bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      name
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sections {
    value {
      relatedNewsletters {
        ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
        id
      }
      id
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on Section {
  name
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_image_posties_article", "og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Article {
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


sections

types

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

entityUuid

AYESHA SITARA

It is an unexpected pit stop in the middle of nowhere; a lonely petrol station on the side of the road. The only other traffic, four camels trot towards the tiny hamlet where, having driven out to the Darvaza gas crater, we are taking turns to wash our SUVs. Sure, the vehicles need it after two days in the Karakum desert, but why now and why here?
It turns out that this is the last stop before Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmeni­stan, where the driving of dirty cars is illegal. Surreal? From touch down at the city’s huge falcon-shaped airport to the moment you leave the country, this mysterious “Stan” is exactly that.
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AN EERIE SILENCE GREETS arrivals at the recently opened, multibillion-dollar Ashgabat International Airport. We are outnumbered by austere officials and grim military guards watching our every move, or at least giving their eyes a rest from the glitzy gold and Islamic green décor.
A republic under the Soviet Union, Turk­menistan declared its independence in 1991 and has since been ruled in isolation and secrecy. Comfortably enthroned on vast gas reserves and with no checks and balances to worry about, its two despotic presidents and their Potemkin fantasies have changed the very landscape, particularly in Ashgabat.

The modern city contrasts sharply with the rugged, sandy Kopet Dag mountains that surround it. Gold, green and white are its colour scheme. Studded with gilded domes and statues, it is accessorised with street lamps, bus stops, telephone booths and traffic signals that are unashamedly ostenta­tious. Standing in the street is like being under a lovely blue dome inside a colossal Islamic mausoleum.
Driving around, it’s hard not to realise that something is amiss in this utopian landscape. The playgrounds are deserted, the park benches unoccupied, the boule­vards empty. No one waits at the bus stops
Peculiarly, the Ashgabat skyline is bright white; Guinness World Records has recog­nised it as “the city having the highest density of white marble-clad buildings”: 543 and counting.
Many of them are in New Street. With more than 170 blocks, the neighbourhood is home to corporate giants such as Coca-Cola, Samsung, Volvo and Nestlé, as well as the few employees who can afford to live locally. And as commanded by the current president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, no two blocks are identical.
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Driving around, it’s hard not to realise that something is amiss in this utopian landscape. The playgrounds are deserted, the park benches unoccupied, the boule­vards empty. No one waits at the bus stops. Maybe no one needs to, since petrol is so cheap.
Still, at least no one spoils the view when you’re gawking at the grandiose ministries near the Presidential Palace: the syringe-shaped health ministry, the book-shaped education ministry or the gas ministry, which looks like a cigarette lighter but is meant to resemble a flame. The Central Bank building bears a massive gold nugget on its façade.

Frustratingly, you can’t take photo­graphs where guards are stationed, which is almost everywhere.
It’s worth visiting the National Museum, if only to see one of the world’s tallest flag­poles. Inside is the world’s second-largest hand-woven carpet (Abu Dhabi has the largest, if you were wondering). A drive to the iconic Bagt Kosgi (Wedding Palace), which sits on a mound in the southwest of the city, is a must for the impressive view over Ashgabat and for the geometrical wonders of its design. Within walking distance is the five-star Yyldyz Hotel, which loosely recalls Dubai’s Burj Al Arab but is supposed to resemble a teardrop.
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The Alem Cultural and Entertainment Centre is another holder of a Guinness World Record, for having the largest indoor Ferris wheel. More than 150 feet high, the wheel offers splendid views of the city – possible because it isn’t really “indoors”, the 24 cabins instead being encased in a concrete, steel and glass structure – but it’s not the ride and views that you remember most, it’s the dead birds on the parapets.
A short drive away is the Arch of Neutrality, locally dubbed the “tripod”, the top of which supports a golden statue of Berdimuhamedov’s predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, that used to rotate to follow the sun. From here, you can’t miss Turkmenistan’s tallest building, a television tower perched on a hill overlook­ing the city, which has – you guessed it – its own Guinness World Record; this one for “the largest architectural star” – a glass façade built into the building.

Ashgabat is a sterile and immaculately polished city. Smoking is banned in public and the president has demanded that anything “untidy, slovenly and tasteless” be disposed of, which is probably why the first, and sometimes only, people you meet at many landmarks are sweepers, cleaners, gardeners and guards.
At the Independence Monument, a 118-metre column and Ashgabat’s most impor­tant landmark, smiles and salaams are exchanged with the men polishing the floors but not the soldiers about to begin their changing-of-the guards routine. Shaped like a traditional Turkmen yurt at its base and surrounded by statues of national heroes, the white column is decorated with five-headed eagles, a spire, a crescent and five stars, representing the five regions of Turkmenistan – all in gold. And the 118 metres are no accident; together with an observation platform that measures 10 metres (October being the 10th month) in diameter, they denote October 27, 1991 (27+91=118), Independence Day.
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Since then, Ashgabat has been shaped by the cult of personality. Niyazov, orphan­ed after a devastating earthquake razed the city in 1948, joined the Communist Party before becoming leader of the country, in 1985. His eccentricities included naming a meteorite after himself, replacing the Hippocratic
Oath and banning gold teeth. During his presidency, it was mandatory to learn by-heart his book, the Ruhnama (2001) – a gigantic concrete copy of which is on display in Independence Park. Niyazov built the majestic Gypjak Mosque, the largest in Central Asia, in memory of his family, members of which are buried in a grand mausoleum nearby. Niyazov’s Mao-like busts dot the capital, although many have been destroyed by his successor.

Not as repressive as Niyazov, who died in 2006, B erdimuhamedov is a smart dictator; the former dentist now goes by the name Arkadag, meaning “protector”. His beneficence is lauded on TV and in magazines and newspapers, and the president watches over all from numerous billboards, paintings and electronic portraits. He has reversed many of Niyazov’s ill-conceived policies and is equestrian crazy – “the people’s horse breeder”, as he likes to be called, has been honoured with a gold-plated statue in central Ashgabat of himself astride a handsome steed.
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On weekends, races are held at the Ashgabat Hippodrome but betting is illegal, at least officially. Race days are a social occasion, but perhaps not for the rows of university students in identical tracksuits who are compelled to be there. The winning jockey usually gets a hand-woven Turkmen carpet and a silk shawl.
Hitchhiking remains common in Turk­menistan; so hail one of the city’s informal taxis for the journey out to the hippodrome or to see the ancient Nisa Fortress or the Altyn Asyr bazaar, known for its carpets, and you’ll probably have company.

Back in the city, it’s away from the vanity projects and grandiose follies, amid the Soviet-era blocks of the old quarter, that Ashgabat comes to life. In the restaurants, pubs, cafés, bazaars and playgrounds visitors are welcomed with warmth and hospitality, even when much is lost in translation; at a muay thai boxing ring I am asked to remove my sunglasses, lest they hide a secret camera. Turkmens, Russians, Armenians, Koreans, Uzbeks and Ukrainians inter-marry here and Islam is practised only casually – alcohol and pork are not frowned upon.
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The Russian Market and Teke Bazaar are within 10 minutes’ walk of each other, and in both you can savour local sweets, blinis (crêpes), samsa (puff pastry) and kebabs while deciding which Turkmen­bashi watches, spices and dried fruits you’d like to take home as souvenirs. Along Azadi Street from the Russian Market is the State Archives of Turkmeni­stan, the façade of which bears the last bas relief created by Russian sculptor Ernst Neizvestny before he fled to the United States.
TURKMENISTAN HAS PROVED to be a fascinating, secretive fantasyland and for my travel companion it had one last surprise in store as her plane climbed away from Ashgabat. The pilot suddenly announced the Turkmenistan Airlines plane was returning to the city, but not before dumping its fuel.
While circling, waiting for clearance to land, there was a sigh of audible relief when the passengers learned there was no emer­gency. The plane was return­ing because the president’s daughter decided she had to get to London urgently and needed a lift.


Ashgabat: the weird, wonderful and eerily empty capital of Turkmenistan

Scratch the ornate, gold-plated, ostentatious surface of the city and you’ll (eventually) find a warm, hospitable welcome

Kimchi sold at Altyn Bazaar in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Koreans, sent by Stalin are comfortably integrated into Turkmen society, 2016 [13NOVEMBER2016 TRAVEL POST MAGAZINE] PHOTO / Ayesha SITARA

The Arch of Neutrality topped with a gilded statue of former President Niyazov in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 2016/ PHOTO / Ayesha SITARA

A view of Ashgabat city with the Kopet Dag Mountains in the background and landscaping for a new park in the foreground,Turkmenistan 2016. PHOTO / Ayesha SITARA

Animated young Turkmens at the hippodrome in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 2016. Held every weekend, horse racing is an important family event but betting is illegal. PHOTO / Ayesha SITARA

Ashgabat holds the Guinness World Record for “the city having the highest density of white marble-clad buildings”. Pictures: Ayesha Sitara

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Scratch the ornate, gold-plated, ostentatious surface of the city and you’ll (eventually) find a warm, hospitable welcome


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