According to one Ashgabat resident, the women were told to remove their beauty accessories and pay a fine of about $140. That is half of a monthly salary for the average Turkmen.

Officers also stop women on the streets and public transport to check if they have cosmetically enhanced their lips, a resident of Balkan Province said. "Police demand that women remove their face masks to check if they had used lip fillers," the woman said on condition of anonymity.

In a further restriction of women's rights, the government has banned male drivers of private cars from offering a ride to a woman who is not a family member. Traffic police stop private cars carrying female passengers and demand proof that the women are related to the driver.

In Balkan Province, several people told RFE/RL that women are no longer allowed to take the front seat next to drivers -- both in taxis and private vehicles. It's not clear if the same rule was introduced in other parts of Turkmenistan.

Drivers in Balkan Province can face a $2,000 fine if they have a woman in the front seat, even if she is a family member, one car owner said. After 8 p.m., drivers are not allowed to pick up a female passenger at all, whether a relative or stranger, he said.

In Turkmenistan, women -- with few exceptions -- are largely prohibited from driving, although the government has never publicly issued any formal ban on women being behind the wheel.

Instead, the authorities often use various methods -- such as making it difficult for women to obtain a driver's license or for them to renew their expired licenses -- which effectively bans them from driving.

No Announcement

There was no official announcement or explanation for the latest restrictions, which are being enforced by local authorities and law-enforcement agencies across the country.

Office workers say officials and company managers have held special gatherings to discuss the new rules on women's clothes, beauty routines, and appearances, but declined to explain the reason or present a copy of the document ordering the ban.

Similar restrictions were introduced in the past, although they have never been strictly enforced.

Authorities in the Muslim-majority country have always encouraged women to wear traditional clothes, shunning both Western-style outfits and the Islamic hijab.

A traditional outfit consists of an ankle-length, long-sleeved, embroidered dress, often made from a colorful fabric. Traditional headwear for girls is a colorful embroidered hat, while women often wear a kerchief tied behind their heads.

Traditional clothing serves as a women's uniform in the workplace, at official meetings, and at public events.