Looking like a lost palace in the urban desert, the National Museum occupies a striking position in front of the Kopet Dag . It’s actually a collection of three pricey museums – the History Museum , the Nature & Ethnographic Museum and the Presidential Museum . The History Museum is the only one of the three that approaches value for money, so give the others a miss. The lavish Ancient History Hall includes Neolithic tools from western Turkmenistan and relics from the Bronze Age Margiana civilisation, including beautiful amulets, seals, cups and cult paraphernalia. There is also a model of the walled settlement uncovered at Gonur. The Antiquity Hall houses amazing rhytons – horn-shaped vessels of intricately carved ivory used for Zoroastrian rituals and official occasions.
