Geok Tepe ( tk, Gökdepe) is a city in and the administrative center of
Gökdepe District
Gökdepe District ( tk, Gökdepe etraby, ''Гɵкдепе этрабы'') is a district of Ahal Region, Turkmenistan.
Economy Agriculture, Food, and Feed
Farms in the district produce wheat and cotton. Cotton seed is crushed for extraction of oi ...
,
Ahal province,
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 ...
,
north-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 ...
. The city is built around a former
fortress
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
of the
Turkmens
Turkmens ( tk, , , , ; historically "the Turkmen"), sometimes referred to as Turkmen Turks ( tk, , ), are a Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia, living mainly in Turkmenistan, northern and northeastern regions of Iran and north-weste ...
which bore the same name. The city lies along the
M37 highway and 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 ...
.
History
Battle of Geok Tepe
The fortress of Geok Tepe consisted of a walled enclosure in circuit, the wall being high and thick. In December 1880 in the
Siege of Geoktepe
The Battle of Geok Tepe in 1881 was the main event in the 1880/81 Russian campaign to conquer the Teke Turkomans. Its effect was to give the Russian Empire control over most of what is now Turkmenistan, thereby nearly completing the Russian c ...
it was attacked by 6,000
Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
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, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
under General
Mikhail Skobelev
Mikhail Dmitriyevich Skobelev (russian: Михаил Дмитриевич Скобелев; 29 September 1843 – 7 July 1882), a Russian Empire, Russian general, became famous for his conquest of Central Asia and for his heroism during the Russo ...
against 25,000 defenders. The siege of Geok Tepe lasted 23 days, after which the fort was taken by storm. The Russian forces encountered heavy resistance and finally broke in by digging a tunnel under the wall, then detonating a mine under the wall on January 12 (
24th new style), 1881. Once the fortress was breached, the Russian troops stormed in. Several hundred defenders died in the explosion, and many more died in the fighting that ensued. Eventually, the defenders, and the 40,000 civilians inside the fort, fled across the desert, pursued by General Skobelev's cavalry. Around 8,000 Turkmen soldiers and civilians died while fleeing, adding to 6,500 who had died in the fort. Russian casualties were 398 killed and 669 wounded.
Etymology
The words ''gök depe'' mean "blue hill" in
Turkmen. Atanyyazow explains that nearby hills in this district, as well as elsewhere in Turkmenistan, "appear to be blue-black with fog from the wind" and the settlements are named after such hills.
Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names, 2005
/ref>
Economy
Geok Tepe is the site of a cotton ginning mill and of the Gökdepe Textile Factory named for Hero Atamyrat Niyazov (father of the first president of independent Turkmenistan, 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 ...
). The city features two hospitals, one a general hospital and the other specializing in obstetrics and pediatrics. The city's central market, Ak Bazar, located across the M37 highway from the central train and bus stations, draws villagers from the surrounding area both to sell their wares and to purchase necessities.
Architecture
The city's main architectural attraction is the Saparmurat Hajji Mosque
The Saparmurat Hajji ( tk, Saparmyrat Hajy metjidi) is a mosque in Gökdepe, Turkmenistan. Commissioned in memory of the defenders of Gökdepe Fortress, it was built between 1994 and 1995, during the presidency of President Saparmurat Niyazov. T ...
, completed in 1995 by order of President Niyazov to commemorate the fallen in the Battle of Geok Depe. The local history museum is located on the grounds of the mosque, and one floor of the museum is dedicated to the battle. The entire complex is on the southern end of the former fortress.
Legacy
* Saparmurat Hajji Mosque
The Saparmurat Hajji ( tk, Saparmyrat Hajy metjidi) is a mosque in Gökdepe, Turkmenistan. Commissioned in memory of the defenders of Gökdepe Fortress, it was built between 1994 and 1995, during the presidency of President Saparmurat Niyazov. T ...
was built to commemorate the defeat and is noted for its mint-turquoise blue coloured roof and white marble structure
* Halk Hakydasy Memorial Complex
Halk Hakydasy Memorial Complex (People's Memory) is a memorial complex to the honor of those killed in the Battle of Geok Tepe in 1881, in World War II, and in the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake. It is in the southwestern part of Ashgabat, Turkmenistan ...
See also
* Battle of Geok Tepe
The Battle of Geok Tepe in 1881 was the main event in the 1880/81 Russian campaign to conquer the Teke Turkomans. Its effect was to give the Russian Empire control over most of what is now Turkmenistan, thereby nearly completing the Russian c ...
* Battle of Geok Tepe (1879).
References
External links
Location and image
Picture of the mosque in Geok Tepe
Another picture of the mosque
{{Cities of Turkmenistan
Fortifications in Turkmenistan
Historic sites in Turkmenistan
Military history of Russia
Populated places in Ahal Region
Populated places along the Silk Road