A Travel Vlogger Visited The ‘World’s Strangest Country’ And Its ‘City Of The Dead’

Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, is a city of stark contrasts. Its build of white marble, which imparts a look of opulence to the city, but its streets are empty, devoid of any hustle and bustle that often marks a country’s capital. Often dubbed the “world’s strangest and flashiest city of the dead,” this capital is a metropolis unlike any other.

Jordan, a vlogger, who runs the Counting Countries channel on YouTube, visited Turkmenistan and said “This is the strangest country in the world – there are no people around anywhere. The city [Ashgabat] is full of these crazy, lavish monuments, there is no traffic – malls, hotels are all empty so the question is where is everyone?”

Under the leadership of former President Saparmurat Niyazov, the city underwent a dramatic transformation. A penchant for grandiose architecture led to a city awash in white marble. Towering skyscrapers, colossal statues, and opulent government buildings emerged from the desert sands, and made Ashgabat into a city that seemed straight out of a Sci-Fi movie! In fact, the city holds the Guinness World Record for the highest number of white-marble-clad buildings.

Despite its architectural grandeur, Ashgabat is often eerily quiet. “This is the most bizarre place on the planet,” Jordan continues in his video. You can see wide, empty boulevards and sprawling parks that create a sense of isolation. The city centre, home to the gold-domed presidential palace, is also off-limits to the public. “And every single car in the country is white,” he adds.

The lack of people on the streets is a result of several factors. Turkmenistan is a highly controlled state, and public gatherings are often discouraged. Additionally, many residents prefer to spend time in their homes or in private gatherings. Ashgabat is split into two areas – the old town and the new. The new town is often called the “city of the dead”, and as Jordan discovered, it truly is. Every public park, monument he explores in his video, he highlights how he is the only individual there.

Jordan adds, “After visiting more than 130 countries, this place is unlike anywhere I have ever been. The president requires all buildings and cars to be white. Tourists are under strict requirements to have a guide with you at all times and are banned from visiting certain places and cities.”