A traveller has shared her experience while visiting the “weirdest country in the world” where communication with the outside world is almost impossible.
Turkmenistan in Asia is home to around six million people, with a number of strange rules making it one of the weirdest countries in the world.
Sharing her experience on TikTok, Sydney – who solo travels around the world – shared some of the unique rules that shocked her when visiting the country nestled just above Afghanistan and Iran.
“Come with me to the weirdest country in the world. This country has been labelled by many as the world’s strangest country. For starters, there is no internet. Every single social media platform is banned, making communication with the outside world very challenging”, she explains.
The capital – Ashgabat – is also made up entirely of white marble, with the president Serdar Berdimuhamedow insisting all cars are white or grey to fit in with the colour scheme. It is also “considered illegal” to have a dirty car.
Sydney added: “Things like dogs, opera, ballet, car radios, cigarettes, and video games are all banned. Men are not permitted to have long hair and must be over the age of 70 to grow facial hair. The president has also implemented a holiday dedicated to melons and changed all of the days of the week and months of the year to his family member’s names. Oh, and did I mention they also have the gates to hell. Needless to say it’s definitely the weirdest place I’ve ever been.”
The secretive country has drawn comparisons to North Korea thanks to its lack of contact with the outside world.
Another TikToker who visited Turkmenistan is Chris who claimed he was forced to be accompanied by a travel guide for his entire trip.
He said: “This is what it’s like to travel to the weirdest country on earth. The first thing you need to understand is that there’s no internet here.
“Essentially every website is banned and I had to tell people I’d be out of contact for the entire length of my trip,” he said as he showed his phone failing to load any webpages. “You can’t travel here without a pre-approved visa and a pre-arranged tour guide for the entire length of your stay.”
The keen explorer – who has visited 159 countries – said that although the capital is packed with grandiose monuments its almost entirely deserted, which added to the creepy atmosphere.
He said: “Calling this place strange is an understatement. The capital is full of grandiose utilitarian monuments and virtually devoid of people. There is just an eerie feeling visiting these buildings with scores of empty stores inside almost like a ghost town.”
But he says that despite the strange rules, he was impressed by the residents. He explained: “The truth about people from Turkmenistan is they are just like people from anywhere else.”
