The Walk of Health ( tk, Saglyk ýoly, lit, health trail) is a long concrete walkway that runs alongside the Kopet Dag mountain range in south

Ashgabat Ashgabat or Asgabat ( tk, Aşgabat, ; fa, عشق‌آباد, translit='Ešqābād, formerly named Poltoratsk ( rus, Полтора́цк, p=pəltɐˈratsk) between 1919 and 1927), is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies ...

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...

, near the

Iran–Turkmenistan border The Iran–Turkmenistan border is 1,148 km (713 miles) in length and runs from the Caspian Sea to the tripoint with Afghanistan. The Turkmen capital Ashgabat is only 15 miles north of this boundary, and Mashhad (Iran's second largest city) ...

. The first of the path was constructed in 1999 by dictator

Saparmurat Niyazov Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov; tk, Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow, in Cyrillic: Сапармырат Атаевич Ныязов (19 February 1940 – 21 December 2006), also known as Turkmenbashi, was a Turkmen politician who rule ...

, with the intent of encouraging citizens to be healthy. It officially opened on 2 January 2000. Until Niyazov's death, he required his ministers to walk the walkway once every year.

History

The first of the Walk of Health was constructed in 1999 by dictator

. It officially opened on 2 January 2000. Niyazov made his ministers walk the walkway whilst he travelled by helicopter to meet them at the end of the walkway. He feared that his own heart condition would render him unable to walk the entire length. The walkway was expanded an additional in mid-2000, after which Niyazov announced he would require his ministers to walk the walkway once every year. On 30 August 2004, over 10,000 people walked the walkway, including members of the government. In July 2012, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov expressed dissatisfaction with the state of the walkway. He said that the government would look for private investors to maintain it.

Route

The concrete walkway is split into two sections: Leader's Trail, which is , and Serdar Trail, which is . The beginning of the Walk of Health is marked by an archway in Serdar Health Park. From their starting points, Leader's Trail runs northwest, terminating at the Kopetdag Highway south of Nisa, while Serdar Trail runs generally southeast, terminating at the Government Tribune complex on Gokdepe Highway south of Ashgabat. As there are no trees in the mountain range to provide shade, the walkway is difficult to walk in its entirety. It is accompanied by metal fences on either side of the path, as well as street lamps so that it can be illuminated at night. Numerous statues and sculptures line the walkway, with pavilions every kilometer for resting. The highest point of the walkway reaches , which is marked by a flagpole displaying the

flag of Turkmenistan The flag of Turkmenistan ( tk, Türkmenistanyň baýdagy) features a white crescent (symbol of Islam) and five stars representing the five regions of the country and the Five Pillars of Islam. Placed upon a green field is a symbolic representation ...

Gallery

The entrance to the Walk of Health.jpg, Archway at the entrance to the walkway. On the walk of health.jpg, View of the walkway.

References

Footnotes

External links

Walk of Health
at Atlas Obscura {{Wikidatacoord, Q4463746, display=title Tourist attractions in Turkmenistan Hiking trails in Turkmenistan