Turkmenbashi, formerly known as Krasnovodsk in the Balkan region, Turkmenistan.

In 1717, the Russian prince Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky arrived and founded a secret fortified settlement on this site, there was a dried-up river bed of the Amu-Darya, which flowed into the Caspian Sea. His goal was to lead the army along the dry bottom of the river to the Khiva Khanate and defeat it. The campaign failed, and the Russians left the village more than 150 years ago.

In 1869, the Russians made a second and last hike. They named their fortress Krasnovodsk - the Russian version of the original name, Kyzyl-Su (Red Water). Krasnovodsk was the base of the Russian Empire for the development of operations against Khiva and Bukhara and nomadic Turkmen tribes. In February 1920, the Red Army captured the fort.

In 1993 Krasnovodsk was renamed Turkmenbashi, many have speculated that President Niyazov self-proclaimed "Leader of the Turkmen" (Turkmenbashi) and named the city after this, another rationale for the renaming means that Turkmenbashi is where the Turkmen originated.

Niyazov's successor, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, has pledged to invest $1 billion in a project aimed at turning Turkmenbashi into a major tourist resort"with dozens of hotels, resorts, seaside restaurants and skyscrapers gleaming like a spaceship."

How to get there

By train

Turkmenbashi is the western part of the Trans-Caspian railway. The Turkmen railway provides routes from Ashgabat to Turkmenbashi. Train 606 leaves Ashgabat at 8:10 pm daily, arriving in Turkmenbashi at 9:15 am. Train 24 leaves Ashgabat at 8:40 pm every second day, arriving in Turkmenbashi the next morning at 6:55.

By car

From Kazakhstan

A two-hour drive from Zhanaozen to the borders of Turkmenistan and another 40 minutes drive from the border on a dirt road to the city of Karabogaz (formerly Bekdash) (about $ 50 per car). From Karabogaz there is a good road to Turkmenbashi with beautiful views of the Caspian Sea. About 60 km south of Karabogaz, the road intersects with a bridge built over a canal connecting the Caspian Sea with inland bays.

for Turkmenistan

Turkmenbashi is located about 560 km from Ashgabat.

By ferry

There are routes along the Caspian Sea in,. The trip takes 12 to 18 hours and costs about $50 per seat. Several flights a week, but no fixed schedule. Please be aware that your flight may be delayed and your visa may expire at this time. Take food and water with you.

Clue:

Turkmenbashi - the time is now

Hour difference:

Moscow − 2

Kazan − 2

Samara − 1

Yekaterinburg 0

Novosibirsk 2

Vladivostok 5

When is the season. When is the best time to go

Clue:

Turkmenbashi - monthly weather

Main attractions. What to see

Museum of History and Local Lore

Rylova street. From Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm exhibits depicting the nomadic life of the Turkmen people are presented, $ 0.10.

Russian Orthodox Church

Japan Memorial (near the airport)

A memorial to the thousands of Japanese prisoners of war who built roads and buildings here during World War II.

Food. What to try

Things to do

Swimming in Avaza, (8 km north of the city). Avaza resort - a place that includes dozens of hotels and sea beaches. In the evenings, laser shows are held to entertain the population and guests of the resort.

Shopping and shops

Bagtygul Bazaar, st. Makhtumkuli. You can buy caviar for $22 per pound.

How to move around the city

The local bus station is located on Balkanskaya Street, about 500 meters west of the local history museum. A taxi ride around the city will cost about 3,000 manats and 5,000 manats to Avaz (10 km north of Turkmenbashi).

How to leave

By plane

Turkmenbashi is connected to Turkmenistan by airlines leading to Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. Flights to Ashgabat and Dashoguz cost from 11 to 12 dollars.

By train

Turkmenbashi is the western part of the Trans-Caspian railway. The Turkmen railway provides routes from Ashgabat to Turkmenbashi. Train 605 leaves Turkmenbashi at 4:05 pm daily, arriving in Ashgabat at 5:50 am. Train 23 leaves Turkmenbashi at 7:30 pm every second day, arriving in Ashgabat the next morning at 5:20. A seat (compartment, second class) costs $1.20. Information about rail services can be obtained by calling 99462.

By car

Head north from Turkmenbashi to Karabogaz on a good road with great views of the Caspian Sea. Last part: 40 minutes drive from the border along a dirt road to the town of Karabogaz (formerly Bekdash). From the border of Turkmenistan, it is a two-hour drive to Zhanaozen,.

By bus

Shuttle taxis to Ashgabat and Balkanabat are located in front of the railway station, st. Atamurat Nuyarov. The trip to Ashgabat will take 6 hours and will cost about $8 per seat or $25 for the whole car.

Shuttle taxis to the north, to the Kazakh border. They stop in Zhanaozen (New Uzen). The trip takes 7 hours and costs about $40 per car.

Today I want to tell you about the city of Turkmenbashi, named after the past great leader and father of all Turkmen Turkmenbashi. It's funny that almost all Russian-speaking Turkmens continue to call it Krasnovodsk in the old fashioned way. The new name does not take root well. By the way, this is a ubiquitous phenomenon in Turkmenistan. Despite the fact that in Turkmenistan all the main streets and cities were renamed long ago, the locals are reluctant to use the new names. Until now, Lenin Street has been used instead of Turkmenbashi or Moskovskaya instead ... But what difference does it make, as it is called now, the three Turkmens I interviewed could not remember the new name.

But back to Turkmenbashi. The city is young. It was founded in 1869 by the Russian military. In the 20th century, Krasnovodsk turned into a transport, trade and oil refining center of Turkmenistan.

Turkmenbashi is interesting in that it is not at all touristy, which means you can see how ordinary people live. This will be especially useful for all those who drool pink over the polished scenery of Ashgabat. See how people live.

For at least the last five years, Turkmenbashi has been on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. The fact is that a tourist zone called Avaza is being actively rebuilt next to it. It attracted the attention of city and state authorities and left Turkmenbashi with little to no water or electricity.

Oppositional Turkmen media say that the inhabitants of Turkmenbashi experience a shortage of drinking water every day. The communal system has not seen repairs for many years, the sewerage and water pipes are in a terrible state. There is no water for weeks, last summer it was turned on for 3-4 hours in the evenings, and even then not every day. A characteristic sign of the city is water tanks in all yards.

People no longer know where to complain, they call and write to Ashgabat, but the authorities say there is nothing they can do. One local resident told reporters that she sends bags of dirty laundry to relatives in the capital because she has nowhere to wash them.

The locals confirmed to me that everything is really very bad with water, but even worse with electricity and roads. There is nothing.

The airport was built brand new, but it is focused on tourists who come to Avaza. The airport is even called international, although there are no international flights from it. At the exit, a crowd of Turkmen offers the services of taxi drivers.

01. The city itself is small, spread out on the coastal hills.

02. Like the whole of Turkmenistan, it is divided into two parts. The first is the front door. This is what potential tourists can see. Perfect roads, perfect cleanliness. City-fairy tale, city-dream. The second part is real: dirty, ruined and impoverished.

03. One of the few historical buildings that have survived to this day - the station.

04. The station was restored, for some reason ugly plastic windows were inserted.

05. Soviet monuments were also left, but with a reservation. First, they were all repainted in gold. Secondly, on many monuments, the heads of Slavic appearance were replaced with heads of Turkmen appearance (if I may say so).

06. Monument to the fisherman. People call it a monument to a poacher.

07. Soviet buildings have been preserved on the central street.

08. The Turkmen window dressing is clearly visible in the photo. Here only the main facade is painted, only what guests passing by can see.

09. On the other hand, it doesn't matter what.

10. Gate

11. The old Soviet hotel has survived to this day without changes.

12. Real streets look like this.

13. And so. The woman has obtained water and is carrying it into the house. This is the center of the city, there has been no water for three days.

14. Main street: perfectly smooth asphalt, clean houses, lanterns. On the left are two janitors. Women, if they find a cigarette butt or a piece of paper, will rush to the garbage, like a hungry student to a pack of Doshirak.

15. The facade of the house, which faces the main street, with new tinted windows so that no apartments can be seen through them. “Can you insert transparent windows?” I asked a local. “If your windows overlook the main street, you can’t, only blue ones ...” the local resident replied sadly. “It would be better if they put pink ones, it would be more fun!” his companion joked. The couple laughed. Pay attention to the water tanks to the left of the house.

16. On the other hand, the house looks like this. This is real Turkmenistan, which no one will show you. Again, look at the giant water tanks in the background. Please note that there is no asphalt either.

17. Behind the scenery - life! Without water, electricity and roads. During those hours when water begins to flow through the pipes in Turkmenbashi, the inhabitants of the city stop everything and run to store it. Tap water usually flows dirty, but no one cares, because there is no other. Basins, pots, bathtubs and, of course, special tanks are used. From these tanks, people are laying improvised water pipes so that the water supply goes directly to the apartments.

18.

19. Everyone has plates.

20. The first floors take over courtyards.

21.

22.

23.

24. Again water tanks, of which the water supply goes to the apartments.

Without it, you cannot survive here.

25. Instead of fixing the plumbing, the authorities build palaces and golden statues of the leaders. So that dear readers can drool about how well the Turkmens are doing. Why water, why electricity in houses, it’s better to fix the palace!

26. And this is what the school looks like on the main road.

27. And this is an exemplary kindergarten. I did not see children there, although it was a weekday. It is always shown to tourists as a symbol of successful and prosperous Turkmenistan.

28. And this is the Turkmenbashi hotel. Yes, it was about him that the joke was "Come to Turkmenbashi (city) to Turkmenbashi (month) along Turkmenbashi (street) to Turkmenbashi (hotel)". And all this through the airport of Turkmenbashi.

29. Beauty! Attention to banners.

30. Banners along the road cover unsightly buildings.

31. Real Krasnovodsk.

32. Wedding car decoration

33. Beautiful

34.

35. Shawarma is called kebab here (

36. They sell fish right on the sidewalk.

37. Women wear national dresses.

38. Schoolgirls across the country are in green uniforms.

40. Young growth

41. Boys must be in costumes.

42. I wanted to go to the bank ...

43. Fuck it! Don't just go to the bank! Shoes are not allowed! Yes, this is not a joke.

44. In Turkmenistan, there is still a lot of Soviet equipment on the move. In no other country have I seen so much retro rubbish as travels in Turkmenistan. The country is really poor, if you scrape off the gilding from the scenery.

45. Market

46.

47. Last summer, Turkmenbashi residents complained to journalists that the local market had very expensive products. They blame the price hike on visiting workers involved in the construction of facilities in Avaza:

There are so many of them that they now make up half of the entire population of our city. They say this: if all labor migrants are sent home, then prices in the bazaar will return to normal, and it will become easier to get a job.

48.

49. All Turkish vegetables, almost nothing of their own. Tomatoes for 100 rubles. Inexpensive.

50. Everything is plastic, as in Moscow.

52. Golden teeth;) Let me remind you that Turkmenbashi fought with them at one time.

53. Like this.

Often in the comments, for some reason, Turkmenistan is compared with the United Arab Emirates, or rather, with the emirate of Dubai. The comparison is fundamentally wrong. There are not so many local people in Dubai, in this they are very similar to the Turkmens. But only the indigenous people of Dubai live like this:

And this is the Al-Barsha area. It is impossible for a foreigner to buy real estate here. Luxurious villas, good cars. I have not seen a single ruined house or poor Dubai in Dubai. All sorts of guest workers from Bangladesh or Indians live in poverty. And in Turkmenistan, one of the richest post-Soviet republics, the leader took all the wealth. And now he decides whether to build him a new golden statue, a new palace, or overlay everything with white marble. And ordinary people live the same way as we do. There is no Turkmen miracle.

Continue tomorrow.

The current name of the city is Turkmenbashi(formerly Krasnovodsk), is located 654 km from the capital of Turkmenistan with a population of about 70,000. It is located on the coast of the Caspian Sea with several magnificent sandy beaches.

The modern name of the city was given in 1993 in honor of Saparmurat Niyazov, at that time the President of Turkmenistan One hundred twenty-six years ago, Colonel N.G. Stoletov founded the city, which he named "Krasnovodsk". It became the administrative center in the Caspian region and retained this status until 1917. After the construction of the Trans-Caspian Railway, which began from Krasnovodsk, from Central Asia via the ferry to Baku in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Krasnovodsk turned into an important transport center and began to grow. Now it has become a major transport center with developed oil refining and construction industries. An oil refinery is located in the city. The city is important as a transport hub, a seaport with a ferry terminal, a railroad, and an airport with a runway capable of handling all types of aircraft.

Well, the main pride of Turkmenbashi, of course, is the sea. Everyone is in love with him - both visitors and locals. In Turkmenbashi you can spend an unforgettable time on the Caspian coast.
Actively developing seaside resort Avaza (English) is located 12 km west of the city center.
Wonderful vacation in the most the best of the world health resorts and sanatoriums where you can get high-quality treatment or just relax. A comfortable stay awaits you in modern hotels with windows overlooking beautiful scenery. You can choose a hotel in the city, then you will see the mountains, because the city is surrounded by them.

If you choose a hotel on the seashore, then there will be deserts and the sea all around, and mountains will flash in the distance. On the tops of the mountains you can observe snow, such a picture as in a fairy tale.

The most important thing for such resorts is the beaches, they are magnificent, the sea is clear and optimal depth, and golden sands on the shore. Today, the attention of tourists in Turkmenbashi can be attracted not only by modern new buildings that are being built so actively, but also by some old buildings and structures that can tell about the past of the city.

Any seaside town always starts from the station and seaport. Moorish-style Turkmenbashi station was built in 1895-
96, but, unfortunately, neither the architect nor the foreman has yet been found out. The station building is one of the most beautiful in the whole railway Central Asia. Station Square is adjacent to the memorial to the soldiers who died during the war.

The sea trade port in Turkmenbashi developed very quickly. About a dozen marinas were built. And recently, the original building of the Turkmendenizderyayollary port administration was erected in the form of a ship at sea

Sights of Turkmenbashi

Avaza- an actively developing seaside resort, located 12 km west of the city center.

Mosque Parau-bibi. The small white mosque of Parau-bibi is a sacred place of pilgrimage for Muslim women. She stands all alone on one of the rocks of the Kopetdag. Today, hundreds of women come to a small mosque and ask Parau-bibi, the patroness of pregnant women and children, to help them preserve their beauty, find a good husband and many children.

Mausoleum of Shir-Kabib. At 6 km from Dehistan there is an ancient burial place of Mashad - a Muslim necropolis located in the center famous mausoleum Ali ibn Sukkari or "Shir-Kabir". The monument belongs to the buildings of the prestigious Serah architectural school and dates back to the 10th century.
This place is also a shrine for pilgrims who, having visited it, claimed that after Mecca, this is the only place on earth blessed by Allah.

City of TurkmenbashiTurkmenbasy

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The modern Russian-language name of the city is Krasnovodsk, according to one version, this is a translation of the local toponym Kyzyl-Su, associated with the fact that there were a lot of plankton with a distinct pink tint in the water of the Krasnovodsk Bay. There are also other versions.

Administrative-territorial division

In July 2013, 2 etraps were created as part of the city of Turkmenbashi. The Avaza etrap with an area of ​​9660 hectares includes the Avaza National Tourist Zone, international Airport and several small villages. The Kenar etrap with an area of ​​7262 hectares included the main part of the city of Turkmenbashi and the territory of the Kenar settlement.

Story

Bakhmi Station of the Trans-Caspian Railway in 1890

The first attempt to consolidate the Russian Empire on the eastern coast of the Caspian dates back to 1717, when Prince Bekovich-Cherkassky founded a fortification on the coast of the Krasnovodsk Bay (“at the mouth of the Uzboy”), preparing a campaign against Khiva.

Sunset in the city of Turkmenbashi

In 1869, under the leadership of Colonel Stoletov, the fortified fort of the Russian army was re-founded (now the village of Kenar, before being renamed "UFRA"). The place where Krasnovodsk was founded was called Shaga-dam. The fort was used as a base for operations against the Turkmen nomads and for campaigns against the Bukhara and Khiva khanates. The Trans-Caspian region was formed, Krasnovodsk was its center before the construction of Ashgabat (see Central Asian possessions of the Russian Empire). It was small town, populated by Russian military and officials, as well as merchants - Persians and Armenians. After the construction of the Trans-Caspian Railway, which began from Krasnovodsk, from Central Asia via the ferry to Baku in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Krasnovodsk turned into an important transport center and began to grow.

The Red Army took possession of the fort in February 1920. On November 21, 1939, the Krasnovodsk region was formed with the administrative center in Krasnovodsk, it was liquidated and restored several times (liquidated on January 23, 1947, restored on April 4, 1952, liquidated on December 9, 1955, restored on December 27, 1973, liquidated on August 25, 1988 ).

On January 10, 1991, on the territory of the former Krasnovodsk region, the Balkan region was formed (from May 18, 1992 - velayat) with the center in Balkanabat. In 1993, the city was renamed by President Saparmurat Niyazov (Turkmenbashi) in his honor.

Modern Turkmenbashi

Hotel Turkmenbashi Turkish park

Behind last years large-scale work has been carried out in the city to reconstruct the historical part of the city, entrance highways, and life support infrastructure. A new "Turkish" park and a cascade of fountains were built. At the end of 2012, Makhtumkuli Avenue was completely reconstructed, the new highway connected with the city embankment of Bahry Khazar, providing a double exit from the city at the western road interchange "Balykchi" along the dam laid through Soymonov Bay to the Airport-Avaza high-speed highway.

The Turkmenbashi complex of oil refineries specializes in the production of polypropylene, diesel and universal oils and other petroleum products.

It houses the State Maritime and river transport Turkmenistan and the Turkmenbashi International Sea Port.

There are 3 modern hotels in the city.

Population

Population change in Turkmenbashi

Year 1913 1939 1972 1979 1989 2005 2010

Population (persons)

73 803

Transport

Boeing at Turkmenbashi airport

The city is important as a transport hub, formed by a seaport with a ferry terminal, a railway and an airport. The M37 trans-Turkmen highway passes through the city, connecting Karabogaz, Ashgabat, Turkmenbashi with Bukhara.

Airport

Main article: Turkmenbashi (airport)

In 1990 Krasnovodsk Airport celebrated its 50th anniversary. Originally located downstairs in the area of ​​the hospital. During the Second World War, it was transferred to the top of the plateau and existed on the same airfield with units of the Air Force, as a joint-based airfield. It was considered the assigned airport of the Ashgabat enterprise. As an independent unit, it has existed since 1959 after the creation of 225OOAE (a separate combined air squadron), in 2010 it was reconstructed and received international status. It has two runways, connects the city with Ashgabat and Dashoguz. The airport can be reached from the city by car or bus. Travel time to the city by car takes 10-15 minutes.

Rail connection

Turkmenbashi railway station Main article: Turkmenbashi railway station

The Turkmenbashi railway station was built in 1895 by architect Alexei Benois. Benois is the author of the palace of the Grand Duke Nikolai Konstantinovich in Tashkent and many other projects in the former Turkestan.

The station building is one of the most beautiful in the entire railway of Central Asia. Station Square is adjacent to the memorial to the soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War.

Sea transport

Integral part transport system Turkmenistan in international transport projects and corridors are railway ferries Turkmenbashi - Baku, Turkmenbashi - Astrakhan. Turkmenbashi International Seaport is the largest seaport in Turkmenistan.

Turkmenbashi - Baku

Main article: Baku-Turkmenbashi ferry service

Ferry crossing Turkmenbashi - Baku is a railway-passenger crossing on the Caspian Sea between the cities of Turkmenbashi and Baku (Azerbaijan). Distance - 306 km. Each of the operating ferries takes on board 28 railway wagons and 200 passengers. All eight vessels operating at the crossing fly the Azerbaijani flag. This crossing is part of the European route E60.

Transport

Depot

Geography

The city is located on the shores of the Krasnovodsk Bay, 520 km northwest of Ashgabat, with which it is connected by road and rail.

The city is connected with Azerbaijani Baku on the western coast of the Caspian Sea by a ferry crossing (306 km).

Climate

The climate is subtropical desert. Precipitation per year is only 125 mm, mainly in the autumn-winter period.

Average annual temperature - +15.1 C° Average annual wind speed - 3.8 m/s Average annual air humidity - 60%

Climate of Turkmenbashi

Jan. Feb. March Apr. May Jun Jul Aug. Sen. Oct. Nov. Dec. Year

Absolute maximum, °C 20.7 22.3 29.0 36.0 40.7 41.9 44.7 42.9 43.5 33.4 28.1 24.7 44.7

Average maximum, °C 7.5 8.7 13.1 19.9 25.8 31.6 34.6 34.5 29.3 21.5 14.2 9.1 20.8

Average temperature, °C 3.3 3.9 7.7 13.7 19.5 25.1 28.2 28.0 22.7 15.4 9.3 4.9 15.1

Average minimum, °C ?0.3 ?0.2 3.2 8.5 13.6 18.9 22.2 22.0 16.7 10.0 5.0 1.2 10.1

Absolute minimum, °C ?21.5?21.9?12.6?2.6 2.7 6.6 14.1 10.2 3.3?2.9? ,9

Precipitation rate, mm 12 13 17 16 9 3 2 5 5 11 19 13 125

One of the districts of Krasnovodsk

New photo documents from the city of Turkmenbashi, sent by our sources, testify to the fact that the city on the Caspian Sea drags out a miserable existence. Next to the pompous tourist Avaza with a series of white marble hotels and blue bath pools, the streets, houses and roads of the former Krasnovodsk resemble slums, where the communal infrastructure has not seen repairs for years, and the locals experience a sharp one every day. And this is not all the problems of the inhabitants of the western region of Turkmenistan.

Railway hospital area

The area of ​​the railway hospital (Gogol and Nagornaya streets) resembles a place where aerial bombs or artillery shells fell, although, thank God, there was no war here. Look at these pictures: no normal roads, no sidewalks, no children's playgrounds. Everything that is captured in the photographs of our readers and still remains behind the scenes is the result of the absolute inaction of the city khyakim, his deputies and other officials, who, according to Krasnovodsk residents, are busy sharing the profits from the seaport and building facilities that are not the first necessity of the city residents. People in power simply do not appear here, which means that no roads are needed,. The route of the first person of the state does not run through these slums, although he quite often visits the western region of the country. The President, whose intervention in the current situation is so counted on by the residents of Krasnovodsk, prefers to admire his brainchild -.

The lack of water in Krasnovodsk, and even in the Balkan velayat, is a separate issue. On these hot days, residents are supplied with water to their apartments every other day in the evenings for 3-4 hours. On the day of Wednesday, June 24, there has been no water for the fourth day. In the area of ​​the new airport, there is no life-giving moisture even longer - for a week, and ten days.

People complain - write, call even to Ashgabat, but no one cares about this problem. One resident of the city of Turkmenbashi, describing the life of her family by the sea without water and light, said that she had to collect the accumulated dirty linen in a bag and send it to her relatives in Ashgabat to do laundry there.

Another problematic aspect of the city is the excessive cost of products in the local market. Some of our readers blame this on visitors from other regions of the country, in particular, from those who work in the hundreds at the construction sites of Avaza.

“There are so many of them that they now make up half of the entire population of our city. The locals say this: if all labor migrants are sent home, then the prices in the bazaar will return to normal, and it will become easier to get a job,” our reader writes.

But the visitors themselves do not feel guilty. They say that they came here, leaving their homes and families for a long time, not because of a good life, but because there is a shortage of jobs in Dashoguz.

In this report, we have not told about all the problems of the city by the sea. In the following materials, we will touch upon another headache for the Krasnovodsk residents - or rather, their absence. In the meantime, local residents are asking how, in the presence of such problems, the day of the khyakim and his deputies passes, among which there are probably those responsible for solving social issues of Krasnovodsk residents.

More photos from Turkmenbashi in the section, on our pages in