Ashgabat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Aşgabat)
Jump to: navigation, search
For the cities in Iran, see Eshqabad.
Ashgabat
Aşgabat, Ашхабад
Ashkhabad
Poltoratsk (1919-1927)
Satellite view
Ashgabat is located in Turkmenistan
Ashgabat
Satellite view
Coordinates: 37°56′N 58°22′E / 37.933°N 58.367°E / 37.933; 58.367Coordinates: 37°56′N 58°22′E / 37.933°N 58.367°E / 37.933; 58.367
Country Flag of Turkmenistan.svg Turkmenistan
Province Ahal Province
founded 1881
Government
 • Mayor Durdylyýew Şamuhammet
Area
 • Total 440 km2 (170 sq mi)
Elevation 219 m (719 ft)
Population (2012)
 • Total 1,031,992
 • Density Bad rounding here2,300/km2 (Bad rounding here6,100/sq mi)
Postal code 744000 - 744040
Area code(s) (+993) 12
Vehicle registration AG
Satellite View of Ashgabat

Ashgabat (Turkmen: Aşgabat, Persian: عشق‌آباد‎, Russian: Ашхабáд, also Ashkhabad in transliteration from Russian, formerly Poltoratsk between 1919–1927) 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.

Contents

Names [edit]

Ashgabat is Aşgabat in Turkmen, 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 Ashkabad 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.

Root of the name of the city goes back to Arshacid Empire era, and derived from the name of the founder of the Parthian Empire, Arsaces I of Parthia. So it seems the original form of the name was Ashk-Abad(which means the city built by Ashk), and because of Turkish pronunciation of the name it became like it is today.[1]

History [edit]

Ashgabat is a relatively young city, growing out of a village of the same name established by Russian officers in 1881 after the Battle of Geok Tepe. 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 BC and was leveled by an earthquake in 1st century BC (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. After that it survived as a small village until Russians took over in the 19th century.[2][3]

In 1869[citation needed], Russian 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, following the Battle of Geok Tepe, when it was ceded to Tsarist Russia under the terms of the 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.[4] 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 Mensheviks, 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.[5] 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 (Russian: Ашхабад). 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[6][7][8] (2/3 of the population of the city), although the official number announced by Soviet news was only 40,000.[9]

Ashgabat milestones:[10]

  • 1882-1918 – administrative center of Russia's Transcaspian Region
  • 1918-1925 – administrative center of the Turkmen Oblast in Turkestan ASSR
  • since February 1925 – capital of Turkmen SSR
  • since October 1991 – capital of independent Turkmenistan

  • The first Bahá'í House of Worship was built in Ashgabat.

  • Independence and Peace monument

  • Ashgabat National Museum of History

Economy [edit]

Ashgabat is primarily a government and administrative centre. The principal industries are cotton 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.

Transport [edit]

The city is served by Ashgabat Airport. Turkmenistan Airlines has its headquarters in the city.[11]

Ashgabat's urban transport network includes the Ashgabat trolleybus system.

Climate [edit]

Ashgabat
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
20
 
9
0
 
 
24
 
11
1
 
 
41
 
17
6
 
 
32
 
24
12
 
 
21
 
30
17
 
 
6
 
36
22
 
 
3
 
38
24
 
 
2
 
37
22
 
 
3
 
32
16
 
 
10
 
24
10
 
 
19
 
17
5
 
 
20
 
10
1
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: pogoda.ru.net[12]

The Kopet-Dag mountain range is about 25 kilometres (16 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, dry summers and cool, short winters. The average high temperature in July is 38.3 °C (100.9 °F). Nighttime temperatures in the summer are warm, with an average minimum temperature in July of 23.8 °C (75 °F). The average January high temperature are 8.6 °C (47.5 °F), and the average low temperature is −0.4 °C (31.3 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Ashgabat is 46.7 °C (116 °F), recorded in June 1995.[12][13] A low temperature of −24.1 °C (−11 °F) was recorded in January 1969.[12] Snow is infrequent in the area. Annual precipitation is only 201 millimetres (7.91 in); March and April are the wettest months.

Climate data for Ashgabat
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 28.7
(83.7)		 32.6
(90.7)		 38.6
(101.5)		 39.4
(102.9)		 44.5
(112.1)		 46.7
(116.1)		 45.5
(113.9)		 45.7
(114.3)		 45.6
(114.1)		 40.1
(104.2)		 37.0
(98.6)		 33.1
(91.6)		 46.7
(116.1)
Average high °C (°F) 8.6
(47.5)		 11.2
(52.2)		 16.5
(61.7)		 24.1
(75.4)		 30.1
(86.2)		 36.0
(96.8)		 38.3
(100.9)		 37.2
(99)		 31.7
(89.1)		 24.3
(75.7)		 16.8
(62.2)		 10.4
(50.7)		 23.8
(74.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 3.5
(38.3)		 5.5
(41.9)		 10.4
(50.7)		 17.4
(63.3)		 23.3
(73.9)		 29.0
(84.2)		 31.3
(88.3)		 29.6
(85.3)		 23.6
(74.5)		 16.5
(61.7)		 10.2
(50.4)		 5.1
(41.2)		 17.1
(62.8)
Average low °C (°F) −0.4
(31.3)		 1.0
(33.8)		 5.5
(41.9)		 11.6
(52.9)		 16.6
(61.9)		 21.5
(70.7)		 23.8
(74.8)		 21.7
(71.1)		 16.1
(61)		 10.1
(50.2)		 5.2
(41.4)		 1.2
(34.2)		 11.2
(52.2)
Record low °C (°F) −24.1
(−11.4)		 −20.8
(−5.4)		 −13.3
(8.1)		 −0.8
(30.6)		 1.3
(34.3)		 9.2
(48.6)		 13.8
(56.8)		 9.5
(49.1)		 2.0
(35.6)		 −5.1
(22.8)		 −13.1
(8.4)		 −16
(3)		 −24.1
(−11.4)
Precipitation mm (inches) 20
(0.79)		 24
(0.94)		 41
(1.61)		 32
(1.26)		 21
(0.83)		 6
(0.24)		 3
(0.12)		 2
(0.08)		 3
(0.12)		 10
(0.39)		 19
(0.75)		 20
(0.79)		 201
(7.91)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 9 8 11 10 7 2 1 1 2 5 6 8 70
 % humidity 78 72 66 58 47 35 34 34 40 54 68 77 55
Mean monthly sunshine hours 111.6 121.5 145.7 195.0 275.9 336.0 353.4 347.2 288.0 217.0 156.0 105.4 2,652.7
Source #1: Pogoda.ru.net,[12] World Meteorological Organisation (precipitation days)[14]
Source #2: HKO (sun)[15]

Notable buildings [edit]

The Ertugrul Gazi Mosque in Ashgabat named after Ertuğrul.

Museums include the Turkmen Fine Arts Museum and Turkmen Carpet Museum, 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 Parthian 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 Iranian 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.[16]

Notable universities include the Turkmen Polytechnic Institute.

Gallery [edit]

  • Residential apartment buildings in Ashgabat

  • Independence and Peace Monument

  • Ashgabat Exhibition Center

  • Ak Bugdaý (White Wheat) Museum, Anau

  • Turkmen Parliament (Mejlis) building

  • Ashgabat: satellite photo

  • Serdaryň Saglyk Ýoly - The longer walk of health, viewed from the shorter route

  • View of the Ashgabat skyline from the Ashgabat city park

  • Street light in Ashgabat

  • View of Ashgabat at night

  • World's largest enclosed Ferris wheel, at Alem Cultural and Entertainment Center, Ashgabat

Sister cities [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ http://turkmeniya.tripod.com/id27.html
  2. ^ Konjikala: the Silk Road precursor of Ashgabat
  3. ^ Konjikala, in: MaryLee Knowlton, Turkmenistan, Marshall Cavendish, 2006, pp. 40-41, ISBN 978-0-7614-2014-9 (viewable on Google Books).
  4. ^ "Baha’i House of Worship in Ashgabat". Bahai.us. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
  5. ^ Ashgabat on Big Soviet Encyclopedia Online (Russian)
  6. ^ "US Geological Survey". Earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
  7. ^ Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. "Britannica Online". Britannica.com. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
  8. ^ "State News Agency of Turkmenistan". Turkmenistan.gov.tm. 2007-10-06. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
  9. ^ Ashkhabad earthquake on BBC Russian.com, 6 October 2003 (Russian)
  10. ^ Independent Neutral Turkmenistan: 10 Glorious Years of the Epoch of Turkmenbashi the Great, Ashgabat, 2001, pp. 39-40 (Russian)
  11. ^ "Directory: World Airlines." Flight International. 30 March-5 April 2004. [1].
  12. ^ a b c d "Weather and Climate-The Climate of Ashgabat" (in Russian). Weather and Climate. Retrieved 21 August 2012. 
  13. ^ Herrera, Maximiliano. "Extreme Temperatures Around the World". Retrieved 10 February 2013. 
  14. ^ "World Weather Information Service - Ashgabat". World Meteorological Organisation (UN). Retrieved 2012-08-21. 
  15. ^ "Climatological Normals of Ashgabat". Hong Kong Observatory. Retrieved 2010-06-11. 
  16. ^ http://centralasianewswire.com/Turkmenistan/Niyazovrsquos-influence-in-Turkmenistan-falls-with-golden-statuenbsp/viewstory.aspx?id=1522

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aşgabat
Capital
  • Ashgabat
Other cities
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ashgabat&oldid=555250067"