What's on in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan through the year

Shoulder season — school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Rule

  Letter of invitation and guide

  1 Jan – 31 DecBook early

  A tourist visa needs a letter of invitation arranged months ahead through a licensed agency, and it comes with a guide for the length of the stay. The five-day transit visa is the other way in and is refused about as often as it is granted. Source ↗

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Letter of invitation and guide (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Nowruz, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Nowruz

  21–22 MarNational holidayClosures

  Two public days for the spring new year, with a state programme of concerts and yurts set up on the edge of the city. Ministries and most museums close for both of them. Source ↗

Still on: Letter of invitation and guide (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Festival

  Turkmen horse day

  24–30 Apr · usuallyNational holidayClosures

  The last Sunday in April belongs to the Akhal-Teke: racing at the hippodrome, a beauty contest for the horses and a mounted stunt team. It is the one public event here a visitor can reasonably expect to get into. Source ↗

Still on: Letter of invitation and guide (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Letter of invitation and guide (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Hazard

  Karakum summer heat

  20 Jun – 25 Aug · usuallyExtreme heat

  The desert starts at the edge of town and the white marble holds what it gets well past dark. The city works early and late and abandons the middle of the day; the fountains are decorative, not cooling. Source ↗

Still on: Letter of invitation and guide (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Letter of invitation and guide (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Karakum summer heat (20 Jun – 25 Aug (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Festival

  Melon Day

  8–14 Aug · usuallyNational holiday

  The second Sunday of August is a national holiday for the Turkmen melon, complete with a fair and a great deal of state television. The bazaars justify it on their own terms. Source ↗

Still on: Letter of invitation and guide (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Karakum summer heat (20 Jun – 25 Aug (usually))

Busy — Independence Day, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  27 SepNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  A parade, a public day off and closed central avenues. The rehearsals in the week beforehand disrupt more of the city than the day itself does. Source ↗

Still on: Letter of invitation and guide (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Letter of invitation and guide (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Letter of invitation and guide (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Letter of invitation and guide (1 Jan – 31 Dec)