When glancing down at the blaze at the ‘Gateway to Hell’, one has a hard time believing that this gas crater fuming natural gas is still burning, considering it was set to flames by accident over four decades ago. Turkmenistan has been a ‘stan a bit more complicated to set foot into because of its political obscurity and sensitivity towards filming and photography. Never the less, after overcoming a couple denials, I was able to enter the post Türkmenbaşy and present day Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedows’ build on white marble state. Here is what I saw on a week long trip around the country on a mandatory guided tour through my newly obtained Sony a7s. All shots are handheld and shot with a 24mm and 85mm lens. Minor color correction was added to give the short feature a film visage.

Locations: Ashgabat, Erbent, Darvaza, Köneürgench, Dashoguz, Balkanabat, Yangikala Canyons & Turkmenbashi

Filmed & Edited by Patrik Wallner

Titles by Jesper Lindgren

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