What a city. Ashgabat has taken us by surprise and might be in the running for most enjoyable city, against all odds! The old city was razed to the ground in a huge earthquake in 1948, killing 1 in 3 residents and destroying all bar two buildings.

As a result, what is here now is a mixture of surprisingly attractive Soviet-era blocks and brand new, Dubai-esque buildings. But the difference here is that it feels like people live here. There are wide, tree-lined roads, parks a-plenty, an inordinate number of fountains and, of course, statues everywhere of Turkmenbashi the Great (otherwise known as Niyazov), Independent Turkmenistan's first post-Soviet leader.

He's dead now, thank god, but during his time he managed almost entirely to rebuild the city (displacing and not compensating thousands of families), erect hundreds of statues of himself (one which rotates so as always to face the sun) and create a system of goverment with such puppets as the Ministry of Fairness and recreational areas such as the Turkmenbashi World of Fairytales.

He really was an extraodinary man. He wrote a book, called the Ruhnama, which details all the wonderful things that Turkmen have done through the ages. Interestingly you will find that most inventions originated here, not anywhere else in the whole world! Fascinating reading. But the great man is at pains throughout the book to indicate that should he in any way act contrary to those marvellous Turkmen values we should all feel free to sandpaper off his nose, saw off his chin, core out his eyes and so on and so forth. Of course, he, being the almightly, should also be able to do this to misguided Turkmen.

We bought a copy of the book, which used to be the only standard text but is now being phased out. It makes for quite surprising and often 'entertaining' reading.

Indeed Turkmenbashi, the estimed leader, was so pleased with his book that he really put it up there on a pedistal. Enough not only to create a statue in its honour but also a mosque. Yes, you heard me right. The mosque was built on the outskirts to house something like 20,000 people at any one time. The minarest are the tallest in the world at 91m and the structure is covered in script from...his own book. In fact over the arch leading into the building is written 'Ruhnama is a holy book; the Koran is Allah's book', which is an interesting take on things.

The interior is palacial and the completely hand-woven carpet covering the whole floor is immense and must have taken goodness only knows how long to make.

Yet despite, or actually because, of all this, the imam at the time of completion refused to consacrate the place due to its irreverance and he was promptly chucked in jail. He's out now but no one really visits the 'mosque' other than a handful of tourists. What a total waste of time and money.

Things seem to be getting better here. It is not yet a democracy but there is now free access to the Internet, BBC Turkey (I had no idea such a thing existed!) is broadcast and living conditions seem to be improving somewhat. There is still a long way to go but we think that the country might be on the right tracks. Let's hope so because it has perhaps been the most interesting 'stan of all. Highly recommended.