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Bäherden
ℹ️Practical info — Bäherden
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🌤 Weather — 5 days
📍 Nearby
Sights nearby
💡 Tips
- Visit the Köw Ata underground lake; the water temperature stays a pleasant 33-37°C year-round.
- Do not stay in the water for more than 20 minutes due to the high sulfur content and humid cave air.
- Bring your own flip-flops or water shoes, as the steps and floor inside the cave can be very slippery.
- Expect a strong smell of sulfur (rotten eggs) as soon as you enter the cave system.
- Try to visit during the week to avoid the large crowds of local bathers who visit on weekends.
🍽 Food
Try the freshly charcoal-grilled meat at the stands in the parking lot after your swim.
Buy traditional flatbread baked in a clay oven from the women near the settlement.
Drink this fermented camel milk, which is considered very healthy in this desert region.
🛍 Shopping · 🧘 Quiet spots
This is where you'll find the sweetest local melons and grapes during the summer months.
Buy traditional hand-knitted socks or small wool items from local crafters.
Hike into the gentle hills south of the city for a panoramic view of the desert landscape.
A quiet spot near the railway station, first-rate for a peaceful walk in rural Turkmenistan.
Water temperature…
Bäherden, renamed Bahardok between 1939 and 1992 in honour of the Turkmen Marxist Kaahka and reverted to its traditional form after independence, is a small town of around 25,000 inhabitants in Ahal Region, about 100 kilometres west of Ashgabat at the foot of the Kopet Dag. The town lies on the historic Trans-Caspian Railway and the M37 highway linking Ashgabat with Türkmenbaşy. The wider area is best known for the Kow-Ata Cave some 8 kilometres away, whose underground sulphurous thermal lake at about 35 °C has been a popular spa for decades. Economically Bäherden lives from cotton and wheat farming, dried-fruit processing and small mineral water and lime plants that supply construction sites in the nearby capital and region.
- Location: Turkmenistan
- Top sights: Baherden House of Culture · Bäherden Bazary
- Nearby: Gökdepe (62 km)
- Population: ~37.588 (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 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 24 | 29 | 31 | 29 | 24 | 17 | 9 | 4 |
| Rain mm | 15 | 29 | 33 | 30 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 18 | 15 |
Geography
Facts
- Formerly called Baharly, located in the Ahal Province
- Home to the unique Köw-Ata underground thermal lake
- The lake is situated 60 meters below ground level
- Site of one of the largest cement plants in Turkmenistan
- Positioned at the base of the Kopet Dag mountain range
- Key stop on the strategic Trans-Caspian Railway line
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 Bäherden (2)
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