Turkmenistan, low on visitors, opens striking new airport
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A view of the new international airport terminal outside Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. The capital of Turkmenistan, a country largely closed to outsiders, has opened a $2.3-billion terminal at its international airport in the shape of a flying falcon. The terminal, whose roof in profile resembles a bird with spread wings, adds to Ashgabat's vast array of gleaming, idiosyncratic buildings. (AP Photo) (The Associated Press)
The capital of Turkmenistan, a country largely closed to outsiders, has opened a $2.3 billion terminal at its international airport in the shape of a flying falcon.
The terminal, whose roof in profile resembles a bird with spread wings, adds to Ashgabat's vast array of idiosyncratic buildings.
The terminal that officially opened on Saturday is designed to process at least 1,600 passengers every hour.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Strict visa regulations in Turkmenistan mean relatively small numbers of tourists and businessmen ever visit the isolated, energy-rich Central Asian nation.
In 2013, the Guinness World Records recognized Ashgabat as having the greatest density of marble-clad buildings — estimated at more than 540. Many official buildings are noteworthy for literal or eccentric designs. The state publishing house, for example, is in the shape of a book.