Daşoguz (also Dashoguz, Dasoguz; roughly "stone spring" in Turkmen), formerly known as Tashauz (until 1992; ) and Dashkhovuz (1992–1999; ), is a large city in northern

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 ...

and the capital of Daşoguz Province. The

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 ...

border is about 10 km away.

Geography

It is located at latitude 41.833° north, longitude 59.9667° east, at an average of 88 meters above sea level. It is about from Nukus,

, and from

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 ...

. In nearby Lake Sarykamysh 65 varieties of fish can be found.

Climate

Daşoguz has a cold

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(''BWk'', according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

), with long and hot summers. Winters are relatively short, but quite cold. The

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

is scarce throughout the year, with an average of 100 mm (3.93 in).

History

Founded as a fort called Tashauz in the early 19th century by the

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

, the name was changed to the Turkmen form Dashkhovuz in 1992 after independence, and to Daşoguz by order of President Niyazov in 1999; the modern city has all characteristics of

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 ...

planning. The etymology remains disputed. On September 5, 1998, an H5

meteorite A meteorite is a rock (geology), rock that originated in outer space and has fallen to the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical ...

weighing approximately seven kilograms fell in Daşoguz.

City

Along the middle of the town runs the Saparmurat Turkmenbashy Shayoly, formerly Andalyp Shayoly in honor of ''Andalyp'', a native poet c. 18th century. A pentad of statues — Oguzhan, Görogly, Gorkut Ata,

Tughril Abu Talib Muhammad Tughril ibn Mika'il (), better known as Tughril (; also spelled Toghril / Tughrul), was a Turkoman"The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turkomans at the battle of Malazgirt (Manzikert) is ...

Alp Arslan Alp Arslan, born Muhammad Alp Arslan bin Dawud Chaghri, was the second List of sultans of the Seljuk Empire, sultan of the Seljuk Empire and great-grandson of Seljuk (warlord), Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty and the empire. He g ...

and Magtymguly Pyragy surrounding a seated

Saparmurat Niyazov Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov (19 February 1940 – 21 December 2006) was a Turkmenistani politician who led Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006. He was the Secretary (title), first secretary of the Communist Party of Turkmenist ...

, who is reading '' Ruhnama'' — ornament the town center. Two museums — Museum of Bagshies, commemorating native traditional singers and Glory Museum, commemorating local war heroes — are prominent.

Transportation

Paul Brummell notes that the town serves as a transportation hub rather than a tourist destination. Daşoguz Airport provides regular flights to

and Turkmenbashy. At the city's northern edge lies the railway station, from which a daily train operates to and from Ashgabat. Private vehicles are available for transport to all district capitals in the Northern Region, and Ashgabat. In December 2024, a training and service center for KAMAZ vehicle maintenance and repair opened in Dashoguz. The center offers vehicle washing, parking, spare parts storage, and quick replacement services, along with training facilities and a repair workshop.

Demographics

Daşoguz's population of 166,500 (1999 census estimate) is predominantly Turkmen, Uzbek and

Kazakhs The Kazakhs (Kazakh language, Kazakh: , , , ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia and Eastern Europe. They share a common Culture of Kazakhstan, culture, Kazakh language, language and History of Kazakhstan, history ...

with smaller numbers of

Koreans Koreans are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. The majority of Koreans live in the two Korean sovereign states of North and South Korea, which are collectively referred to as Korea. As of 2021, an estimated 7.3 m ...

Karakalpaks The Karakalpaks or Qaraqalpaqs (; ), are a Kipchak languages, Kipchak-Nogai Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Karakalpakstan in Northwestern Uzbekistan. During the 18th century, they settled in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya a ...

, and

Tatars Tatars ( )Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary are a group of Turkic peoples across Eas ...

present. A large number of those forcefully displaced by ex- President for Life

have been resettled in lands adjoining the town.

Notable people

* Yagshygeldi Kakayev (1959–2020) - politician and petroleum engineer

Sport

The town has a two stadiums: Sport Toplumy Stadium and Garaşsyzlyk Stadium.

References

External links

* Populated places in Daşoguz Region {{Turkmenistan-geo-stub