The Walk of Health

The Walk of Health (Saglyk ýoly) is a 36-kilometer (22 mi) concrete path along the Kopet Dag mountain range in southern Ashgabat, near the Iran–Turkmenistan border. The first 8 km (5 mi) was built in 1999 by then-dictator Saparmurat Niyazov to promote health among citizens and officially opened on January 2, 2000. Niyazov required his ministers to walk the path annually while he flew by helicopter to meet them at the end, as he was concerned about his heart condition. The walkway was later extended by 26 km (16 mi), and on August 30, 2004, over 10,000 people walked it, including government members.