Yerbent

Yerbent

The village of Yerbent is located in Ahal Province, in the Karakum Desert of central Turkmenistan. The Yerbent oasis has preserved many traditional nomadic customs and crafts over the centuries. In the village you can see how traditional Chynar-patterned felt is made, and how wool is combed and beaten. You can also see how the Tamdyr oven bakes the dark bread common in the countryside, and take part in the milking of dromedary camels to make Chal, the traditional fermented camel milk. This is the largest settlement on the road from Ashgabat to Dashoguz, and it consists mainly of single-story buildings with adjacent yurts. The pastoral economy of the area has resulted in the desertification of the surrounding land, but the village continues to be a favorite destination, aiming to give tourists an "authentic experience" of Karakum desert life. In the center of the village stands a Soviet-era monument commemorating the deaths of 11 men who died in the 1931 Basmachi Revolt to ensure the "triumph of socialism, realization of dictatorship of the proletariat, and collectivization of agriculture".