#ashgabat

Back on my fascination with the surreal unpopulated landscapes of up-town Ashgabat again. The fact that this place exists in reality, and not just in some movie, is something that haunts me.

Super expensive strange architecture, neat, tidy, well-maintained... and no one is there. Holds the record for the highest density of marble buildings (mostly uninhabited) and the largest indoor Ferris wheel (that no one rides). Cars that are dirty or any colour other than white or silver are forbidden. An empty utopia in one of the most repressive countries in the world.

It's such a bizarre place. I wish I could see it for myself. Every time I look at photos again I find new buildings I hadn't seen before.

Kabul, Afghanistan

Astana, Kazakhstan

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Islamabad, Pakistan

Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan