TURKMENISTAN

Turkmenistan is a country in Central Asia with a population of about 5 million, and an area around half a million square km, a bit larger than California or almost the size of Spain.
It has a coast on the Caspian Sea, but is otherwise landlocked. Neighboring countries are Iran and Afghanistan to the South, and Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to the North.
Overall it is a relatively poor desert country, although billions have been spent on the capital Ashgabat in post Soviet times. The traditional life of the Turkmen is that of nomadic shepherds, though some have been settled in towns for centuries. The country has extensive oil and gas reserves undergoing exploration and development.
he name Turkmenistan is derived from Persian, meaning "land of the Turkmen". The name of its capital, Ashgabat, is derived from Persian as well, loosely translating as "the city of love".




FLAG OF THE COUNTRY TURKMENISTAN
The flag of Turkmenistan was adopted on January 24, 2001. It is often described as the most detailed national flag in the world.

COAST OF ARMS

The coat of arms of Turkmenistan was created after Turkmenistan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The eight-point green starburst (known as the star of Rub El Hizb (۞), a symbol of Islam, to which a majority of Turkmen profess) with golden edges features in its center a red circular disc which carries sheaves of wheat, five carpet guls, and centered upon that a smaller blue circle with a lifelike (rather than heraldized) depiction of an Akhal-Teke horse, a source of pride for the Turkmen people. A variant of the emblem, which included different colors and rounded, was used from 1992 until 2003.


HISTORY
While the ancient history of early Turkmenistan is largely shrouded in mystery, its past since the arrival of Indo-European Iranian tribes around 2000 BC is often the starting point of the area's discernible history. Early tribes were nomadic or semi-nomadic due to the arid conditions of the region as the steppe culture in Central Asia was an extension of a larger Eurasian series of horse cultures which spanned the entire spectrum of language families including the Proto-Indo-Europeans and Altaic groups. Some of the known early Iranian tribes included the Massagatae, Scythians/Sakas, and early Soghdians (most likely precursors of the Khwarezmians). Turkmenistan was a passing point for numerous migrations and invasions by tribes which gravitated towards the settled regions of the south including ancient Mesopotamia, Elam, and the Indus Valley Civilization.

Modern Turkmenistan was radically transformed by the invasion of the Russian Empire, which conquered the region in the late 19th century. Later, the Russian Revolution of 1917 would ultimately transform Turkmenistan from an Islamic tribal society to a totalitarian Leninist one during the Soviet era. Independence came in 1991, as Saparmurat Niyazov, a former local communist party boss, declared himself absolute ruler for life as Turkmenbashi or Leader of the Turkmen and transitioned the newly independent Turkmenistan into an authoritarian state under his absolute control and has thus far resisted the democratization that has influenced many of the other former Soviet Republics. Niyazov ruled until his death on December 21, 2006.


POLITICS OF TURKMENISTAN
The politics of Turkmenistan takes place in the framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Turkmenistan is both head of state and head of government. Turkmenistan has a single-party system, but has, according to the government, begun a transition towards a multi-party system.

HUMAN RIGHTS IN TURKMENISTAN
Human rights in Turkmenistan are severely restricted. There is no political opposition allowed and government treatment of religious activity ranges from tightly restricted to banned. There is no free press. Standards in education and health declined markedly during the rule of President Saparmurat Niyazov, and in many cases, arbitrary judgement still prevails over rule of law.


GEOGRAPHY OF TURKMENISTAN
Turkmenistan is a landlocked country of Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan. It is the southernmost republic of the Commonwealth of Independent States , the loose federation created at the end of 1991 by most of the post-Soviet states.Its longest border is with the Caspian Sea (1,786 km). The other borders are with Iran (to the south, 992 km), Afghanistan (to the south, 744 km), Uzbekistan (to the north and east, 1,621 km) and Kazakhstan (to the north, 379 km). Turkmenistan is slightly larger than California in territory, occupying 488,100 km². That statistic ranks Turkmenistan fourth among the former Soviet republics. The country's greatest extent from west to east is 1,100 km, and its greatest north-to-south distance is 650 km.



CASPIAN SEA

The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea.
It was perceived as a sea by its ancient coastal inhabitants because it is salty and seemed boundless. It has a salinity of approximately 1.2%, about a third the salinity of most seawater. According to Strabo, it is named after an ancient people called Caspians.

ECONOMY OF TURKMENISTAN

Turkmenistan is largely desert country with nomadic cattle raising, intensive agriculture in irrigated oases, and huge gas and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton, placing the country in the top 10-15 producers . It also possesses the world's fifth largest reserves of natural gas and substantial oil resources. Until the end of 1993, Turkmenistan had experienced less economic disruption than other former Soviet states because its economy received a boost from higher prices for oil and gas and a sharp increase in hard currency earnings. As in the Soviet era, central planning and state control pervade the system, and the Niyazov government consistently rejected market reform programs. The state subsidizes a wide variety of commodities and services.

LANGUAGE

The country turkmenistan's language is turkmen.It is spoken by approximately 3,430,000 people in Turkmenistan, and by an additional approximately 5,500,000 people in other countries, including Iran (2,000,000), Iraq (222,000), Afghanistan (500,000), and Turkey (1,000,000).
TURKMEN PEOPLE

The Turkmen are a Turkic people found primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan and in northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language which is classified as part of the Western Oghuz branch of Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Gagauz, Salar and Turkoman spoken in Iraq.


CULTURE OF TURKMENISTAN

The Turkmen people have traditionally been horse-breeding nomads, and even today after the fall of the USSR attempts to urbanize but the Turkmens have not been very successful. They never really formed a coherent nation or ethnic group until they were forged into one by Joseph Stalin in the 1930s. Rather they are divided into clans, and each clan has its own dialect and style of dress. Turkmens are famous for making gillams, mistakenly called Bukhara rugs in the West. These are elaborate and colorful rugs, and these too help indicate the distinction between the various Turkmen clans.A Turkmen can be identified anywhere by the traditional "telpek" hats, which are large black sheepskin hats that resemble afros. The national dress: men wear high, shaggy sheepskin hats and red robes over white shirts. Women wear long sack-dresses over narrow trousers (the pants are trimmed with a band of embroidery at the ankle). Female headdresses usually consist of silver jewellery. Bracelets and brooches are set with semi-precious stones.

A PICTURE OF A TURKMEN IN A TRADITIONAL ATTIRE.

Horses

The Turkmen are particularly famous for their horses. The akhalteke horse is an ancient breed descended from one of the four horse types that crossed the Bering Strait from the Americas in prehistoric times. Approximately 10,000 years ago, as Central Asia became desert-like, the stocky horses indigenous to the steppe grasslands began to evolve into the lean, graceful, hardy horses that inhabit Turkmenistan today. The golden coloring predominant among the akhalteke provided the necessary camouflage against the desert landscape. Through natural selection a breed was created which would become the pride of Turkmenistan.

Upon achieving independence in 1991, the government of Turkmenistan defined horse breeding a national concern and art form. The akhalteke has been declared a national treasure and its image graces the state seal of Turkmenistan. Private ownership of akhaltekes in Turkmenistan is steadily increasing and there are now akhalteke farms in Germany and the United States.

CAPITAL CITY OF TURKMENISTAN

Aşgabat - Capital
Ashgabat is the capital and largest city of Turkmenistan. It is situated between the Kara Kum desert and the Kopet Dag mountain range.

ASGABAT MOSQUE


MAJOR CITIES IN TURKMENISTAN



BALKANABAT
Balkanabat is formerly Nebit Dag, is a city in western Turkmenistan and the capital of Balkan Province . Balkanabat lies at the foot of the Balkan Daglary mountain range.



Abadan
Abadan is a city in the Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran. It lies on Abad Island, the island is bounded in the west by the Shat-al-allab waterway and to the east by the Bahmanshir outlet of the Karun River.
Daşoguz
Daşoguz isformerly known as Tashauz and it's a city in northern Turkmenistan and the capital of Dasoguz Province.

Serdar

Serdar is a location in Turkmenistan, located north-west of the capital, Ashkhabad on the road to the Caspian sea. The languages spoken in the region are mainly Turkmen.

Kerki

Kerkiçi also known as Kerki is a town in eastern Turkmenistan. It is located in Lebap Province.

Kunya Urgench
Kunya Urgench is also known as Kunya-Urgench, Old Urgench or Urganj, is a municipality of about 30,000 inhabitants in north-eastern Turkmenistan, just south from its border with Uzberkistan. It is the site of the ancient town of Urgench, which contains the unexcavated ruins of the 12th-century capital of Khwarezem.

Mary
Mary is pronounced Mur-ree. It is a city of Turkmenistan, capital of the Mary Province. Former names include Merv, Meru and Margiana.

Balkanabat
Balkanabat , formerly Nebit Dag, is a city in westernTurkmenistan , and the capital of Balkan Province. Balkanabat lies at the foot of the Balkan Daglary mountain range.

Tejen
Tejen or Tedzhen is an oasis city in the Karakum desert, in Ahal Province of Turkmenistan.

Turkmenabat
Türkmenabat is a town in Turkmenistan, capital of the Lebap Province.


Turkmenbashi / Turkenbasy

Türkmenbaşy is a city in Turkmenistan, part of the Balkan Province , on the Krasnovodsk Gulf of the Caspian Sea.


This is a video about the beautiful and the products of Turkmenistan. I places this video so you would know the real beauty of Turkmenistan. The places that other people think that it is just a simple place and has no good sight. Turkmenistan is also a good place to go and a good place to have your vacation.

This is the money of Turkmenistan. If you'll go to Turkmenistan be sure you'll have this kind of money so you would enjoy the beauty of Turkmenistan.


This is the Turkmenistan airlines. You will ride on this airplane and I'll tour you so so would see the real beauty of the country Turkmenistan.
I have something to share about my experiences when I went to Turkmenistan. Many people think that Turkmenistan is just a simple country. A simple place that has least tourist spots but when I went there I have proved on myself that there wrong. Turkmenistan is a country in Central Asia. Overall it is a relatively poor desert country but I felt the presence of the place, It was beautiful. When I ride on an airplane I can see up there the places of Turkmenistan especially the desert. There are many camels in the desert and they look friendly when I ride on them. The tourists guide guided me until we reach the city of Turkmenistan, the Ashgabat. At Ashgabat, like in much of the former Soviet Union, "taxis" are mostly unofficial and can be hailed by flagging down a car by the roadside. Haggle, and agree on the destination and price in advance -knowledge of Russian will definitely come in handy at this point.The usual sensible precautions apply here. If your instincts suggest that something might be not quite right, then it's best to go with your instincts.Roadblocks are in place throughout the country, so this method is really best used only within city limits unless you are specifically looking for trouble. The tour guide said that it is very enjoying if we will ride on a train so we ride on it. It is possible to travel by train between some of the major cities in Turkmenistan, but journeys are slow up to 16 hours from Ashgabat to Turkmenbashi- so unless you have a specific interest, plane travel is the best way to get around the country.