In 2024, it will be 120 years since the first archaeological work was carried out on the territory of Turkmenistan, at the foothills of the Kopetdag Mountains, in the ancient settlement of Anau, under the guidance of the American researcher R. Pumpelly. This solid date echoes the announcement of Anau as the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2024 by the TURKSOY International Organisation.

The discoverer of the Anau culture, Rafael Pumpelly, was an American geologist, the author of 11 major works. He graduated from the Freiberg Mining Academy in Germany with a degree in mining engineering.