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Ashgabat’s White City and the Problems Behind the Facade (Level A1) — Cityscape with residential buildings and golden domes.

Ashgabat’s White City and the Problems Behind the FacadeCEFR A1

28 Feb 2026

LevelA1
A2
B1
B2

Adapted from Areeha Tunio, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0

Photo by Nikolai Kolosov, Unsplash

Level A1 – Beginner
2 min
73 words
  • Ashgabat is a city of white marble.
  • The buildings and gold statues look very shiny.
  • The government built many large and grand monuments.
  • The work cost a very large amount of money.
  • Many areas of the city are empty.
  • People have very little food in some places.
  • Water is becoming scarce in rural areas.
  • People face strict rules and arrests.
  • The city often feels quiet and empty.
  • People wait in lines for bread.

Difficult words

  • marble — hard white rock used for building.
  • statue — a figure of a person or animal.
    statues
  • monument — a large structure to remember something.
    monuments
  • scarce — not enough of something available.
  • strict — shows strong rules and little freedom.
  • arrest — to take someone to police custody.
    arrests

Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.

Discussion questions

  • Do you like cities with many monuments?
  • Have you ever waited in a line for food or bread?
  • Is water easy to find where you live?

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