From modest village – to innovative “smart” city

8 May 2021
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The unique history of Ashgabat began 140 years ago. In 1881, in the village of Askhabad, a border military settlement with a population of 4,000 people (800 yurts) emerged. The past of the main city of our country is connected with many events in its history. One of them is the tragedy of 1948, when Ashgabat was devastated by the earthquake. Then the neighbours came to help the victims, with whom the Turkmen maintained friendly relations from ancient times. Relying on such fraternal support, in a short time the city was cleared of the consequences of the natural disaster.

However, the modern history of the city of Ashgabat rightly begins after gaining state independence by Turkmenistan, which has not only influenced the country’s comprehensive development, but also had a direct impact on innovative formation of the capital city’s infrastructure. Beautiful houses, original museums, theatres and administrative buildings are built and being built in Ashgabat in a short period of time. Guests arriving in Ashgabat are greeted at comfortable hotels. Modern stadiums and sports complexes host prestigious international tournaments, games and championships. Numerous park zones are oases of coolness during the summer. To ease the heat and to create a certain microclimate, Ashgabat has a green belt of hundreds of thousands of trees and shrubs, replenished annually with new saplings. The Turkmen capital city is also known as a city of fountains, which became its real decoration.

Vladimir CHERNIKOV,
a chief research worker at the Archive Fund of the President of Turkmenistan, Main Archive Department under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, Candidate of Philosophy, Associate Professor. Photo: Sagit BATALOV
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