After reading about Turkmenistan’s gates of hell, I thought I’d look deeper into the country’s culture and found these 10 facts via World Atlas. Some of my favourites:
Turkmenistan Also Has Silk Roads
The Silk Road sights of Turkmenistan might not be as popular as those of its neighbor, Uzbekistan, but they are still impressive, authentic, unique, and undisturbed. The roads provide an in-depth history of the role of the region during the Silk Road era between the early 8th and late 13th centuries.
The Favorite Dish In Turkmenistan Is Plov
Plov is the favorite dish in the country. It is composed of rice, carrot, meat and lots of spices cooked in a large plan. It is popular across the entire country and is a must-have dish at every event from family picnics to weddings and social gatherings. It is a cultural sign of appreciation for a family to offer guests a plate of plov whenever they visit.
Unusual Laws
Turkmenistan president Saparmurat Niyazov (1991-2006) passed unusual laws during his term in the pretext of preserving ancient Turkmen culture. One of the contentious laws outlaws gold teeth, opera, and spandex. The presidents passed other laws just because he had the power to do so; for example, he named the days of the week after his immediate family members. In January 2018, the president banned black vehicles in the city because he associates black with bad luck.
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