The Memorial Day () is an official holiday of Turkmenistan, commemorated on 12 January. It honors those who fell on 12 January 1881 defending the

Geok Tepe Geok Tepe ( tk, Gökdepe) is a city in and the administrative center of Gökdepe District, Ahal province, Turkmenistan, north-west of Ashgabat. The city is built around a former fortress of the Turkmens which bore the same name. The city lies a ...

fortress against the Russian troops. It is one of two mourning days 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 ...

(the other being Day of Remembrance). The country has marked Memorial Day since its independence in 1991 in commemoration of all those who gave their lives. The holiday is celebrated as a national day of mourning, with the resistance often being cited as a source of national pride.''Turkmenistan'', MaryLee Knowlton, page 30, 2005 National flags are traditionally lowered in the capital 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 ...

as well as in the

Provinces of Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is divided into five regions or ''welaýatlar'' (singular '' welaýat'') and one capital city (''şäher'') with provincial legal status. They are Ahal, Balkan, Dashoguz, Lebap and Mary, plus the capital city of Ashgabat. Each provi ...

. Funeral prayers are performed in mosques, the largest of which is held at

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 ...

. According to tradition, the main public prayer as well as a national memorial service (with the

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 ...

in attendance) is held in Goktepe, at the mosque standing on the site of the

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 ...

. Ritual meals are offered all over the country. It is also a non-working holiday.

References

Events in Turkmenistan Observances in Turkmenistan Public holidays in Turkmenistan {{Turkmenistan-stub