Anau (, ) is a city in

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 southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

. Until 20 December 2022 it was the capital of

Ahal Province Ahal Region (; from , also ) is one of five provinces of Turkmenistan. It is in the south-center of the country, bordering Iran and Afghanistan along the Kopet Dag Range. Its area is and population 886,845 (2022 census).''Statistical Yearbook ...

. It is situated 8 km southeast of

Ashgabat Ashgabat (Turkmen language, Turkmen: ''Aşgabat'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies between the Karakum Desert and the Kopet Dag, Kopetdag mountain range in Central Asia, approximately 50 km (30 ...

, to which it is connected via the M37 highway.

Etymology

The name Anau derives from Turkic ''Ana ev'' (Mother's Home), meaning "Mother's Home".

Overview

The city built a new stadium in 2003 and the National White Wheat Museum in 2005 to house artifacts recovered from the area. City status in the etrap was assigned on February 3, 2008. The city was designated "Cultural Capital of the Turkic World" for 2024 at the 39th session of the Permanent Council of Ministers of Culture of TURKSOY.

Archaeology

The

Chalcolithic The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...

Anau culture dates to 4500 BC, following the Neolithic

Jeitun Jeitun (Djeitun) is an archaeological site of the Neolithic period in southern Turkmenistan, about 30 kilometers north of Ashgabat in the Kopet-Dag mountain range. The settlement was occupied from about 7200 to 4500 BC possibly with short interr ...

culture in the cultural sequence of southern Turkmenistan. Anau was excavated by a joint Turkmen-U.S. archaeological expedition in the 1990s and 2000s. Anau was a stopping point along the ancient Silk Road. Fine painted pottery is found here.

Transportation

The city is connected to

and

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

by M37 highway. The largest nearby airport is

Ashgabat International Airport Ashgabat International Airport () , formerly known as Saparmyrat Türkmenbaşy International Airport, is one of five international airports in Turkmenistan. It is located within the city limits of Ashgabat (Ashkhabad). The old airport, with its ...

, which offers domestic and international flights.

Sport

In soccer, Anau is represented by Ahal FK of

Ýokary Liga The Turkmenistan Higher League, also called Türkmenistan Ýokary Liga ( Turkmen: ''Ýokary liga futbol klublarynyň arasyndaky futbol boýunça Türkmenistanyň çempionaty''), is the top division of professional football in Turkmenistan, operat ...

, who play their home games in

. The city has a stadium ''Änew Sport Toplumy'' with 10 thousand seats.
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References

External links

ANAW (Anau)
iranicaonline.org {{coord, 37, 53, N, 58, 32, E, region:TM_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Populated places in Ahal Region Archaeological sites in Turkmenistan