{"id":6294,"date":"2020-04-02T18:46:55","date_gmt":"2020-04-02T18:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mircorp.com\/?p=6294"},"modified":"2024-09-12T19:16:33","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T19:16:33","slug":"ashgabat-turkmenistan-lavish-capital-of-marble-and-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mircorp.com\/ashgabat-turkmenistan-lavish-capital-of-marble-and-gold\/","title":{"rendered":"Ashgabat: Turkmenistan\u2019s Lavish Capital of Marble and Gold"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

A strange and fascinating capital city, Ashgabat is a showcase of architecture and<\/strong><\/strong> modernity set in an ancient desert landscape.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In spite of its location on an ancient trade route, Ashgabat didn\u2019t achieve the status and influence of other Silk Road cities, such as Uzbekistan\u2019s<\/a> Samarkand or Bukhara. Originally known as Konjikala, the city was destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ashgabat, the capital city of Turkmenistan, is often referred to as the “White Marble City” due to its stunning architecture and extensive use of white marble in buildings and monuments. The city boasts impressive landmarks such as the Independence Monument, Golden Horse Monument, and more, all of which are adorned with intricate marble designs. In 1881 the Russians built a fortress on the site as a buffer against English-dominated Persia. And by the early 20th century, Ashgabat was a prosperous and flourishing city.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"The
The Kipchak Mosque glows at sunset<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In 1948 a massive earthquake leveled the city, and since then it has been rebuilt from the ground up. Soviet-style apartment buildings mingle with modern marble and gold monuments. So many, in fact, that in 2013, the Guinness Book of World Records awarded Ashgabat the record for the highest density of white marble buildings in the world.<\/strong> How did it happen?<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\n \n
  • \n \"Ashgabat\u2019s <\/li>\n
  • \n \"Ashgabat\u2019s <\/li>\n
  • \n \"This <\/li>\n \n <\/ul>\n <\/a>\n <\/a>\n