It's a seaside resort without a sea. Avaza was built at huge expense between 2007 and 2017 as a holiday destination for Turkmenistan's leaders and state employees but has now fallen victim to plummeting water levels in the Caspian Sea. RFE/RL spoke to Mergen (not his real name), who traveled there with his wife and two children in June.
It was the family's first vacation in three years, but it ended in disappointment. "Part of the coast, where we bathed in the sea three years ago, was now just sand and stone. The sea was 25-30 meters away," he said.
Avaza is the only beach resort in Turkmenistan, with dozens of hotels, aquaparks, and other amenities. In August, it played host to President Serdar Berdymukhammedov and other top officials. State enterprises and institutions also send their staff there for vacations.
It's not clear whether they all felt as let down as Mergen. "Even if you walk into the sea for dozens of meters, it doesn't come any higher than your knees," he said. "Three years ago, it was up to your neck.
" The Caspian Sea has been retreating for years. This has been largely blamed on reduced flows from the Ural and Volga rivers, owing to hydroelectric projects in Russia and decreased snowfall. Turkmenistan is the only country on the Caspian that has not acknowledged the problem.
But it's clear to any visitor in Avaza, where you can walk to the end of a pier and still be far from the sea. Mergen said his family spent the holiday walking along the coast because the.
