At the enlarged Cabinet meeting on April 12, the head of state highlighted that this year, designated as Turkmenistan the Land of Prosperity’, particular emphasis should be given to extensive media coverage of our country’s progress and achievements, and upcoming festivities and other cultural events aimed to popularize the Turkmen nation’s unique heritage worldwide should boast a high degree of organization.
Turkmenistan is a country of abounding historical and cultural monuments, and natural wonders.One of the immensely popular places, Koytendag (often referred to as Kugitang in foreign publications), attracts travel and outdoor recreation enthusiasts with its sacral sights and extraordinary natural complexes.
This part of Turkmenistan with its fairytale-like beauty is well known throughout the world.As for local tourists, it appears highly unlikely that there is somebody who has not been to the karst caves resembling images of another planet, who has not admired the water cascades glittering in the sun, who has not seen the grottos, which are strikingly like Aladdin’s cave, and who has not drunk crystal-clear, great-tasting and health-giving water from the mountain lakes.
Gaynarbaba is one of the much-loved tourist and pilgrimage sites with such a scenic lake as if captured on canvas by a talented artist.This is what President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov writes about the lake in his book Turkmenistan the Land of Prosperity’: “Research studies carried out by scientists have proved its healing properties.
The water gushing out of the ground is turbulent and foaming as if boiling.Perhaps, this is why the place was named Gaynarbaba’ (boiling’)”.The lake is home to fish that show no fear of humans even when they swim nearby.
An explanation for this lies in the fact that they have become fairly tame...Ancient legend has it that a holy man, known for his many good deeds, lived here in old times.
Since then, the place has been deemed sacred.Tourists and pilgrims, visiting the site, hold everything around here sacred, including the fish in the lake.Nobody has ever caught nor scared them away, that is why they have become tame...
Not only is the lake celebrated for its beauty and local legends, its water is health-giving as well.The lake is fed by the hydrosulfuric spring, Aksu, known for its healing power.
Remarkably, those, who visited Gaynarbaba in different seasons, say that the temperature of the water in Aksu is the same in winter and summer +22 C.As mentioned earlier, not only do tourists flock to the place, pilgrims come here to pay tribute to the memory of Gaynarbaba, who was buried here.
According to legends, the saint is believed to have cured many people, who sought his help, of their illnesses not only through the power of prayer, but also with the healing water of the lake, named in his honor Gaynarbaba.
Thanks to the methods for accurate analysis, modern scientists have confirmed the healing properties of the water in the Gaynarbaba Lake that contains hydrogen sulfide, microelements, minerals, etc., which are effective in treating a number of diseases, including skin and nervous diseases.
Two years ago, at one of the video-conference meetings, the President assigned relevant senior officials to extensively explore the issues of building a modern health resort, Gaynarbaba, nearby the namesake lake.
At present, construction of the resort has been included in the 2019-2025 Program of Socio-Economic Development of Turkmenistan initiated by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.The facility is due to open in 2020.
No need to wait until the completion of the project, Gaynarbaba, the pilgrimage destination and incredibly impressive tourist attraction, can be visited even today.Turkmenistan boasts many fantastic places like this and we will continue to tell about them.