Asgabat
Encyclopedia
Ashgabat is the capital and largest city of Turkmenistan
, a country in Central Asia
. It has a population of 695,300 (2001 census estimate), 2009 estimates around 1 million people in Ashgabat, and is situated between the Kara Kum desert
and the Kopet Dag
mountain range. Ashgabat has a primarily Turkmen
population, with ethnic minorities of Russians
, Armenians
, and Azeris
. It is 250 km from the second largest city in Iran
, Mashhad
.
, Ашхабад (Ashkhabad) in Russian
, and عشقآباد (UniPers: Ešq-âbâd) in Persian
. From 1919 until 1927, the city was renamed Poltoratsk after a local revolutionary. Before 1991, the city was usually spelled Ashkhabad in English, a transliteration of the Russian form, which was itself from the original Persian form. It has also been variously spelled Ashkhabat and Ashgabad.
A folk etymology suggests that the name is a dialect version of the word of عشق (eshq
meaning "love") and Persian
آباد (ābād meaning "inhabited place" or "city", cognate to the English word "abode"), and hence loosely translates as "the city of love" or "the city that love built".
Ashgabat is a relatively young city, growing out of a village of the same name established by Russian
officers in 1881. It is not far from the site of Nisa, the ancient capital of the Parthian Empire
, and it grew on the ruins of the Silk Road
city of Konjikala, which was first mentioned as a wine-producing village in 2nd century BCE and was leveled by an earthquake in 1st century BCE (a precursor of the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake
). Konjikala was rebuilt because of its advantageous location on the Silk Road and it flourished until its destruction by Mongols in the 13th century CE. After that it survived as a small village until Russians took over in the 19th century.
In 1869, Russia
n soldiers built a fortress on a hill near the village, and this added security soon attracted merchants and craftsmen to the area. Ashgabat remained a part of Persia until 1881, when it was ceded to Tsarist Russia under the terms of Akhal Treaty
. Russia chose to develop Ashgabat as a regional center due to its proximity to the border of British-influenced Persia. It was regarded as a pleasant town with European style buildings, shops and hotels. In 1908, the first Bahá'í House of Worship
was built in Ashgabat. It was badly damaged in the 1948 earthquake and finally demolished in 1963. The community of the Bahá'í Faith in Turkmenistan
was largely based in Ashgabat.
Soviet rule was established in Ashgabat in December 1917. However in July 1918 a coalition of Menshevik
s, Social Revolutionaries and Tsarist former officers of the Imperial Russian Army
revolted against the Bolshevik
rule emanating from Tashkent and established the Ashkhabad Executive Committee
. After receiving some support (but even more promises) from General Malleson
, the British withdrew in April 1919, and the Tashkent Soviet
resumed control of the city and in July 1919, when the city was renamed Poltoratsk (Полторацк) after a local revolutionary. The name Ashgabat was restored in 1927 after the establishment of Turkmen SSR
as a Soviet republic, though it was usually known by the Russian form Ashkhabad . From this period onward, the city experienced rapid growth and industrialisation, although this was severely disrupted by a major earthquake
on October 6, 1948. An estimated 7.3 on the Richter scale
, the earthquake killed 110-176,000 (2/3 of the population of the city), although the official number announced by Soviet news was only 40,000.
Ashgabat milestones:
textiles and metal working. It is a major stop on the Trans-Caspian railway
. Every Sunday, the Tolkuchka Bazaar
in the suburbs thrives, selling a massive range of commodities.
. Turkmenistan Airlines
has its headquarters in the city.
Ashgabat's urban transport network includes the Ashgabat trolleybus system
.
, noted for their impressive collection of woven carpets as well as a Turkmen history museum and the Ashgabat National Museum of History
, which displays artifacts dating back to the Parthia
n and Persian civilizations. The Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan is an important institute of higher learning. Large mosques include the Azadi Mosque (which resembles the Blue Mosque
in Istanbul
), the Khezrety Omar Mosque, and the futuristic Iran
ian Mosque
. Ashgabat was also home to the Arch of Neutrality, a 250-foot-tall tripod crowned by a golden statue of late president Saparmurat Niyazov
(also known as Turkmenbashi, or leader of all Turkmen). The 50-foot-high statue, which rotated in order to always face the sun during daylight hours, was removed on August 26, 2010 after Niyazov’s successor, current President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, made it clear earlier in the year that the statue was going to be taken out of Ashgabat’s parliament square.
Notable universities include the Turkmen Polytechnic Institute
.
, Greece
Albuquerque
, United States
Ankara
, Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
, a country in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. It has a population of 695,300 (2001 census estimate), 2009 estimates around 1 million people in Ashgabat, and is situated between the Kara Kum desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
and the Kopet Dag
Kopet Dag
The Kopet Dag, Kopet Dagh, or Koppeh Dagh , also known as the Turkmen-Khorasan Mountain Range is a mountain range on the frontier between Turkmenistan and Iran, extending about 650 km along the border, east of the Caspian Sea. The highest peak of the range in Turkmenistan is southwest of the...
mountain range. Ashgabat has a primarily Turkmen
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
population, with ethnic minorities of Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
, Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
, and Azeris
Azerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
. It is 250 km from the second largest city in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Mashhad
Mashhad
Mashhad , is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. It is also the only major Iranian city with an Arabic name. It is located east of Tehran, at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its...
.
Names
Ashgabat is Aşgabat in TurkmenTurkmen language
Turkmen is the national language of Turkmenistan...
, Ашхабад (Ashkhabad) in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, and عشقآباد (UniPers: Ešq-âbâd) in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
. From 1919 until 1927, the city was renamed Poltoratsk after a local revolutionary. Before 1991, the city was usually spelled Ashkhabad in English, a transliteration of the Russian form, which was itself from the original Persian form. It has also been variously spelled Ashkhabat and Ashgabad.
A folk etymology suggests that the name is a dialect version of the word of عشق (eshq
Ishq
' , Dari "eshq" Persian eshgh, Turkish aşk, , Azerbaijani , means "love". The word is derived from ‘ashiqah, a vine: the common belief is that when love takes its root in the heart of a lover, everything other than God is effaced. In Islam's Sufi and mystic doctrine it is a concept which refers to...
meaning "love") and Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
آباد (ābād meaning "inhabited place" or "city", cognate to the English word "abode"), and hence loosely translates as "the city of love" or "the city that love built".
History
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
officers in 1881. It is not far from the site of Nisa, the ancient capital of the Parthian Empire
Parthian Empire
The Parthian Empire , also known as the Arsacid Empire , was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Persia...
, and it grew on the ruins of the Silk Road
Silk Road
The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...
city of Konjikala, which was first mentioned as a wine-producing village in 2nd century BCE and was leveled by an earthquake in 1st century BCE (a precursor of the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake
1948 Ashgabat earthquake
The 1948 Ashgabat earthquake, at a magnitude 7.3 Mw, occurred on 6 October 1948 near Ashgabat, in the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic. The earthquake is considered to be the 6th deadliest earthquake in the history of humankind. Due to censorship by the national government, the Ashgabat Earthquake...
). Konjikala was rebuilt because of its advantageous location on the Silk Road and it flourished until its destruction by Mongols in the 13th century CE. After that it survived as a small village until Russians took over in the 19th century.
In 1869, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n soldiers built a fortress on a hill near the village, and this added security soon attracted merchants and craftsmen to the area. Ashgabat remained a part of Persia until 1881, when it was ceded to Tsarist Russia under the terms of Akhal Treaty
Akhal Treaty
The Treaty of Akhal was a treaty signed by Persia and Imperial Russia on September 21, 1881. The treaty marked Persia's official recognition of Khwarazm's annexation by the Russian Empire...
. Russia chose to develop Ashgabat as a regional center due to its proximity to the border of British-influenced Persia. It was regarded as a pleasant town with European style buildings, shops and hotels. In 1908, the first Bahá'í House of Worship
Bahá'í House of Worship
A Bahá'í House of Worship, sometimes referred to by its Arabic name of Mashriqu'l-Adhkár ,is the designation of a place of worship, or temple, of the Bahá'í Faith...
was built in Ashgabat. It was badly damaged in the 1948 earthquake and finally demolished in 1963. The community of the Bahá'í Faith in Turkmenistan
Bahá'í Faith in Turkmenistan
The Bahá'í Faith in Turkmenistan begins before Russian advances into the region when the area was under the influence of Persia. By 1887 a community of Bahá'í refugees from religious violence in Persia had made a religious center in Ashgabat. Shortly afterwards — by 1894 — Russia made...
was largely based in Ashgabat.
Soviet rule was established in Ashgabat in December 1917. However in July 1918 a coalition of Menshevik
Menshevik
The Mensheviks were a faction of the Russian revolutionary movement that emerged in 1904 after a dispute between Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov, both members of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party. The dispute originated at the Second Congress of that party, ostensibly over minor issues...
s, Social Revolutionaries and Tsarist former officers of the Imperial Russian Army
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
revolted against the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
rule emanating from Tashkent and established the Ashkhabad Executive Committee
Transcaspian Government
The Transcaspian Government was set up by Railway workers of the Trans-Caspian Railway in 1918 and lasted until July 1919. It was based at Ashgabat.-Origin:...
. After receiving some support (but even more promises) from General Malleson
Wilfrid Malleson
Sir Wilfrid Malleson was a Major-General in the British Army who led a mission to Turkestan during the Russian Civil War. Malleson joined the Royal Artillery in 1886. In 1904 he transferred to the Indian Army and accompanied Sir Louis William Daneon on his mission to Kabul, Afghanistan, 1904–1905...
, the British withdrew in April 1919, and the Tashkent Soviet
Tashkent Soviet
The Tashkent Soviet was a public organisation set up in Tashkent during the Russian Revolution.The Tashkent Soviet was established on 2 March 1917 at an inaugural meeting which consisted of thirty five workers from the Central Asian Railway. It was headed by a technician by the name of I. I. Bel'kov...
resumed control of the city and in July 1919, when the city was renamed Poltoratsk (Полторацк) after a local revolutionary. The name Ashgabat was restored in 1927 after the establishment of Turkmen SSR
Turkmen SSR
The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Turkmen SSR for short, was one of republics of the Soviet Union in Central Asia. It was initially established on 7 August 1921 as the Turkmen Oblast of the Turkestan ASSR. On 13 May 1925 it was transformed into Turkmen SSR and became a...
as a Soviet republic, though it was usually known by the Russian form Ashkhabad . From this period onward, the city experienced rapid growth and industrialisation, although this was severely disrupted by a major earthquake
1948 Ashgabat earthquake
The 1948 Ashgabat earthquake, at a magnitude 7.3 Mw, occurred on 6 October 1948 near Ashgabat, in the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic. The earthquake is considered to be the 6th deadliest earthquake in the history of humankind. Due to censorship by the national government, the Ashgabat Earthquake...
on October 6, 1948. An estimated 7.3 on the Richter scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
, the earthquake killed 110-176,000 (2/3 of the population of the city), although the official number announced by Soviet news was only 40,000.
Ashgabat milestones:
- 1882-1918 – administrative center of Russia's Transcaspian RegionTranscaspian RegionTranscaspian Region , or Transcaspia, was the name used from the second half of the 19th century until 1924 for the section of Russian Empire to the east of the Caspian Sea, bounded to the south by Iran's Khorasan Province and Afghanistan, to the north by the former Russian province of Uralsk, and...
- 1918-1925 – administrative center of the Turkmen Oblast in Turkestan ASSR
- since February 1925 – capital of Turkmen SSRTurkmen SSRThe Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Turkmen SSR for short, was one of republics of the Soviet Union in Central Asia. It was initially established on 7 August 1921 as the Turkmen Oblast of the Turkestan ASSR. On 13 May 1925 it was transformed into Turkmen SSR and became a...
- since October 1991 – capital of independent Turkmenistan
Economy
Ashgabat is primarily a government and administrative centre. The principal industries are cottonCotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
textiles and metal working. It is a major stop on the Trans-Caspian railway
Trans-Caspian railway
The Trans-Caspian Railway is a railway that follows the path of the Silk Road through much of western Central Asia. It was built by the Russian Empire during its expansion into Central Asia in the 19th century. The railway was started in 1879, following the Russian defeat of Khokand...
. Every Sunday, the Tolkuchka Bazaar
Tolkuchka Bazaar
Tolkuchka Bazaar or Market is a noted extensive market sprawled across the desert suburbs of Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, a few kilometres from the centre...
in the suburbs thrives, selling a massive range of commodities.
Transport
The city is served by Ashgabat AirportAshgabat Airport
Ashgabat Airport , also known as Saparmurat Turkmenbashy International Airport, is one of two international airports in Turkmenistan. It is located approximately 10 km northwest of the capital Ashgabat...
. Turkmenistan Airlines
Turkmenistan Airlines
Turkmenistan Airlines is the flag carrier of Turkmenistan, headquartered in Ashgabat. The airline connects its home base of Ashgabat with destinations in Russia, Europe and Asia...
has its headquarters in the city.
Ashgabat's urban transport network includes the Ashgabat trolleybus system
Trolleybuses in Ashgabat
The Ashgabat trolleybus system forms part of the public transport network in Ashgabat, the capital city of Turkmenistan. It is the only trolleybus system ever to have been constructed in that country.-History:...
.
Climate
The Kopet-Dag mountain range is about 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) to the south, and Ashgabat's northern boundary touches the Kara-Kum desert. Because of this location, Ashgabat has an arid climate with hot and dry summers and mild and short winters. The average high temperature in July is 38.2 °C (100.8 °F). The highest temperature on record is 45 °C (113 °F). Nighttime temperatures in the summer are warm, with an average minimum temperature in July of 23.1 °C (74 °F). Average winter high temperatures range from 7.4 to 9.8 °C (45.3 to 49.6 F), and average lows in the winter of -1.6 C; temperatures as low as -16 °C have been recorded in December. Snow is rare. Annual precipitation is only 227 millimetres (8.94 in); March and April are the wettest months.Notable buildings
Museums include the Turkmen Fine Arts Museum and Turkmen Carpet MuseumTurkmen Carpet Museum
The Turkmen Carpet Museum or the National Carpet Museum is a national museum, situated on 5 Gorogly Street in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. It opened on 24 October 1994. It has the largest collection of Turkmen carpets of any museum....
, noted for their impressive collection of woven carpets as well as a Turkmen history museum and the Ashgabat National Museum of History
Ashgabat National Museum of History
The Ashgabat National Museum of History is a history museum in Ashgabat, the capital city of Turkmenistan. It contains over 500,000 exhibits particularly archaeological and ethnographical finds throughout the country including rare works of ancient art, paintings, drawings, sculptures, carpets,...
, which displays artifacts dating back to the Parthia
Parthia
Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
n and Persian civilizations. The Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan is an important institute of higher learning. Large mosques include the Azadi Mosque (which resembles the Blue Mosque
Sultan Ahmed Mosque
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is a historical mosque in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire . The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior....
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
), the Khezrety Omar Mosque, and the futuristic Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian Mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
. Ashgabat was also home to the Arch of Neutrality, a 250-foot-tall tripod crowned by a golden statue of late president Saparmurat Niyazov
Saparmurat Niyazov
Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov; , was a Turkmen politician who served as President of Turkmenistan from 2 November 1990 until his death in 2006...
(also known as Turkmenbashi, or leader of all Turkmen). The 50-foot-high statue, which rotated in order to always face the sun during daylight hours, was removed on August 26, 2010 after Niyazov’s successor, current President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, made it clear earlier in the year that the statue was going to be taken out of Ashgabat’s parliament square.
- Türkmenbaşı Palace presidential headquarters
- Rukhiyet PalaceRukhiyet PalaceRukhiyet Palace is a palace in the capital city of Asgabat in Turkmenistan....
Notable universities include the Turkmen Polytechnic Institute
Turkmen Polytechnic Institute
The Turkmen Polytechnic Institute is one of the major universities in Turkmenistan. It is generally the leading institute in the country in engineering and energy...
.
Sister cities
AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
External links
- Ashgabat Photo Gallery.
- impressions of Ashgabat
- Ashgabat Photo Gallery. Pictures of modern Ashgabat.
- Page on modern Ashgabat
- Pre-1948 photo of Baha’i House of Worship in Ashgabat
- www.ashgabatairport.com - Ashgabat International Airport unofficial website (English)