Balkanabat
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, other_name = Neftedag
Nebit-Dag , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_seal = , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Turkmenistan , pushpin_label_position = bottom , pushpin_mapsize = 300 , pushpin_map_caption = Location in Turkmenistan , subdivision_type =
Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
, subdivision_type1 =
Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
, subdivision_name =
Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
, subdivision_name1 =
Balkan Province Balkan Region ( tk, Balkan welaýaty, Балкан велаяты) is the westernmost of the five regions of Turkmenistan. Clockwise from north it borders Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan (north); two provinces of Turkmenistan (east), Iran (south), and ...
, subdivision_type2 = , subdivision_name2 = , established_title = , established_date = 1933 , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Balkan Gulmamedov , area_total_km2 = , area_land_km2 = , population_as_of = 2011 , population_footnotes = , population_total = 120,800 , population_urban = , registration_plate = BN , population_metro = , population_density_km2 = , timezone = , utc_offset = +5 , timezone_DST = , utc_offset_DST = , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = 17 , postal_code_type = postal code , postal_code = 745100 , area_code = (+993-222) , website = , footnotes = , name = Balkanabat Balkanabat (), formerly Nebit-Dag and Neftedag, is the capital
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
of
Balkan Province Balkan Region ( tk, Balkan welaýaty, Балкан велаяты) is the westernmost of the five regions of Turkmenistan. Clockwise from north it borders Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan (north); two provinces of Turkmenistan (east), Iran (south), and ...
, the largest province in
Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
. It lies at the foot of the
Balkan Daglary The Uly Balkan, also known as the ''Great Balkan Range'' is a mountain range in Turkmenistan. The highest summit is Mount Arlan Mount Arlan (''Uly Balkan Gerşi'') is an peak in the western plains of Turkmenistan in Balkan Province. Mount ...
mountain range. Balkanabat is about 450 km west of
Ashgabat Ashgabat or Asgabat ( tk, Aşgabat, ; fa, عشق‌آباد, translit='Ešqābād, formerly named Poltoratsk ( rus, Полтора́цк, p=pəltɐˈratsk) between 1919 and 1927), is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies ...
and 160 km east of the seaport city of Turkmenbashy. The city layout is a grid of apartment blocks called ''kvartal'' (quarters). The main streets are Magtymguly, Pervomayskiy and Gurbansoltan eje şaýoly.


Etymology

The town was founded in 1933 as Neftedag, meaning "Oil Mountain" (Russian ''neft'', "oil", and Turkmen ''dag'', "mountain"), as a settlement along one of the stations of the
Trans-Caspian Railway The Trans-Caspian Railway (also called the Central Asian Railway, russian: Среднеазиатская железная дорога) is a railway that follows the path of the Silk Road through much of western Central Asia. It was built by ...
. In 1946, when it was transformed into a city, it was renamed "Nebit-Dag", also meaning "Oil Mountain", but this time using the Turkmen word ''nebit''. Nebit Dag was renamed Balkanabat (''Balkan'' from the name of the Balkan mountains (not to be confused with the Balkan mountains in
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
), ''abat'' – meaning “settlement” in Persian) in 2001 by decree of former
President of Turkmenistan The president of Turkmenistan ( tk, Türkmenistanyň prezidenti), officially the president and chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, is the head of state and head of government of Turkmenistan. The president is also the supreme c ...
Saparmurat Niyazov Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov; tk, Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow, in Cyrillic: Сапармырат Атаевич Ныязов (19 February 1940 – 21 December 2006), also known as Turkmenbashi, was a Turkmen politician who rule ...
.


History

A large monument at the far western end of the city, "Pioneers" (russian: Первопроходцы), also called "Desert Explorers", depicts a camel,
Ivan Gubkin Ivan Mikhailovich Gubkin (russian: Ива́н Миха́йлович Гу́бкин; – 21 April 1939) was a Soviet and Russian geologist and president of the 1937 International Geological Congress in Moscow. He was a petroleum geologist particu ...
, and Gubkin's peers, struggling to hike through the windy
Karakum Desert The Karakum Desert, also spelled Kara-Kum and Gara-Gum ( tk, Garagum, ; rus, Караку́мы, Karakumy, kərɐˈkumɨ), is a desert in Central Asia. Its name in Turkic languages means "black sand": "" means sand; "" is a contraction of : " ...
while prospecting for petroleum. Balkanabat's history is tightly linked to the petroleum deposits in Goturdepe, Barsagelmes and Nebitdag. The first colonists had to live in unbelievable conditions in tents, tilt carts, without power and even without water.


Amenities

The city adjoins a "Health Path", a concrete circuit hike path to give a moderate hike along the mountainside. It was opened in 2004 in the template of that of Ashgabat. The city has five ''
bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...
s'' (markets) Gök, Jennet, Gündogar, Bereket and 5th Microdistrict bazaar. The city is served by two hotels, Nebitçi and Sport, a theater, museums, restaurants and parks. The north side of town features the large Saparmyrat Türkmenbaşy Park, which offers trees, tennis courts, a life-size chess board and many benches. In the 2000s, the city underwent street improvement, construction of large housing facilities and additional amenities. The State Drama Theater, the Museum of History and Local Lore, a diagnostic center, a wedding palace, the Balkanabat Railway Station, the Balkan Provincial Library, a stadium with 10,000 seats, a general oriental market, and other social and cultural facilities were built during that period.


Demographics

In 2011 the population was estimated to be 120,800 residents, 80% of them Turkmen (mainly
Yomud The Yomut or Yomud is a Turkmen tribe that lives in Western and Central Asia, including Gorgan, Iran; Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan; the eastern Caspian shores; Khiva, Uzbekistan; and Dashoguz, Turkmenistan. The Yomut carpet is a type of rug ...
tribe), 15% Russians, 3%
Kazakhs The Kazakhs (also spelled Qazaqs; Kazakh: , , , , , ; the English name is transliterated from Russian; russian: казахи) are a Turkic-speaking ethnic group native to northern parts of Central Asia, chiefly Kazakhstan, but also parts o ...
, 2%
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
is, 10% others, including Lezgins, Armenians, Uzbeks, Tatars, and Jews. The Yomud tribe is associated with the Balkan region and the Yomud carpet ''göl'' (rosette) is one of the five rosettes represented on the
Turkmen flag The flag of Turkmenistan ( tk, Türkmenistanyň baýdagy) features a white crescent (symbol of Islam) and five stars representing the five regions of the country and the Five Pillars of Islam. Placed upon a green field is a symbolic representatio ...
.


Climate

Balkanabat has a
cold desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
(''BWk'') according to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
.


Industry, economy and transport

The city is an industrial center for
petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
and
natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
production. A branch office of the Russian petroleum company
Tatneft Tatneft (russian: публичное акционерное общество «Татнефть» имени В.Д. Шашина or ПАО «Татнефть» им. В.Д. Шашина; traded as: (ordinary shares), (preferred shares), (ADRs)) ...
is located in Balkanabat. Animal husbandry and production of wheat and cotton are other pursuits.


Transport

The city lies on the east-west M37 highway and is connected to other cities by rail and bus. While there is no official cab company, private citizens operate shared cabs.


Air

The
Balkanabat Airport Balkanabat Airport , also known as Nebit Dag Airport, is a provincial airport located southeast of Balkanabat in Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, border ...
terminal was opened in October 2004 with a design capacity of 200 passengers per hour. At present
Turkmenistan Airlines OJSC Turkmenistan Airlines ( tk, «Türkmenistan» awiakompaniýasy açyk görnüşli paýdarlar jemgyýeti, commonly known as Türkmenhowaýollary) is the flag carrier and only airline of Turkmenistan, headquartered in Ashgabat. It operates d ...
offers no scheduled service in or out of this airport.


Rail

Balkanabat sits on the
Trans-Caspian Railway The Trans-Caspian Railway (also called the Central Asian Railway, russian: Среднеазиатская железная дорога) is a railway that follows the path of the Silk Road through much of western Central Asia. It was built by ...
running east–west, connecting the capital,
Ashgabat Ashgabat or Asgabat ( tk, Aşgabat, ; fa, عشق‌آباد, translit='Ešqābād, formerly named Poltoratsk ( rus, Полтора́цк, p=pəltɐˈratsk) between 1919 and 1927), is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies ...
, with the
Balkan Region Balkan Region ( tk, Balkan welaýaty, Балкан велаяты) is the westernmost of the five regions of Turkmenistan. Clockwise from north it borders Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan (north); two provinces of Turkmenistan (east), Iran (south), and ...
. The railway offers both passenger and freight transport. Balkanabat Railway Station is the city's main rail station.


Communication

The city has one mobile operator, Altyn Asyr. Internet access and cable TV are provided by Turkmentelecom. There is one internet cafe in the city.
Turkmenpochta Turkmenpost ( tk, Türkmenpoçta, ''Turkmenpochta''), is the national postal operator of Turkmenistan. The company is responsible for the delivery of mail and issuing postage stamps. It has been a member of the Universal Postal Union since Januar ...
is the official national postal service of Turkmenistan. It currently operates four post offices in the city.


Education

The city has an Oil and Gas Industry School, which operates as a branch of the
International Oil and Gas University Yagshygeldi Kakayev International Oil and Gas University ( tk, Ýagşygeldi Kakaýew adyndaky Halkara nebit we gaz uniwersiteti) is a university located in Ashgabat, the main university of the Turkmenistan oil and gas community. Founded May 25, 2 ...
. The school trains students in such specialties as geology, drilling of oil and gas wells, development and operation of oil and gas fields, chemical technology of oil and gas processing, construction, operation of oil and gas storage, and oil and gas pipeline operation. It is the functional successor to the Polytechnic Institute, which was an extension of the
Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas The Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas (russian: Российский государственный университет нефти и газа имени И. М. Губкина) is a public university in Moscow, Russia. The univer ...
in Moscow during the Soviet period. High school graduates may receive secondary-specialized education in the following vocational schools: Balkanabat Medical School, Special School of Arts, Financial and Economic Secondary Vocational School, and Oil Secondary Vocational School of the Turkmennebit State Concern.


Religion

The main mosque of
Balkan Province Balkan Region ( tk, Balkan welaýaty, Балкан велаяты) is the westernmost of the five regions of Turkmenistan. Clockwise from north it borders Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan (north); two provinces of Turkmenistan (east), Iran (south), and ...
has a capacity of 3,000 worshipers. Four minarets, each 63 meters high, rise above the two-story mosque. The Russian Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin has operated since 1997 in the 13th microdistrict.


Culture

A giant yurt-shaped building, ''Türkmeniň ak öýi'' ("Turkmen White House") was built for special events in 2021. The complex includes a concert hall with 3,000 seats and additional buildings, as well as a special
sadaqah or Sadqah ( ar, صدقة , "charity", "benevolence", plural ' ) in the modern context has come to signify "voluntary charity". According to the Quran, the word means voluntary offering, whose amount is at the will of the "benefactor". Etymolo ...
hall of the same capacity.


Notable people

* Gulshat Orazmuhammedova (born 1974), Turkmen statesman


Media

The daily state newspaper
Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
is published in Balkanabat.


Twin towns and sister cities

*
Almetyevsk Almetyevsk ( rus, Альме́тьевск, , ɐlʲˈmʲetʲjɪfsk; tt-Cyrl, Әлмәт, ''Älmät'') is a city in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the left bank of the Zay River (Kama's tributary) southeast of Kazan. Population: ...


Sports

The city features the Balkanabat Sport Toplumy stadium, at which is based the Nebitçi professional football club, which plays in the ''
Ýokary Liga The Turkmenistan Higher League, also called Türkmenistan Ýokary Liga ( Turkmen: ''Türkmenistanyň Ýokary Ligasy''; Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East ...
'' ("Upper League").


See also

* Balkanabat Stadium *
FC Balkan FC Balkan Botevgrad ( bg, ФК Балкан Ботевград, FK Balkan Botevgrad) is a Bulgarian football club, playing in the city of Botevgrad. The stadium of the club is "Hristo Botev" in Botevgrad with capacity of 8,000 people. History Th ...
*
Railway stations in Turkmenistan Railway stations in Turkmenistan include: Maps UN MapUNHCR Map Municipalities served by rail Trans-Caspian Railway * Turkmenbashy * Balkanabat * Bereket * Serdar * Bamy * Baherden * Büzmeýin * Ashgabat - national capital - junction ...


References

{{Authority control Populated places in Balkan Region Cities and towns built in the Soviet Union Populated places established in 1933