Plizio Visual Lab
Änew
ℹ️Practical info — Änew
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🌤 Weather — 5 days
📍 Nearby
Sights nearby
💡 Tips
- Look for the rare dragon mosaic above the entrance of the Seyit Jemaletdin Mosque-a unique feature in Islamic architecture.
- As Änew is only 20 minutes from Ashgabat, it is excellent for a quick half-day trip in the early morning.
- Visit the Anau Mounds (Depe) to see evidence of one of the world's earliest agricultural civilizations.
- Be respectful at the mosque ruins, as they remain an active pilgrimage site for locals seeking health and fertility.
- Combine your visit with a stop at a nearby Akhal-Teke horse stable to see the legendary 'Golden Horses'.
🍽 Food
This savory meat pie is often prepared fresh in small roadside teahouses throughout the area.
Änew is proud of its grain history; try the local flatbread (Chorek) straight from a clay oven.
Grilled lamb skewers, often served in Änew with a simple seasoning of salt and sliced onions.
🛍 Shopping · 🧘 Quiet spots
Look for Turkmen melons, which are often fresher and cheaper here than in the capital.
Occasional local vendors sell silver jewelry and felt mats near the Seyit Jemaletdin Mosque site.
Just a short drive south, the hills offer serene landscapes and fresh mountain air.
The breeding farms on the outskirts provide a peaceful, rural atmosphere away from the city.
The silence among the ancient walls provides a profound sense of history and reflection.
Water temperature…
Änew lies about 12 kilometres east of Ashgabat and is the capital of Ahal Region, with around 35,000 inhabitants. The town grew on a settlement mound whose layers stretch back to the Neolithic: here archaeologists uncovered traces of one of the earliest farming cultures of Central Asia, known after the site as the Anau culture and dated to roughly 4500 BCE. In the 15th century the Timurids built the famed Seyit Cemaleddin Mosque here, celebrated for its unique dragon mosaic; the 1948 earthquake destroyed it almost entirely, leaving its ruins as an important archaeological monument. Modern Änew lives from administration, light industry and its proximity to the capital, while the national Academy of Sciences also runs agricultural research stations on the outskirts of the city.
- Location: Turkmenistan
- Top sights: Seyit Jemaleddin Mosque · Annau South Mound · Annau Medieval Settlement
- Nearby: Büzmeýin (37 km)
- Population: ~28.653 (2026)
Best time to visit & climate
The most pleasant time to visit is May, Sep, Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °C | 4 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 24 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 24 | 17 | 9 | 5 |
| Rain mm | 17 | 31 | 36 | 33 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 20 | 16 |
Geography
Facts
- Administrative center of Ahal Province near the capital
- Birthplace of the Anau culture, dating to 4500 BCE
- Site of the first major excavations by Raphael Pumpelly in 1904
- The Seyit Jemaleddin Mosque was completed in 1456
- Severe damage was caused by the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake
- Features unique dragon mosaics, rare in traditional Islamic art
Explore nearby
Notable places around
Route planner — Car & Motorhome
Where do you start? We build the route here, with stops and country notes along the way.
© OpenStreetMap contributors · OpenRouteService
Sights in the town Änew (5)
Annau North Mound
Northern settlement mound of the ancient city of Annau, archaeologically significant.
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