10 Wacky Things About TURKMENISTAN

It's been a wild several days in Turkmenistan. In my opinion, this is (by a long shot) the world's most bizarre country.

In this video, I explain the 10 strangest things that I find about Turkmen culture -- from the thousands of white-marble buildings to the shockingly empty streets, a massive fire crater in the desert that hasn't stopped burning for 50 years, and the heavy censorship of the internet.

Turkmenistan is essentially the "North Korea of Central Asia." Both the capital cities of Pyongyang and Ashgabat feel eerily similar when walking around. The only major difference is that the people of North Korea are oppressed, whereas the people of Turkmenistan seem to be warm, friendly, and hospitable.

Please share any thoughts/comments/questions about Turkmenistan and I'll be happy to answer!

#turkmenistan #asia #travel

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👨🏻‍🦰 WHO AM I?
I'm Drew Binsky and I have been to EVERY Country in the world (197/197). I make travel videos about people, culture, and anything else I find interesting on the road. My ultimate goal is to inspire you to travel far and wide because I think that traveling is the best education that you can get, and our planet is beautiful!

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[mangosharky]

The city is like a solo minecraft creative world

[ms.s.t.]

I am from Tajikistan. Neighboring country from Central Asia. During our civil war some of relatives moved to Turkmenistan as refugee. But after the war was over, they came back. They have a very good memory of the country, people and culture(we have a lot in common but still...).
I personally know a few Turkmens. I have met them abroad. Very good people. I hope one day things will change. The paranoid of their president will come to an end. They will open their doors to their neighbors and other people around the world.❤️

[morebaklavapls]

their president is playing tropico i swear XDDD

[firdosiaparveen]

As an Indian I can’t even dream of my city being this empty 🤪😂
It’s so awkwardly beautiful 😘

[sitamun]

Ashgabat seems like every introvert’s paradise... the entire place to yourself

[dontsubscribetothischannel]

USA: I like guns
Russia: I like Vodka
Turkmenistan: I like marbles
USA & Russia: ...

[willslingwood]

I have a friend from Turkmenistan. He’s very proud of their ancient history and tells me about it all the time. The flag 🇹🇲 for example features their national rugs down the left side.
He also tells me about the amazing and sometimes hedonistic subcultures that exist all over the country, almost hidden in plain sight.
They have ways around the censorship rules too, naturally. They are all painfully aware of the absurdity of the regime too... they have fun with it where they can. That’s what humans do, so much oppression around our beautiful home planet... we could do without it but we’ve also learned to play with it.

[saifullahgazii]

Turkmenistan seems like a great place for introverts...can't wait to visit this country some day

[danyagha]

Life of a Turkmen in USA
I don’t live their now, but I used to. Imagine putting Iran, Russia, and Turkey all in a stew. Yea it’s beautiful with all the shiny buildings, but the government is not very kind. The president is a parodied lunatic. He was afraid that if he continued to have strong ties with Russia, Kazakhstan, and other post Soviet nations, that the U.S would invade them. So he declared neutrality and begins to only trade with China. Now food prices go up due to lack of food. People have minor protest, and he blames Russian nationalism, so he begins demoting Russian language and culture. A lot of people like me, and my mother and 4 of her 6 siblings left the Country. We went USA, one went to Britain, one went to UAE, but later moved to Turkey, and 1 moves to Russia. Now the population is dying, and the economy goes down. Now it’s most children, elderly, and people trying to leave. He bans migration, and the people hate him so much that he is leaving the country every month. Imagine living in America, but you are stripped of all freedoms. Also you’re even more poor, and the prices keep going up. Right now he provides free gas, and electricity, but soon that will be taken away. I heard from my mother that he is actually a dentist, that’s why he doesn’t know how to run a country. I still have 1 married aunt, my grandma, and my only uncle there. My uncle wants to move to the U.S, but increased strictness of the president, and U.S president makes it harder for him to get a visa. My grandma visits us every year. My mom usually pays for airplane tickets. It’s less strict for the elderly, as they can’t work, and nor can they be “spy’s”, or “terrorist.” Their are lot’s of problems in China right now with Hong Kong, and Tibet. If China’s economy falls, ours will fall even more. I hope that Uzbekistan annexes us and gives us full rights. We are ethnically Turkic like Uzbekistan, and are very naturally rich of resources. Iran looks at us with it’s hungry mouth. If Iran would annex us, we wouldn’t be able to speak Turkmen, and we wouldn’t we be able to speak Russian, nor would we be able to study Sunni Muslim. It wouldn’t be good. Even with all this bad, I am still proud to be a Turkmen. The culture is fun, the flag is beautiful, the history is complex, and the anthem is amazing. I hope a new government can come to power, restore ties to Russia, join SCO, join CSTO, and join Eurasian Union. It’s either that or, be consumed by Iran, or be destroyed by USA. There are events in the U.S that take place in Washington D.C, and Philadelphia called TASA. They aim to celebrate the immigrants in America, we go there 2 times a year to the Russian, and Turkmen events. We always have a good time. I met some of my best friends through that event. I met Sanzhar who is from Kazakhstan. I met Andrew who is born in U.S but his mom was born in Ukraine, so we can all speak Russian. I met Emily who is from U.S but her mom is from Belarus, and dad from Russia. I met many others, but those are the most significant ones. People here in U.S have treated me kindly. Although the are you a Russian spy, and the are you a middle eastern terrorist jokes get really annoying. The adults are very interested. The children think that I’m cool. I had a birthday party and invited one of my American friends. He was ok until we ate food. He looked at it horrified. It’s not even different from American food. Борщ is just purple beat soup. Плов is just rice. Пельмешки is just dumplings. Чебуреки is just a sandwich. I can’t speak Turkmen at all. I can speak Russian though. We were part of the USSR. My Russian is limited, I have bad grammar, and can’t really read or write to well. Despite all of this, I hope that we get a government change and look towards a new and brighter future. Long live Turkmen people! 🇹🇲

[johnframboise]

:"you cant play Minecraft in Real Life"
Turkmenistan: "hold my white marble"

[jasonshox]

Imagine being black and walking through this place

[HeadUnderHeels]

This city is an absolute work of art. Even the emptiness is alluring to me. If this city existed in a more accessible and open country, I’d love to live there. Breathtaking 🥰

[sebasbandera]

This country and Central Asia in general looks beatiful. I can't wait to visit when I grow older.

[jcrossan]

One of most most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen

[junayedahmed]

I am from Bangladesh. I like this city because it's empty 😅

[fluffball]

Drew's expression when he tries the camel milk is priceless.

[selim]

Hi everyone from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan👋👋🇹🇲🇹🇲

[Mikronesien]

4 days in Turkmenistan is not enough. You have been missing the most beautiful natural wonder. Much better than the gas crater. I am talking about the colorful Yangikala Canyon in the Balkan district, the western part of Turkmenistan

[adm]

It looks beautiful. The guide also seems genuinely friendly. I like quiet places. The Turkmenbashi mosque may be a nice place to contemplate. It would also be interesting along the Caspian Sea and the mountains to the south. Maybe I’ll visit someday.

[DubsNightClub]

Best video content so far comparing to other ones regarding Turkmenistan. I like your personality, author. You just went to this country and this is it. You did not say who's good or bad, or judge anyone because of the political views. You just stayed positive instead. BTW, I also will go there some day, hopefully soon.