turkmenistan
The history of Turkmenistan is varied and eventful and often it
was against their will. The country is conquered and subdued,
and it was part of… and fell under the sway of foreign
powers. So in the sixth century BC Turkmenistan was part of the
Persian state Ahmenids, in the fourth century BC it was
conquered by Alexander the Great. From the third century BC
present territory of Turkmenistan was in the Parthian
kingdom. In the eighth century the country came under the power
of the Arabs, then in the thirteenth century was conquered by
the Tatar-Mongols. In the fourteenth century, Turkmenistan
became part of the state of Timurids. And finally, in the
nineteenth century the country became a member of the Russian
Empire.
After the revolution and civil war in 1921, in the Turkestan
ASSR the Turkmen region was formed, and in 1924 established the
Turkmen SSR. October 27, 1991 the independence of the republic
of Turkmenistan was proclaimed.
The ancient caravan route passing through the territory of
Turkmenistan witnessed flourishing civilizations of Parthia,
Merv and Khorezm. To the west of Ashgabat pile ruins of Nisa -
the capital of the powerful Parthian kingdom. There are the
remains of neighborhoods, churches, palaces. During the
excavation, archaeologists found a wonderful rhytons made of
ivory, sculptures out of clay and stone, coins, writing on clay
tablets. These findings are of global importance. To the north
of the town of Bairam-Ali, lie the ruins of another ancient city
- Merv rightly included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Merv (Mary) is the most significant historical and
architectural monument of Turkmenistan. The oldest part of Merv
(Mary) - Erk-Kala settlement was inhabited during the first
millennium BC. The town reached its zenith in the twelfth
century in the Seljuk state and Khorezm, as evidenced by the
remains of the city of Sultan Kala. The pearl of Oriental
architecture is the mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar and the Tomb of
Askhabov. In the northern Turkmenistan in the lower reaches of
the Amu Darya near the town of Kunya Urgench there are the ruins
of ancient Urgench - the capital of Khorezm in X - XIV
centuries. Here are preserved monuments such as the mausoleums
Il Arslan Tyurabek Khanum and Fakhreddine Razi, grandiose 60 m
high minaret Kutlug Timur, one of the highest in Central
Asia. Over the tomb of Shah Tekesh, the creator of the powerful
state of Khorezm, mausoleum with a great high-hipped dome was
built in the twelfth century.
