MOST people don’t even know where it is. The most mysterious country in Asia has just opened its doors to tourism after being closed off from the outside until the death of its dictator, Turkmenbashi, in 2006.

Many are surprised to realise that Turkmenistan lies in Central Asia and has been at the crossroads of civilisations for centuries.

Comprised mainly of the Karakum Desert and with some bizarre public architecture on display, the country remains largely unfamiliar to anyone but the locals.

Peregrine Adventures has just launched its first tour into the country that explores its medieval ruins, prehistoric towns, underwater caves and crater filled with flaming fire.

“If travel is the search for something new, then Turkmenistan might be the ultimate travel destination,” Peregrine Adventures managing director James Thornton said.

“Most people would not even know where Turkmenistan is located let alone know what treasures lie within it. Tour operators are just scratching the surface in Central Asia and within five to 10 years we’ll start to see many more comprehensive tours such as this in the area.”

Here’s what you’ll find in one of the world’s most mysterious countries.

Darvaza, or The Door to Hell

In the heart of the Karakum Desert is a 70-metre wide flaming crater, fuelled by gas.

In the early 1970s, oil drillers unearthed a large pocket of methane and, fearing it would pollute the surrounding air, decided to burn it off. Those flames still burn today giving it the name, The Door to Hell.

Karakum Desert

Covering more than 70 per cent of the country, the Karakum is more than just a desert. See the moonscape of the Yangykala Canyon, so isolated that many people in the country are still unaware of its existence.

Or the Bolshoi Balkan, a mountain range, in which archaeologists have found human remains dating back to the Stone Age. And small settlements like Yerbent, not too far from The Door to Hell, where you can see how locals live in this blistering desert.

Merv

Merv is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was once the largest city in the world. Located on the Silk Road that connected East and West, Merv’s ancient sites date back two millennia and remind us that Turkmenistan played a crucial role in the development of Central Asia.

Kow-Ata Cave

Kow-Ata is a lake 60 metres underground with water temperatures hovering around 35 degrees Celsius all year.

The unusual natural wonder is 72 metres long, 30 metres wide and about 10 metres deep making it a popular thermal bathing site for locals.

Turkmenbashi

Turkmenistan’s dictator, Turkmenbashi, ordered cities and airports to be named after him as well as the building of an ice palace and a 40-metre pyramid. His image is plastered everywhere through the country from Turkmenbashi vodka, to bank notes and television shows, he even wrote a book and declared everyone must read it to enter heaven.

Monument of Neutrality

Turkmenbashi had an enormous 12-metre gold statue of himself built and placed on a 75-metre tall arch in central Ashgabat. The statue rotated so that it always faced the sun. Costing $12 million to build, it was dismantled in 2010 by Turkmenbashi’s successor and relocated to the suburbs of Ashgabat. The statue no longer rotates.

Turkmenbashi Ruhy Mosque

Two years before Turkmenbashi died, he ordered a glorious mosque to be built in his home town, about 7 kilometres outside Ashgabat, which would house his remains in a special tomb. He was buried in the tomb the day before Christmas in 2006.

The mosque contains both scriptures from the Koran and the Ruhnama, Turkmenbashi’s own religious text, and has therefore been a site of controversy however it is a spectacular site to visit.