Magtymguly Avenue ( tk, Magtymguly şaýoly, russian: Проспект Махтумкули), transliterated from Russian as Makhtumkuli, is an avenue in

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 lie ...

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 is considered to be the longest and most prominent avenue in the capital

Origins and Description

When it was originally created in the early 1880s, Magtymguly Avenue, then named Merv Prospect (russian: Мервский проспект), ran through the entire city and then merged with the road leading to

Merv Merv ( tk, Merw, ', مرو; fa, مرو, ''Marv''), also known as the Merve Oasis, formerly known as Alexandria ( grc-gre, Ἀλεξάνδρεια), Antiochia in Margiana ( grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐν τῇ Μαργιανῇ) and ...

. It was subsequently renamed Kuropatkin Prospect (russian: Куропаткинский проспект) in honor of General

Aleksey Kuropatkin Aleksey Nikolayevich Kuropatkin (russian: Алексе́й Никола́евич Куропа́ткин; March 29, 1848January 16, 1925) served as the Russian Imperial Minister of War from January 1898 to February 1904 and as a field command ...

. Later, during the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

period, the avenue was known as Freedom Prospect (russian: проспект Свободы), on which were hosted military and civilian parades on the occasion of many holidays, with most being held on Revolution Day (November 7), Victory Day (May 9), and

International Workers Day International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, ...

(May 1). From 1953 to 1961, following

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

's death, the street was named Stalin Prospect (russian: проспект Сталина). During the period of Niyazov's rule when Ashgabat streets were assigned four-digit numbers, Magtymguly was given the number 2033. In 1971, a monument designed by architects V. Vysotin and V. Kutumov to the 16th century Turkmen poet

Magtymguly Pyragy Magtymguly Pyragy ( fa, ''Makhdumqoli Farāghi''; tk, Magtymguly Pyragy; ; tr, Mahtumkulu Firaki; , born Magtymguly, was a Turkmen spiritual leader, philosophical poet, Sufi and traveller who is considered to be the most famous figure in ...

(who would later become the avenue's namesake), was installed on the avenue on the site of the demolished Bahá'í temple. Following the dissolution of the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

in December 1991, the thoroughfare was immediately renamed Magtymguly Avenue in honor of

by order of President Saparmurat Niyazov. Over the next two to three years, a large fountain was installed on the avenue, and maple and acacia trees also appeared along its path. On this avenue in October 1992 the first Turkmen Independence Day Parade took place, which saw troops of the Ashgabat Garrison of the newly formed Armed Forces of Turkmenistan march past the reviewing stand from which President Niyazov observed the parade.

Landmarks and Buildings along the avenue

State Russian Drama Theatre named after Pushkin The State Russian Drama Theatre named after Pushkin or Pushkin Theatre ( tk, A. S. Puşkin adyndaky döwlet rus drama teatry) is a theatre in Ashgabat, the capital city of Turkmenistan. History The theatre was founded in 1926. In 1957, the the ...

* Turkmen State Institute of Transport and Communications * Main Drama Theater named by Saparmurat Turkmenbashi * State Circus of Turkmenistan * Ashgabat Cinema * * Inspiration Alley * Ashgabat Park *

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

*Ministry of National Security *State Border Service *"Gul Zemin" Mall *"Tashkent" Park *Turkmen-Turkish Commercial Bank *Ashgabat Vine Facility *Cultural Center of Iran *Central State Archive of Turkmenistan *Institute of the Caspian Sea *U.S Embassy *Ashgabat Brewery *Central Physiology Scientific and Clinical Hospital *Bayram Han Park

Monuments

* Alabay Statue

References

{{Ashgabat Streets in Ashgabat Transport in Ashgabat

Origins and Description

Landmarks and Buildings along the avenue

Monuments

See also

References