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Photo: John Pavelka from Austin, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Presidential palace of Turkmenistan. It was the site of Saparmurat Niyazov's home prior to his death and then a new palace was built. Photography is not really allowed.
Presidential Palace is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of Turkmenistan, located on Independence Square in the capital city of Ashgabat in Turkmenistan. This building was built in May 2011, replacing the role of the smaller Oguzhan Presidential Palace, built in 1997 located nearby.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
The Central Hall has a large picture of President Niyazov Abundance of the Harvest. In the Independence Hall the heroic figures of the nation (Oguz Han, Togrul Beg, Alp Arslan and the poet Seydi) are shown. The museum also contains a reconstruction of the dragen freeze of the mosque of Arnau and exhibitions of Turkmen paintings before and after 1950. The first floor is devoted to Russian paintings from the 19th century and to European paintings, including minor works by Tiepolo and Poussin.
The museum houses antique carpets of the 18th and 19th centuries and modern carpets from all parts of the country. There is a nearly 200 m² carpet which was intended as curtain of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, but proved too heavy. The pride of the museum is the largest hand-woven carpet in the world, as certified by the Guinness Book of Records. It covers 300 m² and was woven by 40 carpet makers on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence.
A large mosque that was a gift from Turkey. Some say it is cursed due to several deaths during its construction.
A corridor filled with fountains and statues of historical figures, mostly from circa 1000 AD.
An amusement park centered around Turkmenbashi lore, with a magic carpet ride featuring Turkomen carpets.
Austere wedding venue that looks like something out of a geometry book.