regions of Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is divided into five regions, or ''welaýatlar'' (singular ''Wilaya, welaýat'') and one capital city (''şäher'') with provincial legal status. They are Ahal Region, Ahal, Balkan Region, Balkan, Daşoguz Region, Dashoguz, Lebap Re ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

Amu Darya The Amu Darya ( ),() also shortened to Amu and historically known as the Oxus ( ), is a major river in Central Asia, which flows through Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Rising in the Pamir Mountains, north of the Hindu Ku ...

administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

Türkmenabat Türkmenabat (), formerly Amul, Cärjew/Chardzhou (until 1924 and from 1940-1999), and Novy Chardzhuy (from 1927-1940), is the second-largest city in Turkmenistan and the administrative centre of Lebap Province. , it had a population of approxima ...

Amu Darya The Amu Darya ( ),() also shortened to Amu and historically known as the Oxus ( ), is a major river in Central Asia, which flows through Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Rising in the Pamir Mountains, north of the Hindu Ku ...

Köýtendag Nature Reserve Köýtendag Nature Reserve (), formerly Kugitang Nature Reserve, is a nature reserve ('' zapovednik'') in the extreme east of Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbe ...

Aýrybaba Ayribobo () or Ayribaba (), officially named the Great Saparmyrat Turkmenbashi Peak () in Turkmenistan since 2004,Dayahatyn caravansaray. The region is located along the Amu Darya. The

Kyzylkum Desert The Kyzylkum Desert (, قِیزِیل‌قُوم; , قىزىلقۇم) is the 15th largest desert in the world. Its name means ''Red Sand'' in Turkic languages. It is located in Central Asia, in the land between the confluent rivers Amu Darya and ...

is located on the east side of the river and

Karakum Desert The Karakum Desert ( ; rus, Каракумы, p=kərɐˈkumɨ), also spelt and (; ), is a desert in Central Asia. The name refers to the shale-rich sand beneath the surface. It occupies about 70 percent, or roughly , of Turkmenistan. The po ...

is located on the west side of the river. About three-quarters of the region's land area is in the Karakum Desert. The region's sunny weather and abundance of water resources help produce high-quality long-staple cotton.

History

The region of present-day Lebap once occupied a spot along the

Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

. The 9th-10th century caravansaray of Dayahatyn is located within Lebap.

Bukhara and Khiva khanates

Prior to the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, much of today's Lebap Region was part of either the

Khanate of Bukhara The Khanate of Bukhara was an Uzbek state in Central Asia from 1501 to 1785, founded by the Abu'l-Khayrid dynasty, a branch of the Shaybanids. From 1533 to 1540, Bukhara briefly became its capital during the reign of Ubaidullah Khan. The Khana ...

or the

Khanate of Khiva The Khanate of Khiva (, , uz-Latn-Cyrl, Xiva xonligi, Хива хонлиги, , ) was a Central Asian polity that existed in the historical region of Khwarazm, Khorezm from 1511 to 1920, except for a period of Afsharid Iran, Afsharid occupat ...

. The last khan of Bukhara, Sayyid Mir Muhammad Alim Khan, nominally submitted to Soviet authority, but in reality joined the

Basmachi movement The Basmachi movement (, derived from ) was an uprising against Imperial Russian and Soviet rule in Central Asia by rebel groups inspired by Islamic beliefs. It has been called "probably the most important movement of opposition to Soviet rul ...

and rebelled against the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

. He fled in 1920, and the area was declared a people's republic until

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

power was firmly established in 1924. In that same year, the settlements at Çärjew and Kerki were formally assigned to the

Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Turkmenistan, the Turkmen SSR, TuSSR, Turkmenistan, or Turkmenia, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union located in Central Asia existed as a republic from 1925 to 199 ...

, along with the western parts of the Khiva khanate along the Amu Darya.

Recent history

On April 27, 2020, the region was hit by a severe windstorm.

RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

alleged that the storm disrupted much of the region's electrical grid, public water supplies, natural gas connections, cell service, and internet connection. A local human rights website, Turkmen.news, reported that many people were admitted to the regional hospital in

Türkmenabat Türkmenabat (), formerly Amul, Cärjew/Chardzhou (until 1924 and from 1940-1999), and Novy Chardzhuy (from 1927-1940), is the second-largest city in Turkmenistan and the administrative centre of Lebap Province. , it had a population of approxima ...

after suffering injuries. They also alleged that there was sporadic looting in the storm's aftermath and that food prices in the region rose as a result of the storm. Local Turkmen media reported 10 deaths resulting from the storm, while Turkmen.news suggested that the true death toll was likely in the dozens, and dozens remained unaccounted for in the storm's aftermath. The rights group

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

condemned what it perceived as "censorship" by local officials following the storm, noting that one group alleged that local police were watching out for people filming the storm's damage, and another group reported that dozens of people were detained for allegedly sending videos "abroad". In December 2020, RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty reported that regional officials threatened to cut off the region's population from subsidized food if they were not up to date on their utility bills. The agency reported that many in the region received seasonal income from farming, and often did not earn money in the winter, and such matters were complicated by a decrease in

remittances A remittance is a non-commercial transfer of money by a foreign worker, a member of a diaspora community, or a citizen with familial ties abroad, for household income in their home country or homeland. Money sent home by migrants competes ...

to the region as a result of the economic fallout from COVID-19.

Demographic

Table of National composition of the population of Lebap region (2022)

Table:

Administrative divisions

As of 2021, according to the official website of the regional government, Lebap Region included one city with status equivalent to a district, 10 districts, 14 cities "in the district" (), 24

towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

, 105 rural councils, and 429

villages A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...

.

Districts

As of 9 November 2022 Lebap Region () is subdivided into eight

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

(''etrap'', plural ''etraplar''): This document is reproduced online at https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Districts_in_Turkmenistan. :* Çarjew (formerly Serdarabat) :* Darganata (formerly Birata) :* Dänew (formerly Galkynyş) :* Halaç :* Hojambaz :*

Kerki Kerki is a city in and capital of Kerki District, Lebap Province, Turkmenistan. It was formerly known as Zamm and, between 1999 and 2017, as Atamyrat. Geography It is situated on a plain on the left bank of the Amu Darya river. Nearby towns a ...

(formerly Atamyrat) :* Köýtendag (formerly Çarşaňňy) :* Saýat In November 2017 four districts, ( Beýik Türkmenbaşy, Garaşsyzlyk, Garabekwül, and Sakar), were abolished and their territories absorbed by other districts. In November 2022 another two districts,

Döwletli Döwletli is a town in Hojambaz District in Lebap Province, Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the south ...

and Farap, were similarly abolished.

Municipalities

As of January 1, 2017, the region included 15 cities (, ), 23 towns (, ), 106 rural or village councils (, ), and 430 villages (, , or ). In the list below, the lone city with "district status" is bolded: :* Dänew (formerly Galkynyş) :* Darganata (formerly Birata) :* Dostluk (formerly Yuzhnyy) :* Farap :* Garabekewül :* Gazojak :* Halaç :* Hojambaz :*

Kerki Kerki is a city in and capital of Kerki District, Lebap Province, Turkmenistan. It was formerly known as Zamm and, between 1999 and 2017, as Atamyrat. Geography It is situated on a plain on the left bank of the Amu Darya river. Nearby towns a ...

(formerly Atamyrat) :* Köýtendag (formerly Çarşaňňy) :* Magdanly (formerly Gowurdak) :* Sakar :* Saýat :* Seýdi (formerly Neftezavodsk) :*

Türkmenabat Türkmenabat (), formerly Amul, Cärjew/Chardzhou (until 1924 and from 1940-1999), and Novy Chardzhuy (from 1927-1940), is the second-largest city in Turkmenistan and the administrative centre of Lebap Province. , it had a population of approxima ...

(formerly Çärjew)

Economy

Agriculture

Crop production in Lebap is heavily dependent on irrigation from the

Amu Darya The Amu Darya ( ),() also shortened to Amu and historically known as the Oxus ( ), is a major river in Central Asia, which flows through Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Rising in the Pamir Mountains, north of the Hindu Ku ...

. Fields are cultivated when one-and-a-half to two meters above the floodplains of the river, primarily cereal grains and cotton.

Extraction industries

Lebap is rich in various natural resources, most notably, natural gas. The region is home to the Malai Gas Field and the Bagtyýarlyk Gas Field, which both serve as major suppliers of natural gas to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The Garlyk Mining and Enrichment Amalgamate in

Köýtendag District Köýtendag District (formerly Çarşaňňy District) is a Districts of Turkmenistan, district of Lebap Province in Turkmenistan. The administrative center of the district is the city of Köýtendag. Administrative subdivisions * Cities (şäh ...

produces

potash Potash ( ) includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water- soluble form.

fertilizer, and the Seýdi Oil Refinery is one of two petroleum refineries in Turkmenistan. From antiquity, local residents quarried sulfur, zinc and lead in the Köýtendag (Kungitang) foothills for domestic needs, including casting of bullets. During the Soviet period, a lead mine was dug and the town of Svintsovyy Rudnik was founded.Way: Gurshun Magdan Kani (531255297)
/ref>

Construction materials

The Lebap Cement Plant in Turkmenabat has a design capacity of one million tons per year. Polimeks built it in 2012. In 2020, construction of a second plant, in

Köýtendag District Köýtendag District (formerly Çarşaňňy District) is a Districts of Turkmenistan, district of Lebap Province in Turkmenistan. The administrative center of the district is the city of Köýtendag. Administrative subdivisions * Cities (şäh ...

, also with a design capacity of one million tons, got underway.

Power generation

The Zerger power plant under construction by Sumitomo,

Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company that existed from 1870 to 194 ...

,

Hitachi () is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company is active in various industries, including digital systems, power and renewable ener ...

, and Rönesans Holding in Çärjew District will have a design capacity of 432 megawatts. It is primarily intended for export of electricity. The Zerger plant will use natural gas from the Üçajy Gas Field (), delivered via a 125-km high-pressure pipeline.

Nature preserves and reservations

* Amudarya State Nature Reserve *

Köýtendag Nature Reserve Köýtendag Nature Reserve (), formerly Kugitang Nature Reserve, is a nature reserve ('' zapovednik'') in the extreme east of Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbe ...

* Repetek Biosphere State Reserve

Tourist attractions

*

Aýrybaba Ayribobo () or Ayribaba (), officially named the Great Saparmyrat Turkmenbashi Peak () in Turkmenistan since 2004,Dayahatyn caravansaray (in use 9th to 16th centuries) * Dinosaur Plateau

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Regions of Turkmenistan

History

Bukhara and Khiva khanates

Recent history

Demographic

Table of National composition of the population of Lebap region (2022)

Administrative divisions

Districts

Municipalities

Economy

Agriculture

Extraction industries

Construction materials

Power generation

Nature preserves and reservations

Tourist attractions

See also

References

External links