Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CROSSING THE TURKMENISTAN BORDER AT
BAJGIRAN
From Bajgiran's lower border gate, it's a steady 1.7km climb to the
immigration posts
( 7.30am-3.30pm Iran
time, 9am-5pm Turkmen time)
; taxis want US$1. Before crossing the border, change at least US$10 into Turkmen
manats (US$1=2.85M) either with traders in Bajgiran village or at the small (slightly hidden) office marked 'taxi' to
the right of the Iranian immigration building. Iranian formalities are swift as long as you don't sneeze at the 'Human
Quarantine' desk. Turkmenistan immigration is just 50m away. As at any Turkmen entry point you'll need US$12
(in US dollars) to pay for the hologrammed entry card. If arriving on a tourist visa your voucher must be with the
immigration officers and the agency representative should be waiting so be sure to synchronise your watches. That's
not required if you're on a transit visa.
Turkmen immigration staff are friendly but procedures can be appallingly ponderous, even when everything's in
order (two hours to clear six people when we crossed). Beware that Howdan (the Turkmen-side upper customs post,
pronounced hovdan) is not a village, has zero facilities and is 25km from the Turkmen lower border gate (Berzhengi
Tamozhna). Smart VW minivans charging US$10 shuttle across this no-man's land, departing once they have a
handful of passengers. After further passport checks here, less plush shuttle taxis charge US$20 per person to any
address in Ashgabat (the city limits of which start 7km further north).
The prettier of two possible routes from Quchan uses a degraded old road via Emam-
qoli, descending through a narrow canyon, and rejoining the main new road just beyond
the timeless mud-block village of
Dorbadam
.
Mashhadدهشم
0511 / POP 2,965,000 / ELEV 1000M
Mashhad is Iran's holiest and second-biggest city. Its
raison d'être
and main sight is the
beautiful, massive and ever-growing Haram (shrine complex) commemorating the AD
817 martyrdom of Shia Islam's eighth Imam, Imam Reza. The pain of Imam Reza's death
is still felt very personally over a millennium later and around 20 million pilgrims con-
verge here each year to pay their respects (and no small amount of money) to the Imam.
Witnessing their tears is a moving experience, even if you're not a Muslim yourself. If
you notice a lot of young couples, that's because the city's also a haven for honeymoon-
ers, who believe sharing it with the Imam will bless their marriage. Away from the Haram
Complex, Mashhad is a good place to buy carpets, it's a natural staging post for travel to
Turkmenistan or Afghanistan, and offers many interesting excursions into little-touristed
Khorasan.
