sign in sign up
<<
Home , Balkan Region, Culture of Turkmenistan, Kopet Dag, Lebap Region, Mary Region, Sufi dynasty

GUIDE TO HISTORY, ARCHITECTURE AND FAITH IN THE DESERT

Gian Luca Bonora

UMBERTO ALLEMANDI Project Cultures and Society in Turkmenistan

Director Giorgio Cracco

Scientific Committee Michele Bernardini Gian Luca Bonora Giusto Traina

Researchers Francesca Bellino Michele Bernardini Gian Luca Bonora Omar Coloru Alexis Lycas Giusto Traina Contents

13 Foreword by Giorgio Cracco 15 Introduction by Gian Luca Bonora

1. Brief Historical Overview 2. The Geography of Turkmenistan 3. 37 3.1 Ashgabat, the Capital of Turkmenistan 40 3.2 Places of Worship in Ashgabat 42 3.3 Social and Political Monuments 43 3.4 Theatres of Ashgabat 45 3.5 The Monument of V.I. Lenin 45 3.6 The Museum of Fine Arts 47 3.7 The Museum of the Turkmen Carpet 49 3.8 The Independence and Rukhnama Monuments 51 3.9 The National Museum of History of Turkmenistan 54 3.10 The Ashgabat Flagpole 54 3.11 The Arch of Neutrality 56 3.12 The Constitution Monument 57 3.13 The Alem Center 58 3.14 The Turkmenistan Tower 59 3.15 The Memorial Complex “Halk hakydasy” 61 3.16 The Wedding Palace 62 3.17 The Turkmen State Circus 62 3.18 The Memorial Complex and Ruhy Mosque (Gypjak Mosque)

4. 66 4.1 West Ahal Region 66 4.1.1 New and Old Nisa 73 4.1.2 Djeitun 73 4.1.3 Geok Depe 76 4.1.4 Durun 76 4.2 East Ahal Region 76 4.2.1 The Sites of Anau 77 4.2.2 The Ak Bugday National Museum in Anau 79 4.2.3 The Seyit Jamal ad-Din Mosque, Anau 84 4.2.4 Khosrov Kala 84 4.2.5 Abiverd 87 4.2.6 Namazga-depe 88 4.2.7 Kufen 89 4.2.8 Kone Kaakha 90 4.2.9 Khivaabad, the Fortress of Nadir Shah 92 4.2.10 Ulug-depe 95 4.2.11 The Grave of Malik Baba, near Dushak 96 4.2.12 Mekhne 96 4.2.13 The Mausoleum of Meana Baba 100 4.2.14 Altyn-depe 101 4.2.15 Ilgynly-depe 102 4.3 The Area of Serakhs 102 4.3.1 Serakhs 105 4.3.2 The Mausoleum of Abu Fazl (or Serakhs Baba) 107 4.3.3 The Mausoleum of the Sheikh Akhmed al-Hady, also known as Yarty Gumbez 108 4.3.4 Mele Hairam

5. 111 5.1 Mary 112 5.2 The Museum of the Mary Region 114 5.3 The City of Bayramali 114 5.4 Ancient 118 5.5 Erk Kala and Gyaur Kala 123 5.6 Sultan Kala 129 5.7 Abdullah Khan Kala 131 5.8 The Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar 135 5.9 Great Kyz Kala 138 5.10 Little Kyz Kala 139 5.11 Kyz Bibi 140 5.12 The House or Köshk near the Office of the Ancient Merv Archaeological Park 141 5.13 The Mausoleum of Muhammad ibn Zayd (or Muhammad ibn Said) 144 5.14 Köshk near the Mausoleum of Muhammad ibn Zayd 144 5.15 The Byash Barmak Köshk 145 5.16 Kepter Khana in Iskander Kala 146 5.17 The Mosque of Yusuf Hamadani 148 5.18 The Al-Ma’mum Köshk 148 5.19 Köshk east of Gyaur Kala 148 5.20 Houses east of Gyaur Kala 149 5.21 The Askhab Complex 150 5.22 Köshk south of Gyaur Kala 151 5.23 The Timurid Pavilion (or Köshk Imaret) 152 5.24 Ice-house 1 154 5.25 Ice-house 2 155 5.26 Ice-house 3 and 4 156 5.27 Dings near the Power Station of Bayramali 157 5.28 The Yelhazar Köshk 158 5.29 The Porsoy Köshk 159 5.30 Köshk near Penapir Kala 160 5.31 Great Nagym Kala and Lesser Nagym Kala 161 5.32 Suli Koshuk or Köshk (also known as Deshikly) 162 5.33 Chil’burj 164 5.34 The Garam (or Kharam) Köshk 165 5.35 The KharobaKhoshuk (or Köshk) 167 5.36 Yakkiper (or Yakkeper) 168 5.37 The Mausoleum of Khuday Nazar Ouliya 169 5.38 Kurtly Depe: the medieval city of Bashan 171 5.39 Durnali 172 5.40 The AkuyliKoshuk or Akyoli Köshk 173 5.41 Gobekli-depe 174 5.42 Uly Kishman (Khurmuzfarrah) 176 5.43 Dingly Kishman or Garry Kishman (Kushmeikhan) 177 5.44 Gonur-depe 178 5.45 The Akcha Kala Caravanserai 180 5.46 The Mosque of Talkhatan Baba 181 5.47 The Mosque of Dandanakan 183 5.48 Ekedeshik, near Takhta Bazar

6. 187 6.1 Turkmenabat 189 6.2 The Amudarya State Nature Reserve 189 6.3 The Caravanserai of Daya Khatyn 192 6.4 The Mausoleum of Darganata 193 6.5 The Repetek State Nature Reserve 194 6.6 The Mausoleum of Alamberdar 195 6.7 Astana Baba 198 6.8 Atamurat (formerly ) 198 6.9 The Koytendag Nature Reserve 199 6.10 Hojapil, the Dinosaur Plateau

7. Dashoguz Region 203 7.1 Dashoguz 205 7.2 The AksarayDing 207 7.3 Ysmamyt-Ata 209 7.4 Zamakhshar (Izmukshir or Zmukshir) 210 7.5 The Gurganj, today Konya Urgench 213 7.6 The Mausoleum and Khanaka Najm al-Din Kubrà 216 7.7 The Piryarvali (or Piryar Vali) Mausoleum 217 7.8 The Mausoleum of Sultan Ali 218 7.9 The Mausoleum of Matkarim Ishan 218 7.10 The Dash Mosque 220 7.11 The Mausoleum and Madrasah of ibn Khadjib 220 7.12 The Mausoleum of Turabek Khanym (or of the Sufi Dynasty) 224 7.13 Gulgerdan (Guligerdan or Kul-Gardan) 225 7.14 Unnamed Building near the Mausoleum of Turabek Khanym 225 7.15 The Mausoleum of Said Akhmed (orGarakapy ) 227 7.16 The Minaret of Kutlugh 229 7.17 Kyrkmolla 231 7.18 The Mausoleum of the Khorezmshah Tekesh 234 7.19 The Mausoleum of Ali ar-Ramitani al-Bukhari 234 7.20 The Mausoleum of Il-Arslan (or of Fakhr ad-Din Razi) 238 7.21 Unnamed Mausoleum 238 7.22 The Minaret of al-Ma’mun 239 7.23 Portal of a Caravanserai 240 7.24 Ak Kala 240 7.25 Khorezm-bag 241 7.26 Fortification Wall of the City 241 7.27 Konya Uaz (or Konevas) 242 7.28 Early Iron Age Sites in Khorezm 244 7.29 The Mausoleum of Ashyk Aydyn, the Diyarbekir and the Akja Gelin Fortresses 245 7.30 Shahsenem 246 7.31 Devkesken Kala

8 249 8.1 The Main Cities of the Balkan Region 251 8.2 The Mausoleum of Gozli Ata 253 8.3 Dahistan or Misrian, the city 261 8.4 The mosque-mausoleum and the burial ground of Mashad Ata 267 8.5 The Khazar Nature State Reserve 267 8.6 Ferava (today Parau) 268 8.7 The Mosque of Parau Bibi and the Mausoleum of Parau Ata 270 8.8 The Museum of 272 8.9 The Mausoleum of Shevlan Baba (or Shibly Baba)

Appendixes 277 Bibliographical References with the collaboration of Sangul Shingyztauvna Tugumova 285 Index of Names 289 Index of Places Foreword Giorgio Cracco

ith the contribution of Eni, a large Italian company accus- Wtomed to enhancing the many countries worldwide wherein it operates, and with the experience of a Publisher such as Alleman- di, known for its skill in presenting the treasures of art through its publications, the Institute of History of Vicenza has added another Guide to the one written about in 2010: it is a Guide to Turkmenistan (and more guides on the countries located alongside the famous , which were part of the Soviet Empire during the last century, are in prospect). However, we must hasten to add that this Guide, as that relating to Kazakhstan, does not aspire to replace the important international guides that already exist for these, as well as other countries; they are a necessary support, particularly to travelers, on account of all the logistical and topographical information provided. The Institute of Vicenza, that produced this Guide, is involved in historical research, in fact, to be more precise, social and religious history (a formula that has a specific meaning in Western culture) and, as such, it fol- lows that it would favor the social and religious history of the coun- tries it presents. Is it an appropriate choice in relation to the audience of travelers and tourists it addresses? Today we know that everything changes; therefore, perhaps the way tourist guides are “packaged” may also change: in the sense that they try to show something more. Something that goes beyond simply describing lands and wonders, but also looks at the connection with their history, which is visible in the landscape, monuments and sur- viving documents. In the case of Turkmenistan, we are dealing with a civilization which is, for the most part, buried (the old book “Gods, Graves and Scholars: The Story of Archaeology” written by C. W. Ce- ram in 1949 comes to mind) and almost held hostage by the intru- siveness of a great desert. Do you believe that all of this has nothing to do with the country today, with its friendly but reserved people, with its democratic constitution, with its firm religious traditions, with its proud independence and neutrality? Speaking from my per- sonal knowledge of travel literature (I come from the land of the

Foreword | 13 Venetian Marco Polo, who was well acquainted with the “Silk Road”, and Antonio Pigafetta, a Vicentine who went on and recounted the Premier voyage autour du monde pendant les années 1519 -1521), it appears to me that Turkmenistan is one of the countries that most honors the sunna, that is the “customs” attributed to the Prophet and the first Islamic community. One more reason for the West to become acquainted with this coun- try, presenting it to the travelers and tourists as a civil and religious model which the global village that we all inhabit cannot overlook. One final point: thisGuide will be better understood if it is combined with the reading of a research work that will be issued almost si- multaneously by the same publisher Allemandi, edited by three spe- cialists (Michele Bernardini, Gian Luca Bonora, Giusto Traina), and which presents the history of Turkmenistan, from prehistoric times until the eighteenth century. It is the history of a seemingly distant past which, however, contains virtually everything of the Turkmeni- stan we see today: a country that is building, as a continuation of its history, its own future. The great iconographic apparatus illustrating its history is also proof of this: a sight to see and meditate on, before visiting it in person: with a special voyage of discovery to Turkmen- istan.

14 | Foreword Introduction

urkmenistan is a rich and complex country, both for its scenery Tand for the historical and archeological monuments and me- morials which characterise it. Its richness and complexity is rare- ly revealed to visitors and tourists who visit only for a few days or managers who come with the sole objective of building profitable business relationships. Discovering Turkmenistan takes time, will- ingness to journey long distances, to travel continuously, to climb and descend, for example, the rugged and barren mountains of the and Koytendag, whose valleys are home to truly unique animals and plants, as unique as the dinosaur footprints found there and examined at length by scholars. The variety of natural land- scapes is truly impressive. The western part of the country is characterised by the sunny beach- es of the , now dotted with numerous bathing establish- ments, and the western shores of the Amudarya River, which today forms the border with and in the past served as a busy crossroads for people and goods. The vast Amudarya delta in the Aral Lake occupies the north of the country. In the heart of the delta, and covering almost 80 per cent of its surface, is a truly unique sight, — the black sands of the Karakum: a pristine environment beyond time and space, composed of high dunes, disappearing rivers (Uzboy and Unghuz) where you can admire a giant crater measuring ap- proximately 70-80 metres known as the “Gate of Hell” as it is located near the village of Darwaza, Turkmen for “door” (one of the most popular tourist destinations). This Guide to Turkmenistan. History, Architecture and Faith in the Desert is primarily intended to present, through a series of snapshots taken by those who have recently visited it, the incredible variety of landscapes — “as far as the eye can see” — that visitors may look forward to. However, there is also another purpose: to explore, at least on the surface, the deep culture handed down through millen- nia, the “identity” of the country. This is accomplished by describing the architectural, archeological, and religious monuments erected in the distant past or a few decades ago, but which are, to this day, an

Introduction | 15 integral part of the complex soul of the peoples who inhabit it. I am speaking of the homeland of the earliest Neolithic cultures, repre- sented by the archaeological site of Djeitun, of the earliest proto-his- torical cities (Altyn-depe, Namazga-depe, Ulug-depe, Ilgynly-depe, Gonur-depe and others), of the and its art and cul- ture, of some of the most prestigious and impressive cities set along the Silk Road such as Merv, Abiverd, Anau (Gatar), Nisa, Amul, Gurganj, Meshed-Misrian (Dahistan), the birthplace of physicians, scientists, philosophers, politicians, and scholars. Indeed, Turkmen- istan, thanks to its geographical location set between the Iranian Pla- teau and the steppes of Eurasia, between the Middle East, Uzbeki- stan and , has always been the scene of important historical and cultural events in and thus has a number of histor- ical sites and religious monuments all but equal to that of the ma- jor European countries and of itself. Nevertheless these sites and peculiar monuments — fortified cities, caravanserais, mosques, mausoleums, as well as low mounds (depe) which indicate the exis- tence of prehistoric villages dated from the seventh up to the second millennium BC — are unknown to this day even to the world’s most qualified tourism. In fact, many have visited the country’s most fa- mous cities, such as , and however, only a few have ventured from the Caspian to the Amudarya delta, through Ashgabat, Anau, Mary, and Turkmenabat following the ancient foot- steps of the arterial routes of the Silk Road along which are located hundreds of cities, towns and villages. Unfortunately, many of these architectural monuments have not been preserved on account of the material used for their construction (raw brick) and the unfavorable environmental conditions. Nevertheless, fragments and ruins which attest to its rich past are still visible. It behooves us to remember the great loss of both lives and monuments “damned for eternity”, which took place throughout the centuries at the hands of conquer- ing armies eager to capture the beauty of cities at the height of their urban development such as Merv, Gurganj, Abiverd and lastly, the Geok Depe Fortress, taken with explosives in January 1881. To fully explore Turkmenistan, the heart of Central Asia, is to dis- cover a country that has, through the millennia, played a unique his- torical role as mediator and transmitter to adjacent cultures, such as the , the Eurasian steppes, the Mongolian high- lands and the great valleys of the Central Asian rivers Amudarya, Syrdarya, and Zeravshan. It is also discovering how much it has in- fluenced the entire area with its large desert — the black sands of

16 | Introduction Karakum — which covers most of its surface. Suffice to say that, in prehistoric times, the villages and towns pertaining to the Copper Age and the Bronze Age located at the edge of the foothills north of the Kopet Dag, were characterised by defensive systems (walls and towers) erected as protection from its sands rather than from ene- mies of which there is no concrete archaeological evidence. More- over, the importance of artificial irrigation and the construction of man-made canals, dams and reservoirs for water conservation in the desert environment must be pointed out. Archaeologically docu- mented as early as the fifth millennium BC, these discoveries made agriculture and the cultivation of cereal, such as wheat and barley, possible in a landscape dominated almost entirely by desert. The most important and significant monuments of the country, such as the Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar and the ruins of the city of Merv, the citadel of Nisa, the mausoleums and minarets of Gurganj, as well as the remains of the medieval city of Abiverd, have been accurate- ly described based on scientific texts, including a presentation that highlights their historical, architectural and artistic development and have been presented here side by side with relatively unknown monuments. In this regard I would like to mention the beautiful and unique medieval castles and houses (köshk) with corrugated walls found in the Ancient Merv Archaeological Park, the dings which dot the city of Bayramali, the settlements and prehistoric proto-cities lo- cated along the foothills north of the Kopet Dag, the oldest mosques in the country, built as early as the eighth century AD and the stone fortresses dating back to the Iron Age which stand sentinel over the ancient and enigmatic dry Uzboy River, in the western part of the Karakum. This Guide to Turkmenistan does not claim to describe and pres- ent all the main tourist attractions in the country. In fact, this book has no room for practical information such as addresses of hotels and restaurants, cinemas, travel agencies, night clubs, family attrac- tions and amusement parks, and so on. In fact, this Guide, as the one created for Kazakhstan (and as others planned for this area of ​​ the world), is not intended to be as other current travel guides, e.g. Turkmenistan by Paul Brummell, published by Bradt; Turkmenistan: Adventures on the Silk Road by Simon Proudman and published as an e-book; Central Asia, by Lonely Planet Publishing House; Cen- tral Asia: the Practical Handbook published by Cadogan, which does not include the northern part of the country (Dashoguz Region) and the monuments of Konya Urgench; Central Asia by Nelles Verlag,

Introduction | 17 where a substantial portion of the text is devoted to the land of the Turkmen. Our Guide unlike these, does not focus on the tourist ge- ography, but on the history and culture of Turkmenistan: the most suitable to show its original nature. I would like to conclude this brief introduction by stating that the Guide to Turkmenistan. History, Architecture and Faith in the Desert is the second, and probably not the last, in a series of books dedi- cated to the presentation and description of the cultural identity of Asian countries and which was inaugurated with the volume Guide to Kazakhstan. Sites of Faith Sites of History, published in 2010 by Umberto Allemandi & C. Editore of Turin (Italy). There is a great

Fig. 1. Map of Turkmenistan (modified after © Google Earth Pro).

18 | Introduction resemblance in the general structure of these two guides, both sui generis as previously explained, and reminiscent one of the another through some cross-references. A new element in the latter guide is represented by the presentation of some natural sites or nature parks. They are a veritable paradise of land and aquatic flora and fauna, as well as parks with ecological niches typical of the country and not found elsewhere. The motivation behind this “ecological” choice is represented by our desire to create an intellect work that can actively contribute to the protection of a truly singular cultural heritage, unique and unparalleled as that of Turkmenistan. Considering that today most, if not all, travellers and tourists have

Introduction | 19 smartphones with an I-Connection and GPS navigators, I thought appropriate to provide the geographical coordinates in degrees, min- utes and seconds of most of the sites described in this Guide. These topographic indication can therefore help travellers to plan a trip, identify and reach a place they wish to visit, which may be located several kilometres from a city or a village.

Acknowledgments This Guide to Turkmenistan. History, Architecture and Faith in the Desert would not have been possible without advice and assistance from many quarters. First and foremost I wish to express my gratitude to the Italian Ambassador in Turk- menistan, Dr. Marco Mancini, and the Attaché of the Embassy, Dr. Michela Sandini, as well as to the Director of the Institute of History of the Turkmen Academy of Science, Dr. Atageldy Baylyyev. I owe special thanks to Nigmatulla Amanlyev and Kakaliev Shokrat, of the same Institute, and to the Director and the whole staff of the Library of the Academy of Science, in Ashgabat. In addition, I would like to thank Nadezhda Dubova, Gabriella Sheryl Ghelfi, Jemshid Hajyyev, Maral K. Khabdulina, Aydogdy Kurbanov, Johanna Lhuilli- er, Simone Mantellini, Niccolò Manassero, Arslan Mukhamedov, Umutkan D. Munalbaeva, Ruslan Muradov, Mahri Orazova, Sangul Sh. Tugumova, Emma and Leo.