Түркменистан…

I was intrigued to read today that the President of Turkmenistan has issued a new decree to allow foreign journalists to operate in the country. I’m fortunate to know Turkmenistan’s terrain well, since I’ve lived there for extended periods of time while conducting research on Islam, excavating medieval Islamic archaeology, and helping preserve Sufi shrines on the Silk Road. Being a foreign correspondent there sounds like a dream job! I’m curious to see how greater journalistic access to Turkmenistan will influence news coverage of the country and its profile in the near future…