarân (the jewellers’ dome), Tâq-e Telpaq-Forushân (the hatmakers’ dome), and Tâq-e Sarrafân (the money changers’ dome). These merchant domes, built in the second half of the 16th century under the Shaybanid dynasty, have left a lasting mark on the architecture of the old city. Today, they are a delight for tourists, who buy souvenirs of varying degrees of authenticity there.

Credits : Etienne de Vaumas (France)

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In Almaty, and perhaps more so than anywhere else in the Central Asian steppes, the layers of the past are reflected in the diverse architectural facades. The relocation of the capital to Astana in 1997 saved many Soviet buildings from mass destruction, including the most iconic structures designed by Dinmukhamed Kunayev (1912-1993). These modernist buildings are now the focus of citizen initiatives aimed at protecting a heritage threatened by the privatisation of the building stock. A green city renowned for integrating vegetation into its urban planning, Almaty is now seeing its streets filled with new buildings with mirrored glass façades. These constructions are intended to be emblematic of a globalised futuristic architecture, similar to that of Astana. However, this style has received a mixed reception, as evidenced by the reactions to the renovation of the Palace of the Republic.

Credits : Simone Bergonzi (Italy, @simobergz))

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The city centre of Dushanbe, the Tajik capital, is notable for its modern skyscrapers, the comings and goings of its yellow and green taxis, and its wide tree-lined streets. The rapidly changing centre is giving pride of place to Chinese real estate investments, transforming the urban landscape at great speed. Clad entirely in white, the new parliament building has been operational since March 2025 thanks to Chinese funding.

Credits : Pierre-Armand Dussex (Switzerland, https://nomadsland.travel/fr/before-you-go/blog/mon-beau-jailoo)

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A woman passes by beautifully-ornated walls inside the Khujand fortress complex. This complex has been rebuilt from scratch using only traditional techniques, like the kundal, to honor the millennial history of the city and the craftsmanship of the Tajik people.

Credits: Etienne Bellard (France, @etienneblld)

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This monument, located in the native city of Jizzakh, Uzbekistan, honors the renowned poets Hamid Olimjon and Zulfiya.

Depicted side by side, these iconic figures of Uzbek literature symbolize the union of poetry, culture, and the love of knowledge.

In the background, traditional architecture enhances the scene, blending history with literary heritage.

Credit: Hubert-Félix Delattre(France)

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View of the ‘Moskva’ hotel from the Madrasa Kukeldash, in Uzbekistan.

Two men shelter from the sun in the shadow of the minaret. At the moment the hotel is being demolished.

Credit: Massimiliano Macrì (Italy)

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Portrait of a former Soviet Union bus stop in the village of Chingistay, Katon-Karagay district, Kazakhstan.

Credit : Balzhan & Axel Monse, @infoshymkent (Germany)

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The modernist ‘Kosmos’ cinema in Buston (former Chkalovsk), Tajikistan, displays on its façade a spaceship flying towards the outer space. Unfortunately part of the façade is obstructed by a kind of canopy added later on.
Until the dissolution of the USSR, Chkavolsk, sometimes referred as “Atomabad”, was a closed city. It was the most important center of the Sughd region for the processing of uranium.

Credits: Massimiliano Macrì (Italie, @tarakano_me)

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From the top of her very quiet shopping arcade, this young girl dreamily observes the activity of the Mehrgon market in Dushanbe.

Built in 2014 to replace the ‘obsolete’ street markets, Mehrgon is a sumptuous three-storey shopping complex showcasing products from every region of Tajikistan. The Tajik government sees it as an architectural monument designed to boost national pride. (June 2023).

Crédits : Hannah McMillen (@the_crease_in_the_atlas, États-Unis)

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The Vobkent Minaret, located in the Bukhara region of Uzbekistan, is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture dating back to 1198. It stands 40 meters tall, though part of it is buried underground.

Built from terracotta bricks, wood, stones, and plaster, it rises gracefully with geometric patterns and turquoise mosaic accents adorning its top. This iconic structure once served as both a landmark for travelers and a call to prayer.

Today, it remains a testament to the golden age of Central Asia, captivating visitors with its slender silhouette and timeless charm.

Credits: Michèle Sibille Bossard (France)

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