Tag: Turkmenistan
The Palace of Happiness
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… [...]
Who Made the Nations of Central Asia?
Support Novastan, the European Central Asia magazine By supporting Novastan, you are supporting the only English, French and German-language media specialising in Central Asia. We’re independent and we need your… [...]
Central Asia’s Forests Under Pressure
Support Novastan, the European Central Asia magazine By supporting Novastan, you are supporting the only English, French and German-language media specialising in Central Asia. We’re independent and we need your… [...]
From the Pamirs to the Aral Sea: Following the Amu Darya Through Central Asia
Support Novastan, the European Central Asia magazine By supporting Novastan, you are supporting the only English, French and German-language media specialising in Central Asia. We’re independent and we need your… [...]
Lunar drinks stand
Rarely has Turkmenistan better deserved its reputation as an inaccessible and strange country than in this photograph of a refreshment bar on the edge of the ‘Gate of Hell’… [...]
Support Novastan, the European Central Asia magazine
By supporting Novastan, you are supporting the only English, French and German-language media specialising in Central Asia. We're independent and we need your help to stay that way!
The Caspian Sea Is Retreating. Central Asia Is Not Ready
Support Novastan, the European Central Asia magazine By supporting Novastan, you are supporting the only English, French and German-language media specialising in Central Asia. We’re independent and we need your… [...]
The Vocabulary of Reform: Why Central Asia Is Reimagining Its Political Traditions
From Kazakhstan’s Kurultai to Uzbekistan’s Mahalla, governments across Central Asia are increasingly framing political reform through institutions rooted in local history rather than imported political models. For much… [...]
Kutlug Timur Minaret
The Kutlug Timur minaret, named after a khan of the Golden Horde, towers over the site of Konye-Urgench at a height of 60 metres. Konye-Urgench, or… [...]
“I only needed a passport” : In Ukraine, Central Asian prisoners of wars caught between loyalty and regret
Citizens from Central Asia now represent the largest group of foreign nationals fighting in the Russian army. Novastan spoke with several of them after their capture by Ukrainian forces. [...]
Western Turkmen
Four immaculate pickup trucks race at full speed toward the Derweze crater. Known as the “Door to Hell,” this site in Turkmenistan draws the handful… [...]
Pillars of salt
Turkmenistan stands as the most extreme case of authoritarianism in Central Asia. From 1991 to 2006, the Saparmyrat Niyyazov state established a near-total grip on… [...]
Novastan Photo Contest 2026 #8 The invisible side of success
In Turkmenistan, during the fertile fall, this image reflects the unseen side of success. It shows how success is built gradually, as abundance is harvested. [...]