Köýtendag is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and the administrative center of

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 ...

Lebap Province Lebap Region () is one of the regions of Turkmenistan. It is in the northeast of the country, bordering Afghanistan, Uzbekistan along the Amu Darya. Its administrative centre is Türkmenabat (formerly named Çärjew). It has an area of 93,727 s ...

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 ...

. On 29 December 1999, by Parliamentary Resolution No. HM-61, the city and district of Çarşangy (sometimes rendered as "Charshangy") were renamed Köýtendag. On 27 July 2016, by Parliamentary Resolution No. 425-V the

town 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 ...

of Köýtendag was upgraded in status to "city in a district". Köýtendag is located at an altitude of 265 meters on the banks of the Amu-Darya River, which forms the border with

Jowzjan Province Jowzjan, sometimes spelled Jawzjan or Jowzjan () is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country bordering neighboring Turkmenistan. The province is divided into 11 districts and contains hundreds of villag ...

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 ...

. The Afghan town of Qarqin is on the opposite side of the river. Köýtendag is near the eastern end of Lebap Province, and indeed all of Turkmenistan. The plains surrounding the river are quite flat. Near the river the land is quite fertile and arable, supporting some farming, but further from the river the land is arid. To the northeast the

Köýtendag Range Köýtendag Range is a spur of the Pamir-Alay mountains in the south-east of Turkmenistan, extending along the border with Uzbekistan's Surxondaryo Region. Its height of at Mount Aýrybaba makes it the highest summit in Turkmenistan. The Kö ...

rises dramatically, including Turkmenistan's highest mountain,

Aýrybaba Ayribobo () or Ayribaba (), officially named the Great Saparmyrat Turkmenbashi Peak () in Turkmenistan since 2004,Peaklist.org, listed as "Gora Ayribaba"
Retrieved 22 September 2011

Etymology

The name is a compound of Köýten plus the Turkmen word ''dag'' ("mountain"). Köýten is in turn a Turkified version of the Persian compound ''Kuhi tang'', ''kuhi'' - "mountain" and ''tang'' - "narrow". The name previously applied to the valley as well as the mountains. According to Atanyýazow, ''Çarşaňňy'' is the name of a Turkmen tribe.

Climate

Köýtendag has a hot

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 ...

(

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 ...

''BWh''), with cool winters and very hot summers. Rainfall is generally light and erratic, and occurs mainly in the winter and autumn months.

Transportation

Köýtendag is on a branch of the

Trans-Caspian railway The Trans-Caspian Railway (also called the Central Asian Railway, ) is a railway that follows the path of the Silk Road through much of western Central Asia. It was built by the Russian Empire during its expansion into Central Asia in the 19t ...

that leads from

Samarqand Samarkand ( ; Uzbek and Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia. Samarkand is the capital of the Samarkand Region and a district-level ...

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 ...

, through the far east of Turkmenistan, and then back to Termez in Uzbekistan and finally

Dushanbe Dushanbe is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 1,564,700, with this population being largely Tajiks, Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe, and from 1929 to 1961 as St ...

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

. Köýtendag is one of three stations on this line in Turkmenistan, along with Amydarya and

Mukry Mukry is a town in Köýtendag District, Lebap Province, Turkmenistan. It is located near Kerki and Amu Dar'ya. Etymology Mukry is the name of a Turkmen tribe. The town was named Akgumdänajy ( Акгумдәнаҗы) at some point but the nam ...

. That rail line is connected to the Turkmen rail network at the

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 ...

junction. The P-37 highway connects the city to

to the west and the border with

in the east.

References

Populated places in Lebap Region {{Cities of Turkmenistan