Aşgabat

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Aşgabat (Turkmen: Aşgabat; Persian: عشق آباد‎, UniPers: Ešq-âbâd; Russian: Ашхаба́д - Ashkhabád) also spelled as Ashgabat, Ashkabat, Ashkhabad, Ashgabad, and `Ishqábád, is the capital city of Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic. Aşgabat has a population of 695,300 (2001 census estimate) and is situated between the Kara Kum desert and the Kopet Dag mountain range. The name is believed to derive from the Persian Ashk-abad meaning "the City of Arsaces". Another explanation is that the name is a corruption of the Persian Eshq (Love) + abad (cultivated place or city), and hence loosely translates as "The city built by/from love". Aşgabat has a primarily Turkmen population, with minorities of ethnic Russians, Armenians, and Azeris.

1 History
2 Economics
3 Climate
4 Sights
5 Sister cities
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] History

Aşgabat is a relatively young city, growing out of a village of the same name established in 1818. It is, however, located not far from the site of Nisa, the ancient capital of the Parthians and the ruins of the Silk Road city of Konjikala, which had been destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th century.

In 1869, Russian soldiers built a fortress on a hill near the village, and this added security soon attracted merchants and craftsmen to the area. Tsarist Russia annexed the region in 1884, and chose to develop the town 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 Baha'i house of worship was built here. It was seriously damaged as a result of earthquake in 1948 and was finally demolished by the Soviet authorities in 1963.[1][2]

Soviet rule was established, lost and then regained in 1917, and the city was renamed Poltoratsk after a local revolutionary. The name "Aşgabat" was restored in 1927 when the Communist Party was properly established in Turkmenistan, 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 over 110,000 (2/3 the population of the city), although the official number announced by Soviet news was only 14,000.

[edit] Economics

As capital of the country, Aşgabat is primarily a government and administrative center. The principal industries of Aşgabat are cotton textiles and metal working. It is a major stop on the Trans-Caspian railway.

The city is served by Ashgabat Airport.

[edit] Climate

The Kopet-Dag mountain range is just about 25 km away from Ashgabat on the south. Its northern border touches the Kara-Kum desert. Because of this location, Ashgabat features arid climate with hot and dry summers and mild and short winters. Summer temperatures can easily reach 45°C (113°F) and stay so for long periods of time. June through August are guaranteed hot, with night temperatures normally not falling lower than 30°C (86°F). Automn is notably less hot; however during the day temperatures can still be as much as 35°C (95°F) whereas nights are pleasently cooler. Winter normally starts in December; snow is rare and there can be a lot of rain. Normally, winter temperatures fluctuate between 10-15°C (50-60°F), but quite rarely can go visibly down to -10°C (14°F), as a rule in January. The lowest temperature in winter was recorded in January 1969, it was -28°C (-18°F). Because of the extreme summer heat, air-conditioners can be found virtually everywhere and people try to avoid being outside until the sunset. Springs are warm and mild, with plenty of rain.

[edit] Sights

Museums include the Turkmen Fine Arts Museum, noted for its impressive collection of woven carpets, and the Turkmen History Museum which has artifacts dating back to the Parthian civilisation. 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. Aşgabat is also home to the Arch of Neutrality, which is a large tripod, upon which a golden statue of Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov (also known and generally referred to as Turkmenbashi, or leader of the Turkmens). This statue rotates in order to always face the sun during daylight hours. It is said to be made of pure gold.

Independence and Peace Monument	Türkmenbaşı Palace	Ashgabat Exhibition Center	Ak Bugday (White Wheat) Museum
Kukla (Puppet) Theather	Rukhiyet Palace	Musical Drama Theather	Assembly of Ashgabat