Alem is a centre of cosmic entertainment

Alem means ‘the Universe’ in Turkmen. The first Turkmen communications satellite built by a French company and launched from Cape Canaveral on April 27, 2015, has this name. The same name was given to the Cultural and Entertainment Centre in the south of Ashgabat, a favourite recreation place for children and adults. On New Year's holidays, the square in front of the Centre hosts the country's main Christmas tree and the New Year's fairy-tale town.

This gigantic, 95-metre tall structure has a 17-metre spire on the top and represents a stepped pyramid. A 57-metre diameter casing on top of the building contains a Ferris wheel. Symbolizing the national jewellery called ‘gulyaka’, a sample of the ancient art of the Turkmen jewellers, the Ferris wheel represents the star of Oguz Khan, placed in a circle and framed by five carpet patterns. To date, it is the world's tallest Ferris wheel in an enclosed space; the monument was inscribed on the Guinness World Records in 2012. The building has six floors, including in two underground floors. People can use escalators to move from floor to floor or take lifts in the central hall of the building.

Special feature of the complex is an opportunity to recreate with family. Adults or children can find entertainment to their liking. The Space Museum is situated on the basement floor of the building. Its high-tech equipment allows visitors to travel through outer space, to visit any point in the galaxy and to discover many unexplained secrets and unsolved mysteries of the Universe. Special equipment of the museum enables people to study the solar system, to watch the motion of planets and their satellites, and find the answer to any question about them on the touchscreens. In the museum, visitors can watch a model of a spaceship, make a virtual space trip, and walk on the surface of distant planets.

There is a dream land for children on the ground floor. The floor has everything for entertainment of the smallest visitors to the centre, including in different amusements, rides, game rooms, and playgrounds. The centre houses bowling alleys, playgrounds for developing and physical activities, rooms for board and outdoor games, small racetrack, swimming pool and other entertainments. The centre has two XD-cinema halls, the 3D cinema with the sensed-presence effect, restaurant, several cafes, shopping centre with the souvenir and toy shops, and textile products. The Alem Cultural and Entertainment Centre offers a wide range of educational and entertainment services for target groups and has excellent conditions for holding festive and cultural events, educational events, contests and quizzes.

However, the largest and most spectacular amusement is located on the third floor, which can be reached by lift. The gigantic Ferris wheel has 24 six-seat cabins.

Special equipment provides an optimal microclimate inside the cabins. Visitors to the attraction enjoy magnificent views of the Turkmen capital and the Kopetdag Mountains during the ride. Moreover, there are viewing platforms on the terraces of the pyramid base of the building.