Ashgabat

Ashgabat is the capital city of Turkmenistan, a country located in Central Asia, between the Kara Kum desert and the Kopet Dag mountain range. Great places to visit while you are "in the neighbourhood" are the Turkmen Fine Arts Museum with an impressive collection of wove carpets, and the Turkmen History Museum, with artifacts dating back to the Parthian civilization. The Arch of Neutrality is worth a visit, it is a large tripod with a golden statue of former President Saparmurat Niyazov, said to be made of gold. This statue rotates to be always facing the sun during daylight hours.