Ashgabat (Ashgabat) - the capital of Turkmenistan
History of Ashgabat. Monuments and photos of Ashgabat. Weather in Ashgabat

Ashgabat (Ashgabat) is the capital of Turkmenistan. The city lies under the 38th parallel, at the latitude of Athens, Seoul and San Francisco; it is the largest city in Turkmenistan.

Population - 600.1 thousand people (2006). Ashgabat is the industrial city of the republic, providing more than 17% of its industrial output; a large cultural center that houses the Republican Academy of Sciences, more than 30 research and more than 100 medical institutions, 4 higher educational institutions, including the Turkmen State University, 10 technical schools, more than 40 secondary schools, 4 theaters, and the State Philharmonic. Ashgabat is the geographical center of Turkmenistan. It is located just a few tens of kilometers from the Iranian state border.

At the same time, the capital is located at approximately equal distances from the westernmost city of the republic - Turkmenbashi, which is 550 km away, and from its easternmost city - Chardzhou, which is 587 km away, from the northernmost - Tashauz - 530 km and from the southernmost - Kushki - about 500 km.

The city was founded as a military fortification in January 1881, after the tsarist troops occupied the entire Ahal-Tekin oasis, and in particular the village of Askhabad located in its east. This small Teke settlement, which gave its name to the future capital, was until recently located outside its borders, and only in the last fifteen years was it completely absorbed by the rapidly growing city. The entire true history of the Turkmen stoic, the entire century-long period of its life, was densely saturated with important events and significant changes. During this time, it changed its name four times and, in essence, was born twice. Two main reasons were that an ordinary fortress behind an earthen rampart, with a garrison stationed in adobe barracks, very quickly transformed into a busy city, into the residence of the highest authorities of the Trans-Caspian region, into its main administrative, political, trade and transit center. The first of these reasons is the position at the crossroads of trade routes long trodden by caravans: to the south - along the Kuchanskaya road (now the Gaudanskoe highway), through the Kopetdag gorges to the border with Persia - then an important trading partner of Russia in the East. To the north - through the Karakum Desert to Khiva; to the east - through the Tejen and Murgab oases, through the crossings on the Amu Darya - to Bukhara. But the significance of this first reason increased a hundredfold after 1885, when a railway line approached Askhabad, which a year later reached Chardzhou, and another 10 years later to Kushka - the border with. Afghanistan. It is not without reason that in the original design of the coat of arms of Askhabad it was supposed to depict a camel caravan and a railway train on the shield under the royal crown as symbols of “a distinctive feature and the main character of the city’s life.”

The second reason for the rapid rise of Askhabad is the abundance in the early stages of good fresh water and building materials - wood on the nearby mountains, pebbles and clay in the suburbs. As soon as railway traffic was established, a motley stream of people poured into Askhabad from different places in Russia, especially from the Caucasus: a poor artisan and a small trader came here in the hope of a solid income, a daily piece of bread; An enterprising industrialist and resourceful merchant were in a hurry, counting on fat profits in the new colony. Workers who completed the construction of the railway, soldiers who had served their term of service, and retired officers remained to live in the city; settlers from Persia, traders, artisans, and farmers settled. In the main city of the region it was easy to find a suitable occupation; Baha'i Persians fled here, persecuted in their homeland by religious intolerance. When Askhabad was 10 years old, it already had about 13 thousand inhabitants. Over the next fifteen years, the city's population more than tripled, and by 1911 it exceeded 45 thousand people.

At the same time, Askhabad was inhabited by representatives of fifteen different nationalities, of which Turkmens accounted for only less than 1.5%: the tsarist government and Russian capitalism did nothing to introduce the country’s indigenous inhabitants to city life. On the contrary, as true colonialists, government officials and large entrepreneurs were interested in preserving the social and economic backwardness of the Turkmen people in order to exploit their strength and age-old skills in irrigated agriculture and pasture cattle breeding with the greatest benefit. At the same time, capitalist relations penetrated into the agriculture of Turkmenistan: it lost its closed natural character, and its products went to the Askhabad semi-handicraft enterprises that were opened in large numbers - cotton gins, oil mills, tanneries, soap-making, wine-making, flour milling. Before the First World War, there were 51 such industries in the city, employing 210 workers, that is, an average of 4 people in each “plant” and in each “factory”.

As the population grew, the city itself grew. It stretched most to the north-west parallel to the railway and Kopetdag, approaching the low foothills - the Keshininbair ridge, or the “hills”, as the townspeople call it.

The appearance of the city. Ashgabat, born and built in a fabulously short time, in “one breath”, unlike many other centers of Central Asia, such as Tashkent or Samarkand, never had an “old” and “new” city, “European” and “Asian” » blocks. But still, already in the first decade, three parts with quite pronounced differences took shape. The city began from a high embankment hill topped with an earthen rampart of a fortress. A vast esplanade was left undeveloped in front of the hill. It was used for parades and reviews, prayers and daily changing of the guards. Near this central square there were buildings of administrative and military institutions, residential buildings of officers and officials. And when the railway ran past Askhabad, its station became the second core of the city’s growth: a representative building of the Railway Administration was located near it, and residential areas of railway employees and workers stretched out. To the west of the fortress, from the military-bureaucratic aristocratic part, a whole settlement of Russian settlers settled, who came here for the army. Their houses and shops laid the foundation for the third, trade and craft district of the city. Soon Russian and Armenian, Khiva and Azerbaijani, Tekin and Ukrainian workshops, shops, warehouses, hotels, caravanserais and bazaars were located here in large numbers and in close quarters. By the end of the 80s, these three parts of the city - military-administrative, railway and trade-craft, initially isolated, separated by uninhabited wastelands, merged into a single, continuous development of the crowded and lively, young and rapidly growing Askhabad.

At the same time, from the very beginning, its development was distinguished by an extremely clear and rational, “St. Petersburg” structure of the urban plan, which in its main scheme has survived to this day. The natural center of Askhabad became its historical core - the near-fortress part with a hill in the middle. From the central esplanade, which to this day remains the main square of the city, the streets made their way, like rays, radially to the south, southwest and west. And in the northern wide strip they ran parallel to one another and the railway track. However, in all parts of the city - old and new, in the center and on. in the outskirts - the streets were laid mostly straight and intersected, as a rule, at right angles. And no matter how Askhabad grew in the future, it has already preserved this dual unity of the radial-ring and checkerboard-rectangular layout. In the aristocratic center of the city, as well as partly in its railway district, buildings of public and private institutions, residential buildings and mansions of the military and official nobility, wealthy factory owners and financiers were built mainly from baked bricks. Between the fortress and the station, the best garden of the Officers' Assembly in the city was laid out, and close trellises of trees were planted on the streets, which now, with their power and height, testify to the seniority of such city highways. The rest of the city consisted entirely of houses of the usual type for Central Asia - made of mud brick with a flat earthen roof.

The houses were whitewashed every year, and under the bright sun, Askhabad shone like a sharp white spot against the background of the nearby hills - bairs - yellow-brown in summer and light green in spring - and the purple bulk of the mountain range in the distance. The busiest and most colorful were the trade and craft districts, located along the radial highway that opens onto the Firyuzinskaya road, as well as on the passages adjacent to it. In the same part of the city there were also bazaars, which, according to the general Central Asian tradition, were important centers of city life. On them and around them, from morning until sunset, multilingual chatter did not cease. Horsemen scurried here, donkeys pulled creaking carts with luggage, arrogant camels passed under their packs as if reluctantly, and it happened that a lacquered carriage turned here, in which an officer or official’s wife, accompanied by a servant, was hurrying to the “haberdashery trade.” From numerous taverns, restaurants and dukhans came the clinking of dishes and the inextinguishable smell of burnt lamb fat, fried onions and some herbs. Blacksmiths and gunsmiths worked at the always open doors of cramped and darkened workshops in the fumes and metallic ringing. In front of the eyes of customers and idle onlookers, skillful products of braided and silver makers were born; the sour smell of leather used to be a sign announcing the production of shoemakers and saddlers; The bakery was visible from a distance from the thinly rolled out sheets of lavash hung like laundry on a line. The barbers worked right in the open air: holding the soapy head of a squatting client between their knees, they decisively worked with a razor, while simultaneously reporting the latest city news.

And right there, on the street, in the shadow of dusty ducts, street scribes hunched over their boxes, which served as desks and storage for production tools - ink and paper. However, trading establishments, workshops, handicraft factories, warehouses, taverns and taverns opened in other parts of the growing and under construction city. And the larger and more populated it became, the more acute the water problem became. There were no longer enough mountain rivers that initially fed him - Ashgabatka, Keshinka, Karasu and several other, even smaller ones. In many courtyards they dug reservoirs - houses and wells, but they were small, and moreover, most of them were polluted with sewage. Due to the lack of moisture, on the outskirts there was greenery only in the courtyards, and the bare, dusty streets looked like wastelands.

In 1907, Senator and Chamberlain Count K. Palen inspected “by the highest command” the Turkestan possessions, which had been annexed to the Russian Empire for about three decades. In his report regarding Askhabad, he noted: “... the main drawback is the lack of a sufficient amount of water... The city does not have sewerage, running water, satisfactory lighting, hygienically equipped bazaars and a slaughterhouse.” But there were no funds in the treasury for urgently needed construction. In this regard, an official document dating back to approximately the same time is very interesting: “Cost estimates for the city of Askhabad for 1900.” This estimate did not provide for any new construction, neither small nor large, and allocated only 10% of the annual budget for the maintenance of the existing irrigation network, a little more was allocated for the entire medical, veterinary and sanitary part, but almost half - 46.7% - estimated expenses were allocated for the maintenance of the city police. And it must be said that the numerous “servants of the throne” - the Askhabad police officers did not receive the sovereign’s salary in vain: they diligently sought out and cruelly suppressed any free thinking. But, nevertheless, already at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century. Askhabad, by that time the recognized center of economic and spiritual life of the Trans-Caspian region, became one of its largest centers of the national movement.

This movement was facilitated by close ties with the Baku and Tiflis Social Democratic organizations. And also the fact that “to these remote places” politically “unreliable” people were exiled from the central provinces, among whom were the Bolsheviks. Individual issues of Lenin's Iskra also came here. Forty years after the Great October Revolution, casting a retrospective glance at the historical destinies of their country, Ashgabat historians wrote: “... the Turkmen people, being part of the Russian Empire, found a faithful friend and teacher in the person of the most advanced and revolutionary Russian in the world working class..." In 1903, the first Social Democratic circle began to operate in the city, and two years later there was already a Social Democratic organization headed by the local gymnasium teacher L. L. Stabrovsky and the Baku Bolshevik printing worker A. Khachiev.

In 1905-1907 An underground printing house was active in Askhabad, organized political protests and armed clashes with the tsarist administration took place, in which railway workers and soldiers played the main role. And although the first Russian revolution was defeated both in the center and on the outskirts of the empire, including in Askhabad, it nevertheless gave the people experience and political hardening. Both were very useful a decade later during the complex and difficult period of the first socialist revolution in human history. Soviet power in Askhabad was established in December 1917. But soon the black forces of counter-revolution rose up against the Bolshevik Soviets. In July 1918, the Mensheviks and Right Socialist Revolutionaries, supported by nationalist gangs, started a rebellion in Askhabad. They broke into the Council building. The Red Army soldiers guarding it, including the Turkmen detachment commanded by Ovezberdy Kuliev, were destroyed. Many Bolsheviks and Soviet workers died in the bloody battles that broke out in the streets. The counter-revolution managed to win temporary victories in other regions of Turkmenistan. In Merv these days, the rebels captured a former railway worker, People's Commissar of Labor Pavel Gerasimovich Poltoratsky. In prison before his execution, he wrote a letter - an extraordinary document, stunning even today, after many years: “I have been sentenced by military headquarters to be shot. In a few hours I will be gone... Comrade workers! Dying at the hands of a white gang, I believe that I will be replaced by new comrades, stronger, more robust in spirit, who will begin and carry on the work that has begun in the struggle for the complete emancipation of the working people from the yoke of capital.” And the final lines of this amazing letter are imbued with such proud self-control, such natural courage, which only a person of exceptionally high spirit is capable of, boundless devotion to his idea: “Well, comrades, it seems that everything that needs to be said has been told to you. I count on you. I am calm and am leaving you forever, but not myself, but they are taking me away.

P. Poltoratsky was sentenced to death. July 21, 1918, at 12 o'clock at night." A day later, the counter-revolutionaries committed another atrocity, shooting nine Askhabad commissars and commanders of the Red Army. In early August, British interventionists entered the territory of Turkmenistan in collusion with the counter-revolutionary elite. With their armed assistance, the White Guard “Trans-Caspian Government” managed to hold out for about 12 months, but on July 9, 1919, as a result of the heroic actions of the Red Army, supported by workers and farmers, Askhabad again became Soviet and was named Poltoratsk in memory of the remarkable revolutionary. A new stage in the history of the city began. In February 1925, the first Congress of Soviets of the Turkmen SSR proclaimed Poltoratsk the capital of the newly formed republic. And in April 1927, the next, second Republican Congress of Soviets, which approved the first constitution of Soviet Turkmenistan, returned its historical and national name to its capital - Ashgabat.

The second letter in it was changed to bring the sound of the word closer to the Turkmen pronunciation. At an ever more rapid pace, with an ever wider scope, Ashgabat confidently mastered the diverse functions of the capital, becoming a major administrative, cultural and economic center of the country. Literally one after another, new technically equipped enterprises are coming into operation in different parts of the city, processing agricultural and construction raw materials, as well as metalworking, new institutions and organizations are being created that develop the national culture of the Turkmen people in form and socialist in content. According to the 1939 census, more than 126 thousand people lived in the city, of which Turkmen already made up 12%. Over the years since the 1926 census, their stratum has increased 5 times, and this growth has continued with increasing intensity, reflecting important social and cultural changes in the republic.

At the end of the Great Patriotic War, 65 large and 200 small industrial enterprises, 3 institutes, the Turkmen branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 3 theaters and a film studio, a museum of fine arts, a philharmonic society, and creative unions uniting writers, artists, architects and composers of Turkmenistan operated in Ashgabat. The city grew, stretching mainly to the west and east. He crossed the railway to the north and was already raising a new industrial area in the southeast. And yet, the growth of Ashgabat in the pre-war and early post-war years did not always and in everything keep pace with the rapid rise of industry, science and art. Ashgabat at that time resembled the heart of a teenager, which sometimes suddenly lags behind the rest of the body in development. There was an urgent need for a more rational placement of industrial enterprises scattered throughout the city, it was already necessary to improve the landscaping of residential areas, consisting of 90% one-story houses made of mud brick, and, finally, it was necessary to improve the architectural design of the city.

Little corresponding to his capital rank. But such a reconstruction was impossible without the demolition of many existing buildings, and at that time, when the war had just ended, this was the case; seemed too much for me to do yet. And the city improved without changing the layout, within its old structure, “on the fly,” introducing, as far as possible, various improvements in housing and communal construction, as well as in landscaping and water supply, which in the natural conditions of Ashgabat were of paramount importance. The first post-war plan (1946-1950) provided for the expansion of old enterprises and the construction of new ones, consolidating the specialization of Ashgabat in the textile, food, construction and metalworking industries. He outlined considerable work to improve the city and further improve its water supply. And this plan was already being implemented when, on the night of October 6, 1948, a terrible earthquake, which had not yet been recorded by any seismic station in the Soviet Union, practically destroyed the city, sweeping it off the face of the earth. At 1 hour 17 minutes local time, a sudden 9-magnitude shock, accompanied by a strong underground rumble, instantly extinguished the lights of the sleeping city and turned it into a dusty pile of ruins. Having escaped from the wreckage, the wounded Moscow flight mechanic and radio operator Yuri Drozdov reached the IL-12 passenger plane and sent the news of a terrible disaster on the air from the on-board radio. And the whole country immediately responded. First aid came from other cities of Turkmenistan and neighboring republics - Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, as well as from Armenia and Georgia. Plane after plane, and when traffic was restored on the destroyed railway, train after train transported the wounded and children who had lost their parents from Ashgabat, and delivered doctors, medicines, food to the site of the disaster... And from the very first days the labor epic of restoration began , but essentially the construction of Ashgabat again. It was entirely born out of ruins on sites cleared of them - even partially surviving houses that required major repairs were demolished. Asphalt, tree plantations, city communications, as a rule, were preserved everywhere, so they decided to build Ashgabat according to its old planning scheme, especially since, as we know, it was distinguished by many advantages.

At the same time, a new city was to rise from the ruins - the capital of modern Turkmenistan, corresponding to its high achievements in all areas of cultural and economic life. Therefore, corrections were made to the old planning structure, which in many ways fundamentally changed the appearance of the city. As a result, today's Ashgabat was born, in which the streets are straighter, wider than they were before, the squares are designed in single ensembles, and everywhere dozens of hectares are allocated for new boulevards, squares, gardens, parks, and flower beds. Now all industrial enterprises are assembled in groups, “production nests,” in places most convenient for specialization and cooperation, for the delivery of raw materials and the export of products. In the central parts of the city, republican and local institutions, a university and an academic complex, republican theaters are located in ensembles, and further to the west and southwest - hospital and university campuses. The largest part of the urban area is, of course, occupied by residential areas. They are collected, as required by modern planning principles, into microdistricts, of which there are already about 15 in the capital.

In the area to which it approaches at its western end, there are spinning and weaving, silk-winding, furniture factories, and a machine-building plant. The plant produces dough mixing machines known throughout the country; the first machines for collecting mirabilite at Kara-Bogaz-Gol, which we have already mentioned, were built there. The Ashneftemash plant began producing such machines. Ashneftemash also produces three-bladed impellers with a seven-meter span. Rotated by powerful electric motors, they are capable of moving more than a million cubic meters of air in an hour. They operate in cooling block systems in most oil refineries and chemical plants in the country, in petrochemical plants and thermal power plants in Bulgaria and Afghanistan, India, and the United Arab Republic. Recently, a completely new pump shop for lifting water from wells was put into operation at the plant; Such pumps in Turkmenistan are, so to speak, essential items. The plant also begins to produce new equipment that mechanizes operations related to oil transportation. One and a half kilometers north of Ashneftemash, on the banks of the Karakum Canal, a new resort suburb of Ashgabat has emerged. In May 1962, the pioneer trench of the third stage brought the first, still small stream of Amudarya water, and now there are well-maintained beaches with umbrellas and sun loungers, water stations with boats and motorboats, and in Ashgabat there is a brisk shop selling fishing supplies. On the banks of a large reservoir, in the northeast of the capital, a resort town with boarding houses, holiday homes, and camps will grow among the residents of Ashgabat and its industrial satellite Bezmein. Here, in the east, but already south of the railway, that is, within the old city limits, there is a glass factory famous for its versatile and perfect mechanization of all labor processes.

It produces mainly excellent window glass. Ashgabat has always been famous for its carpets. The famous Ashgabat carpet factory, the flagship of Turkmen carpet weaving, is known throughout the world. Carpets are the pride and glory of Turkmenistan; it is not without reason that the gel, a stylized flower, a characteristic element of carpet ornament, is included in the state emblem of the republic. The whole world has admired and continues to admire Turkmen carpets. They exhibited in more than 50 countries in Europe and Asia, America and Australia and received gold medals and first-class diplomas in Paris, Brussels, and Leipzig. The Turkmen State Museum of Fine Arts is famous for its exhibits. Among various works of art from different times and different peoples, it houses a particularly valuable collection of Turkmen carpets. There is another important Ashgabat attraction of the city - the Turkmen State Academic Drama Theater of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. He successfully stages national dramas, such as “Keymir-Keur”, “Makhtumkuli”, “Allan’s Family”, “Fate”, “The Eighth Treasure”, plays of Russian and foreign classics - “The Government Inspector”, “Othello”, as well as works Turkmen, Russian and other authors dedicated to modern times. This theater is also widely visited by spectators who do not speak the Turkmen language, since with the help of special radio equipment they can listen to the simultaneous translation of the actors’ speech into Russian. Turkmen State University named after is the center of science of the republic.

Twin cities of Ashgabat:

• Albuquerque, USA
• Athens, Greece
• Ankara, Türkiye

The capital of independent Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, is a large administrative center, a city of dreams and love, the magnificent architectural ensemble of which harmoniously fits into the space between the vast Karakum desert and the spurs of the mountains. In place of the dilapidated old buildings, a new urban environment arose in a surprisingly short period of time. Ashgabat is repeatedly included in the Guinness Book of Records.

origin of name

Persian words, translated meaning “love” and “city”, “populated place”, formed the basis for the name of the city. From the time of the conquest of Turkmenistan by the Russian Empire in 1881 until 1919, the city was called “Askhabad”.

In 1919, in honor of the revolutionary figure P. G. Poltoratsky, the city was renamed Poltoratsk. In 1927 the city received the name Ashgabat.

In 1921, after Turkmenistan gained independence, a number of names of settlements were changed. The city of Ashgabat officially became known as Ashgabat, it is this form that most closely matches the Turkmen name.

The official Russian media use the name Ashgabat, according to the Order of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation of 1995. Currently, in the texts of legislative acts of Turkmenistan in Russian, on the capital’s official websites, and in the official media of Turkmenistan, the city is called Ashgabat.

Geographical characteristics

Ashgabat is located in the south of Turkmenistan, on the Turan Lowland, 25 km from the border with Iran.

The capital of Turkmenistan is located on the Kopetdag foothill plain in the Ahal-Teke oasis. The Kopetdag Mountains approach from the south, and the Karakum Desert from the north.

In 1962, the Karakum Canal was built to Ashgabat, thus solving the problem of supplying the city with water.

Climate subtropical inland, with hot summers and mild, cold (relative to this latitude) winters. Ashgabat is one of the very hot cities in the world, where in summer the temperature can rise above +45 °C. In summer there is almost no precipitation. During the short winter, the temperature is very variable; with strong intrusions of arctic air from the north, frosts and temperatures below −10 °C occur. Only in severe winters does permanent snow cover form. In Ashgabat, the average annual temperature is +17 C.

Story

On the site of a Turkmen settlement-fortress, the city of Askhabad was founded in 1881 as the administrative center of the Trans-Caspian region and a military border fortification of the Russian Empire.

City streets were designed to be straight. One-story clay houses surrounded orchards. After earlier earthquakes, multi-story adobe buildings were not erected.

In 1925, the city of Ashgabat (at that time Poltoratsk) was officially awarded the status of the capital of the Turkmen SSR.

In 1948, an earthquake of enormous destructive power (9-10 points) occurred in Ashgabat, destroying up to 98% of all buildings. Currently in Turkmenistan it is believed that up to 176 thousand people died then.

In the capital of Turkmenistan in 2003, the names of all streets were replaced with serial numbers. The exception was nine main highways named after Turkmenbashi and his relatives, as well as the poet Magtymguly.

In 2008, there was an uprising of armed militants, which went down in history as the “Ashgabat rebellion.” The authorities used heavy armored vehicles to suppress the rebels located in the capital's Khitrovka district. Eyewitnesses reported that explosions and machine gun fire were heard in the north of the capital over the weekend. According to official data, the militants were involved in drug trafficking. And independent sources reported that radical oppositionists became opponents of the military.

Architecture

During the period of the Russian Empire, adobe houses with flat roofs predominated in the administrative center.

During the Soviet period, the capital of Turkmenistan was built up with modern buildings, but in October 1948 it was destroyed by an earthquake, after which it was rebuilt. The city's neighborhoods were enlarged, streets widened, microdistricts were created and green recreation areas were developed.

During Soviet times, structures were built in Ashgabat that later became city architectural landmarks: the building of the Council of Ministers of the Republic; the building of the Mollanepes Academic Drama Theater; the Karakumstroy administration building (now demolished); complex of buildings of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan; building of the State Republican Library; building of the Turkmen State Circus; Russian Bazaar building; the building of the Mekan Palace, decorated with sculptural reliefs.

A monument to Lenin (1927) was erected in the park named after V.I. Lenin. In 1970, a monument to the soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War was created.

After the collapse of the USSR, since 1991, the capital began to be built up with high-rise residential and administrative buildings, as well as public buildings. In modern Ashgabat, buildings are erected mainly in oriental architectural style. Most mosques, skyscrapers, houses and sidewalks are decorated with beautiful white marble.

TV and Radio Broadcasting Center "Turkmenistan"– the television and radio communications tower is considered a symbol of Ashgabat and is a tourist attraction. The tower is located near Ashgabat, on one of the Kopetdag mountain ranges. The tallest architectural structure in Turkmenistan has a height of 211 meters.

Construction work began in 2008. And in October 2011, the opening ceremony of the telecommunications facility took place, which was attended by President of Turkmenistan Gurbangula Berdimuhamedov.

The main function of the tower is to support and maintain television and radio communications antennas. The antenna signal coverage radius is one hundred kilometers. In addition, there is a tourist center with many different interesting attractions. Currently, the tower transmits signals from digital and analogue television and radio.

There is a restaurant on the 29th floor, at an altitude of 145 meters. The rotating platform on which the restaurant is located provides a panoramic view, so you can admire both the local natural landscapes and the views of the Turkmen capital. The restaurant's interior design combines both modern trends in architectural styles and elements of national decor. On the 28th floor, at an altitude of 140 meters, there is a VIP room.

Two observation platforms are available to visitors at the Turkmenistan Broadcasting Center - the main and special observatories, which offer a 360-degree view. On the 30th floor, at an altitude of 150 meters, there is the Main Observatory, from where tourists can conveniently look at modern Ashgabat and the picturesque expanses of the Kopetdag foothills.

The TV tower is decorated with the octagonal “Star of Oguz Khan”, which is recognized as the world’s largest architectural image of a star and is included in the Guinness Book of Records. From anywhere in the capital and its suburbs you can see the TV tower.

Wedding Palace “Bagt Koshgi” opened in 2011. By order of the Government of Turkmenistan, the Ashgabat Wedding Palace was built by the Turkish construction company Polimex.

The eleven-story building has an area of ​​more than 38 thousand square meters. meters and is a three-stage structure, each side of which is depicted in the form of an eight-pointed star. Rising on huge columns, the cube forms the upper step and contains a ball with a diameter of 32 meters, symbolizing planet Earth with a map of Turkmenistan. The four entrances serve as symbols of the four cardinal directions.

The interior of the Palace is made in the Turkmen style. The center houses six halls for ceremonial marriage registrations and each has its own name; for festive events there are three wedding halls, two of which are designed for 500, and one for 1000 seats. The golden wedding hall, called “Shamchirag”, is located on the ninth floor of the building, in the central part of the “ball”.

In addition, in the Palace there are 36 shops, seven banquet halls, two cafes, a wedding clothing salon, salons of various necessary wedding services, wedding car registration points, rental of jewelry and national decorations, a beauty salon, a photo salon, and a hotel with 22 comfortable rooms. The third and fourth floors are occupied by administrative premises and archives. Below the building there is a closed parking lot for three hundred cars.

Two architectural landmarks of the city - the Turkmenistan Broadcasting Center and the three-stage building of the Bagt Koshgi Wedding Palace - were awarded in September 2012 at the International Property Awards Europe in the category "Architecture of Public Facilities".

It stands out for its architectural scope "Monument to Neutrality", also known as Arch of Neutrality, which existed in the central square from 1998 to 2010. This is one of the most famous symbols of the reign of Niyazov (Turkmenbashi). The “Arch of Neutrality” was dismantled in 2010-2011 and moved to the southern part of the city of Ashgabat. The "Monument of Neutrality" was reopened in 2011.

The arch was erected by order of Saparmurat Niyazov in 1996-1998 by the Turkish company Polimex. The opening ceremony took place in December 1998.

The multi-level structure, 83 meters high, topped with a 12-meter gilded sculptural image of the President of Turkmenistan, Turkmenbashi, against the backdrop of a waving flag, is supported by three widely spread pylons. The monumental composition slowly rotates as the sun moves, while making a full revolution around its axis during the day. The axis of the entire structure is a panoramic elevator, which leads to circular observation platforms, which offer views of Ashgabat.

In 2010, the gilded statue of Niyazov on top of the Arch of Neutrality and the Arch itself were dismantled. The country's authorities decided to move the Arch of Neutrality in order to improve the architectural appearance of the city. They recreated the monument in the form of the “Monument of Neutrality” on Bitarap Turkmenistan Avenue (i.e. Neutral Turkmenistan) in the southern part of Ashgabat, in the foothills of the Kopetdag. The height of the new monument was 95 meters, which is 20 meters higher than the previous Arch.

A business is being created on Archabilskoye Highway center "Ashgabat City". The buildings of ministries and departments, research, educational and cultural centers were built according to exclusive designs.

In the modern architecture of the capital, the accepted norm is infill construction with high-rise (mostly 12-story) buildings. These are residential towers in which the first floors are occupied by service departments and retail space. Many buildings, even old ones, are lined with white marble.

Among modern architectural structures, tourists are interested in the Turkmenbashi and Rukhyet palaces, the Arch of Neutrality, business centers, the Turkmenistan Broadcasting Center, parks and fountains. In Independence Park you can breathe fresh, clean air surrounded by sculptures of famous great figures of the Turkmen people - from the mythical Oguz Khan and Seljuk sultans to spiritual leaders and poets.

Sunny Ashgabat is the capital and largest city of Turkmenistan. Most likely, you know that gas is produced here, which will soon begin to be supplied to European countries.

The city is considered an important cultural, political and industrial center. Despite its significance, the city cannot boast of an ancient history. It is different from other cities in the country. The Shahs built it in the style they liked. In an effort to perpetuate their names, they hired the best architects of the Middle Ages.

Title and history
The Persian word "eshg" is translated into Russian as "love", and "abad" is "populated". Ashgabat was called “Askhabad” from 1881 to 1919, then until 1927 it was Poltoratsk, after which it received its modern name.

The history of the city begins in 1881, when it was still a small Tekin village controlled by the Tsarist Empire. It was transformed into the military fortification “Askhabad”. The presence of caravan routes and a railway nearby gave the city rapid development. People came here from all nearby areas. Some wanted to earn money, others fled from persecution, the third wanted to make a fortune by building a new city. As a result, the settlement quickly grew into a city, where by 1901 more than 36.5 thousand people of different nationalities lived.

Since 1917, all opponents of Soviet power were exiled to Ashgabat; in 1918, an uprising broke out here. The militia captured almost all regions of Turkmenistan, and Red Commissioner Poltoratsky was caught and executed. But there was no need to celebrate the victory for long. In 1919, the militia was suppressed by the Red Army, and Poltoratsky was awarded the title of hero and the city was named after him, which in 1925 became the capital of the Turkmen SSR.

After the war, new enterprises had to be built in the city and old ones reconstructed. A global industrialization plan was developed, but they could not implement it.

On October 6, 1948, a powerful earthquake occurred, turning the city into ruins and dust. Almost 100 thousand inhabitants died. The city had to be revived, like a phoenix from the ashes. Concerned people from neighboring countries began to come here to help in restoration work. Through joint efforts we managed to build a new Ashgabat, the way you and I know it.

Population
About 650 thousand people live in Ashgabat. The ethnic composition is diverse (more than a hundred representatives of different nationalities).

Transport system
The public transport network is represented by comfortable city buses and trolleybuses. Construction of the metro is underway. In the northern part there is an international airport, on the territory of which there is a bus station. There is a railway junction running through the city and there is a train station.

Local Attractions
Over the years of independence, many modern architectural attractions, museums, stadiums, fountain complexes, business centers, hotels, and parks have been built in the capital.

The main administrative buildings of Turkmenistan are located here, and representative offices of international organizations are based here.

There are more than seven oriental bazaars in Ashgabat.

The ancient settlement of Nisa (1 thousand BC) is considered one of the most important attractions of Ashgabat. It is located in the suburbs, 18 km from modern Ashgabat and consists of fortified buildings of old and new times. The first once served as the residence of the king in Parthia, and the second was the capital of the Parthian Kingdom. Old Nisa received its name in honor of its founder, King Mithridates I. With the establishment of Sassanid power, Nisa gradually turned into ruins. Its revival began after entering the Arab Caliphate. In the 16th century the word began to decline, and by the 19th century the settlement ceased to exist.

On the territory of Nisa, many palaces and temples were built, and the graves of representatives of the Arsacid dynasty were buried. In the 50-60s of the 20th century, archaeological excavations began here. During the investigation, it was possible to discover the remains of the walls of the fortress, temples, the royal treasury, part of the palace hall, and utility buildings. Archaeologists found marble statues, deep vessels made of ivory, jewelry, dishes, weapons, manuscripts, etc. Nisa received the status of an archaeological reserve of national importance, the ruins of its fortress are included in the UNESCO list.

The next significant architectural monument is the Turkmenbashi Rukhy Mosque, also located in the suburbs of Akhabad. It was built under the leadership of world-class architect Saparmurat Niyazov. $100,000,000 was allocated from the budget for construction. The mosque is made of white marble, its area is 18 thousand m2, and its height reaches 55 meters. The mosque is surrounded by four minarets, each 80 meters high. 7 thousand men and 3 thousand women can pray here at the same time.

After his death in 2006, Niyazov was buried in a tomb located in the central part of the mausoleum. Also buried there are his mother, father and two brothers, who tragically died during the massive earthquake of 1948.

The best examples of Turkmenistan carpets are collected in the Turkmen Carpet Museum. The oldest carpet is over 300 years old. Among the exhibits is a handmade carpet, which ranks 2nd largest in the world, its area is 301 m2, and it weighs more than a thousand
kilograms.

Ashgabat is the capital of Turkmenistan. The main industry is represented by mechanical engineering, metalworking, glass, light and food industries. The city has well-developed folk crafts for making carpets, ceramics, silver, wood, and plaster.

In the middle of the last century, a major earthquake occurred in Ashgabat, as a result of which the city was almost completely destroyed, killing about 100 thousand citizens. But the help of the fraternal republics of the USSR contributed to the rapid restoration of the city.

There are many attractions in the city and its surroundings that will be of interest to tourists.

What is the best way to get to Ashgabat

There is another way that combines several types of transport. You fly to Baku from Moscow by plane, then take a taxi to the old seaport, where there is a ferry service to Krasnovodsk, and then to Ashgabat by bus.

If for some reason you need to travel by train, then again you need to get to Baku from the capital’s Paveletsky station, the rest of the journey will have to be repeated: taxi-ferry-bus to Ashgabat.

Of course, there may be daredevils who decide to go on a trip in their own car. But, firstly, it will be more expensive than a flight, naturally, it will take much more time, in addition: the roads leave much to be desired and are extremely unsafe.

And one more thing: to enter the territory of Turkmenistan you need a foreign passport with an entry visa.

Hotel prices and shopping

There are not too many places to stay in the city - only about a dozen hotels and inns, so we recommend taking care of this in advance; room prices range from 3 to 5 thousand rubles.

The shopping center in Ashgabat is replete with goods from Turkmen manufacturers: jewelry, clothing, souvenirs, household appliances. But there are also a lot of Chinese goods here.

Near the Ertogrul Gazi Mosque there is a market with traditional Turkmen goods: carpets, national clothes, hats, souvenirs. However, keep in mind that prices here are higher than at the so-called Russian Bazaar.

In Turkmenistan you can buy:

• Magnificent handmade wool carpet, price depends on the size of the product;
• Locally produced cognac from grapes grown in Turkmenistan;
• Taikhashku is a small skullcap, hand-embroidered with silk, beads, etc.;
• Socks and woolen shoes, hand-knitted from camel hair, according to local beliefs, have healing properties;
• Bed linen, towels, pajamas, underwear - all of excellent quality, made of 100% cotton;
• National Turkmen jewelry made of metal with inserts of colored stones and bells.

At the Tekinsky Bazaar you will not be left indifferent by Turkmen wines, cognacs, a lot of fruits and vegetables, household goods, food, clothes, you can even find black caviar. The prices for all goods and products are encouraging, but you can further reduce the cost by haggling - this is common here.

What you can see in Ashgabat

The city has several architectural structures that are popular among tourists: Turkmenbashi Palace, Rukhyet Palace, Memorial complex dedicated to the earthquake in Ashgabat, Independence Monument, National Museum, Arch of Neutrality, mosques, fountains, stadiums, parks.

It is impossible to ignore the oriental bazaars, of which there are only 7 large ones in Ashgabat: Gulistan, Jennet, Tekinsky, Mir Bazaar, Dzhygyplyk, Lapezar, Gundogar, not to mention the numerous mini-bazaars found at every step.

The National Carpet Museum contains several hundred of the best examples of folk art, there are carpets that are more than 400 hundred years old, as well as a huge carpet in area and weight, which took second place in the world in terms of these indicators, the famous “Golden Age of the Great Salarmurat Turkmenbashi”.

In the vicinity of the city there is the ancient settlement of Nisa, which dates back to the 10th century BC. It has two surviving fortresses, one of them was the royal residence, and the other was the capital of the Parthian state. The city fell into decline several times over the centuries and was revived again. Here are the graves of the rulers of the Arsacid dynasty, a wine storage facility, royal treasuries, and food warehouses.

In the native village of Salarmurat Niyazov there is the Turkmenbashi Rukhy Mosque. The white marble building is a majestic architectural structure that cost the country's budget $100 million. Near the mosque there are 4 minarets 80 meters high. The building is of such a size that about 10 thousand people can pray in it at the same time.

In the Karakum Desert there is a gas crater, which tourists have dubbed the “Door to the Underworld.” The gas comes out directly from the ground, dividing on the surface into several torches up to 10-15 meters high. The gas coming out of the crater has been burning day and night for more than 40 years, since the 70s of the last century.

Nearby there are two craters in which liquid mud bubbles on the surface. One crater is light gray in color, and the other is a beautiful blue hue.

In the vicinity of the capital there is a popular mountain resort - the former residence of the royal family. Nearby there is a cave with a huge lake, the water of which is saturated with minerals and has a temperature of 36°C all year round. Today this area is a national reserve, since in addition to the unique lake there is a colony of bats.

In addition, in Ashgabat there is an Orthodox Church, a circus, an Academic Theater, a Music School, a Conservatory, a National Library, and a puppet theater.

It is better to exchange Russian rubles for local currency (manats) in banks, but you can change them at exchange offices or in hotels. It is recommended to have a lot of small dollar bills with you - sometimes it is convenient to use them to pay for souvenirs and handicrafts in the markets.

There are few places in Turkmenistan where credit cards are accepted - only in banks and large hotels.

is one of the most beautiful cities in Central Asia, five times awarded a place in the famous Guinness Book of Records. The capital amazes with its splendor, rich white marble architecture, and fountain complexes. But the history of Ashgabat knows many other, less joyful events.

From fortress to city

The history of Ashgabat began in 1881, after the expansion of the borders of the Russian Empire. The tsarist troops reached the Ahal-Teke oasis, occupied its territories and the lands on which the village of Askhabad, a small Teke settlement, was located.

First of all, the soldiers built a fortress; this military fortification became the starting point for the appearance of a new settlement on the map of the empire. People began to settle around the fortress, and gradually its military significance faded into the background. The settlement was turning into a busy, fast-growing city before our eyes, as there were two reasons contributing to this: a good geographical location - at the crossroads of economic and trade routes; availability of fresh water and building materials, wood, pebbles, clay.

The increase in population was facilitated by the construction of the railway; many people were ready to travel thousands of kilometers in search of work and money. Those who built the road remained to live in Ashgabat, many traders also came from different countries, and there were religious refugees.

City in the 20th century

At the end of the 19th century, more than 30 thousand people lived in the city; interestingly, indigenous people made up only 1.5%. Based on nationality, the population was divided into the following categories: Persians - about 11 thousand people; Russians – more than 10 thousand people; Armenians and other nationalities – 14.6 thousand people.

The city itself consisted of one-story houses, mostly adobe, surrounded by fruit trees. They were afraid to build multi-story buildings, since earthquakes occurred quite often, leaving behind significant destruction.

The history of Ashgabat is briefly divided into two periods - before and after 1918. Until this year, the settlement was part of the Russian Empire and was the main city of the Trans-Caspian region. The October events of 1917 also had an impact in Ashgabat; a year later, Soviet power was established here; until 1925, the city had the status of a regional center. Since 1925, it has been the capital of Turkmenistan, although at that time the city was called Poltoratsk - after the name of the famous Bolshevik.