Below are top 10 "must try" dishes for visitors to Turkmenistan

A hallmark of Turkmenistani cooking is preserving the original flavors of the ingredients and not masking them with intense herbs and spices, which had been introduced mostly in the 20th century. A meat-lovers paradise, dishes include lamb, chicken, hares, gazelle, deer, camel, a medium-sized game bird called ptarmigans, and other wild birds. The consumption of horsemeat is prohibited, as horses are revered as sacred animals since ancient times. (The Akhal-Teke, a breed famous for its stunning coat with a metallic look, is the national emblem of Turkmenistan.)

While there are many similarities between meat dishes found in Turkmenistan and those in other Central Asian and Caspian region countries, how the meat is cooked makes all the difference.

Below are top 10 “must try” dishes for visitors to Turkmenistan:

10. Shurpa

Shurpa is one of the most popular Turkmen and Central Asian soups, made from mutton broth and complete with the addition of potatoes and tomatoes. The boiled vegetables are cooked together with fried onions, carrots, flour, bay leaves, salt and pepper. The broth and vegetable mix is served in a bowl, along with boiled mutton and a dollop of sour cream

The formation of Turkmen national costume is connected with climatic conditions, occupation and historical relationship. The traditional Turkmen costume was free and loose clothing that was met all the requirements for the nomadic way of life.

Man's costume consisted of a loose shirt, pants and robe, which were made of cotton fabric. The robe was made of striped fabric (silk), usually red, white and black stripes. Footwear was shoes which put on over woolen socks. According to shoes, one could determine the status of the host. Rich people wore boots made of white leather on the heel as well as boots with galoshes “kovush”. But the greatest attention was paid to the headdress “telpek”, as hat which was made of black, white and brown lamb was the sign of manhood. “Telpek” is a unique hat, it protects from the heat in summer and from cold in winter. It also was uncomfortable to wear “telpek” because of big size but in this case it was taken off, as there was a black head dress under it. White hats are usually worn by young horsemen, and black and brown are worn by old men.

Women’s costume also consists of straight shirt (dress), pants, a robe and head dress. It remained the national originality of folk costume. The dominant color in the clothing of Turkmen women is red. Woman’s shirt was sewn from red and crimson silk. Street clothes were robes "chabyty" and "chekmeny", made of dark blue, dark green or red silk fabric with white or yellow stripes. Festive robes were different from luxury embroidery. The main part of a married woman’s wardrobe was a robe "kurte" or "chyrpy", decorated with rich floral ornaments.

Turkmen national costume was formed as a result of a long process of development of the spiritual and material, as well as the artistic culture of the Turkmen people.

Turkmenistan is located in the heart of Central Asia, with the Caspian Sea to the west of the country. The nation also shares a border with Kazakhstan (towards the north-west), Uzbekistan (north and east), Afghanistan (south and east) and Iran (south and south-west). Turkmenistan is roughly the same size as Spain and is mostly landlocked. 

Ashgabat is by far the largest city in Turkmenistan with a population of nearly one million in 2013; more than three times larger than the next biggest city, Türkmenabat. All in all, around five million people live in Turkmenistan and 85 percent of them are locals, with sizeable numbers of Uzbek and Russian people also living in the country. 

Turkmen is the most common language but many people also have a grasp of Russian. English is rarely spoken, even in major cities. Around nine out of ten people living in Turkmenistan are Muslim — most of the remaining residents are followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The Climate in Turkmenistan

The Karakum Desert, which covers a vast part of Turkmenistan's area, is one of the driest places in the world and much of the country is the same, with levels of precipitation having been recorded at around the 12 mm mark. About 80 percent of Turkmenistan's land mass is desert. 

Temperatures can also be very high in Turkmenistan, especially in inland cities such as Kerki, which is located on the banks of the Amu Darya River. Temperatures have been recorded higher than 50°C, making it one of the warmest countries in the world during summer. 

Despite this, overall Turkmenistan has a cold desert climate that is best described as severely continental. The country's summer runs from May through September and is hot and dry, with thunderstorms not uncommon, though evenings can be cool. The winters are typically mild and dry. However, towards the north of the country, the winters can be colder and damp. 

Visas for Turkmenistan

A visa is required to visit Turkmenistan regardless of where an individual is from, with only small exemptions for parts of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Every visa application must be supported by an official invitation that has been approved by the State Migration Service of Turkmenistan. Depending on the reason for your visit, this can be obtained with the help of travel agents (for tourist visits), a local company, or a private individual.

For stays of over three days, expatriates also have to register their presence with the local State Service.

Anyone planning to visit Atamurat, Serakhs, Cheleken, Serhetabat, or Dashoguz must first acquire permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Furthermore, expats planning to use the railway system to travel through Turkmenistan must first acquire a transit visa.

A week to ten days should at minimum be allowed for visas to be processed, but there’s the option to fast-track one’s application for an additional fee.

Doctors

A systemic lack of trained personnel and an ideological drive behind modern medical care has resulted in the musings of a medieval philosopher, Avicenna, becoming required reading for all doctors and pharmacists.

They also have to sit exams in President Saparmyrat Niyazov's spiritual writings, the Ruhnama.

Under these circumstances, it is not surprising that those medical professionals who can have fled the country.

There is a hospital in Moscow known as "the Turkmen hospital" because there are so many Turkmen doctors working there.

Coupled with frequent rounds of job cuts in healthcare, this has brought a system that was already in a poor position under the Soviet Union, to its knees.

Some problems have been acknowledged by the Turkmen regime, which has this year alone spent £10m on drugs and equipment.

Its success in the area of child vaccination is internationally recognised, and the regime takes the health of its population seriously, at least in rhetoric.