IF YOU purchase a car, you are not only given the option of adding extra features like leather seats, dashcam installation or car bodykit, but the ability to choose what colour you want your vehicle to be. After all, variety is a spice of life.
But imagine if you have no choice but to drive a white vehicle. Could it be true that there is a city where all cars have to be white?
Verdict:
TRUE
Surprisingly, if you were to drive in the capital of Turkmenistan, you would realise that most of the cars on the road are white, or at least silver.
This is because the country, which gained independence after the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991, has a law introduced in 2018 by the country's former president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, which bans cars of any other colour.
A white SUV parked in a housing area in Ashgabat, Turkemenistan. Thanks to their former president, all buildings and cars in Ashgabat must be white.
Not only are most vehicles on the road white but the vehicles must also be spotless. The police could stop you on the road if you are driving a dirty car and be fined.
Interestingly, Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat is often called the white city because all new buildings since 2000 have been built from white marble.
The Turkmen capital also holds the record for the highest concentration of white marble buildings in the world.
So, the next time you see a white car driving past you, be thankful we're allowed to own vehicles in (almost) any colour here in Malaysia.
References:
1. https://www.drivespark.com/four-wheelers/2024/turkmenistan-unique-laws-and-isolation-011-045941.html
3. https://telegrafi.com/en/te-gjitha-veturat-duhet-te-jene-te-bardha-ne-turkmenistan/
