Ashgabat Cable Car

Ashgabat Cable Car is a cableway between Ashgabat and the foothills of the Kopetdag. The cableway is the first and only cable car in Turkmenistan. Construction was finished on 18 October 2006.

History

Construction was started in 2005 by the French company Bouygues for $20.5 million, on the order of the Turkmenenergogurlushyk concern of the Ministry of Energy and Industry of Turkmenistan.
The cable car was inaugurated on 18 October 2006 with the participation of the President of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Niyazov and the head of Bouygues Martin Bouygues.
Since January 2025, Röwşen Private Enterprise has been carrying out major renovations of the buildings and facilities of the Ashgabat Cable Car, as well as the surrounding areas. The project is scheduled to be fully operational by June 2026.

Specification

Each of the 14 cabins can accommodate 8 people and moves at 6 meters per second. Passengers are carried out every 72 seconds, with a journey time of 10 minutes over the 4 km length.
The sending station is located south of the Main Museum of Turkmenistan at an altitude of above sea level. The station has a waiting room and ticket office, facilities for technical services, and equipment. On an area of is a small park equipped with parking for 100 cars and 5 buses. In addition to the arrival station, a constructed building with a total area of over, which houses two restaurants and cafes, which both can take 280 people, and several shops and offices for staff. The neighborhood set up a sightseeing helicopter pad, covered terraces and stairways, alleys, and a water cascade length of.
On the mountain accessible by the cable car, several telescopes have been installed for observing the surroundings.