Capital of Mary Province, Turkmenistan
Place in Mary, Turkmenistan
Mary
(
Turkmen pronunciation:
[m????]
; Cyrillic: Мары, 1992-1993: Marx), formerly named
Merv
,
[1]
Meru
and
Alexandria
Margiana
, is a city on an
oasis
in the
Karakum Desert
in
Turkmenistan
, located on the
Murgab River
. It is the capital city of
Mary Region
. In 2010, Mary had a population of 126,000,
[2]
up from 92,000 in the 1989 census.
[3]
The ruins of the ancient city of
Merv
are located near the present-day city.
Etymology
[
edit
]
Atanyyazow notes that the name "Muru" appears in
Zoroastrian
texts alongside the toponyms Sogd (
Sogdia
) and Bakhti (
Bactria
), and that the name "Margiana" appears carved into rocks at
Behistun
,
Iran
, dating back 2,500 years. Atanyyazow adds, "the name was used in the form Merv-ash-Shahizhan", with subsequent forms including Muru, Mouru, Margiana, Marg, Margush, Maru, Maru-shahu-jahan, Maru-Shahu-ezan,
Merv
, and Mary, and that some scholars interpret the word
marg
as "green field" or "grassland", noting that in Persian
marg
can mean a source of livestock.
[4]
History
[
edit
]
The ancient city of
Merv
was an oasis city on the
Silk Road
. It was destroyed and its population annihilated in the 13th century by the
Mongols
. Because of its location on the Silk Road, it revived over time only to be largely destroyed again in the 19th century by nomadic
Teke
raiders. Edmund O'Donovan described Merv in 1882 as
- ...only a "geographical expression." It means a certain amount of cultivated territory where half a million Tekke-Turkomans manage to eke out an existence by pastoral pursuits, plunder, and thievery, combined with the caravan service between Bokhara and Meshed. There is no central point which you can call Merv now, if I except the place which has grown into existence since my arrival. I speak of Koushid Khan Kala, a fort at a point on the river Murghab...
[5]
It was occupied by
Imperial Russia
in 1884, triggering the
Panjdeh incident
between Afghanistan, British forces, and the
Imperial Russian Army
. The modern settlement was founded later that year as a Russian military and administrative post.
A force of the
British Indian Army
consisting of a
machine gun
detachment comprising 40
Punjabi
troops and a British officer resisted the Bolsheviks near Merv in August 1918, in what was the first direct confrontation between British and Russian troops since the
Crimean War
.
[6]
The area surrounding Mary was developed by the
Soviet Union
as a center for
cotton
production through the use of extensive
irrigation
. The
Great Soviet Encyclopedia
article on Mary reads in part,
Mary (until 1937 Merv), city, center of Mary oblast' of Turkmen SSR. Located on the Murghab River and Karakum Canal. Junction of railroad lines to Tashkent, Krasnovodsk, and Kushka. 67 thousand residents (1973; 8.5 thousand in 1897, 37 thousand in 1939, 48 thousand in 1959). Large wool degreasing plant, cotton gin, machine building factories; building construction amalgamate; food (milling, baking, and meat packing amalgamates, dairy plant, etc.), leather industry, carpet production. Near to Mary began to operate in 1973 the Mary District State Electrical Power Plant. Medical and pedagogical colleges. Museum of history of the revolution. Drama theater.
[7]
In 1968, huge reserves of
natural gas
were discovered 20 kilometers west of the city in the
Shatlyk Gas Field
.
[8]
Mary became the center of
Mary Province
on 18 May 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the
Turkmen
proclamation of independence.
In the 2000s, many streets and new residential areas were built. The
new airport terminal
was constructed, as was a new building for the
Turkmen State Power Engineering Institute
, a theater, the new
library
, a new
historical museum
, the Palace of Spirituality (
Turkmen
:
Ruhiyet Ko?gi
), the Margush Hotel, a medical diagnostic center, the Ene Mahri obstetric-pediatric medical center, the
Gurbanguly Hajji Mosque
, a stadium, an equestrian complex, an indoor swimming pool, and a new railway station.
[9]
In 2012, the city was declared one of the cultural capitals of the
CIS
.
[10]
Climate
[
edit
]
Climate data for Mary
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
11
(52)
|
12
(54)
|
19
(66)
|
26
(79)
|
33
(91)
|
38
(100)
|
40
(104)
|
37
(99)
|
32
(90)
|
24
(75)
|
15
(59)
|
11
(52)
|
25
(77)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
5.7
(42.3)
|
7.5
(45.5)
|
14
(57)
|
20.1
(68.2)
|
26.9
(80.4)
|
31.6
(88.9)
|
33.3
(91.9)
|
30.2
(86.4)
|
24.9
(76.8)
|
17
(63)
|
10.3
(50.5)
|
6
(43)
|
19.0
(66.2)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
2
(36)
|
3
(37)
|
9
(48)
|
15
(59)
|
21
(70)
|
26
(79)
|
27
(81)
|
24
(75)
|
19
(66)
|
12
(54)
|
6
(43)
|
2
(36)
|
14
(57)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
17.6
(0.69)
|
36.7
(1.44)
|
35.0
(1.38)
|
24.4
(0.96)
|
10.4
(0.41)
|
0.8
(0.03)
|
0.2
(0.01)
|
0.1
(0.00)
|
0.3
(0.01)
|
9.5
(0.37)
|
16.8
(0.66)
|
10.0
(0.39)
|
161.8
(6.35)
|
Average snowfall cm (inches)
|
1.2
(0.5)
|
1.5
(0.6)
|
0.5
(0.2)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0.5
(0.2)
|
1.8
(0.7)
|
5.5
(2.2)
|
Average precipitation days
|
7.2
|
6.9
|
8.1
|
6.2
|
3.7
|
0.4
|
0.1
|
0.1
|
1.4
|
2.6
|
3.6
|
6.8
|
47.1
|
Average
relative humidity
(%)
|
52.9
|
51.9
|
41.9
|
31.8
|
22.7
|
15.7
|
15.2
|
15.9
|
20.2
|
28
|
42.1
|
49.9
|
32.4
|
Average
dew point
°C (°F)
|
?1.6
(29.1)
|
?0.5
(31.1)
|
3.7
(38.7)
|
8.6
(47.5)
|
9.1
(48.4)
|
8.9
(48.0)
|
9.3
(48.7)
|
7.4
(45.3)
|
5.6
(42.1)
|
3.9
(39.0)
|
2.1
(35.8)
|
0.4
(32.7)
|
4.7
(40.5)
|
Mean daily
daylight hours
|
10.4
|
11.3
|
12.4
|
12.4
|
14.7
|
15.2
|
15
|
14
|
12.8
|
11.6
|
10.6
|
10.1
|
12.5
|
Percent
possible sunshine
|
43.8
|
45.9
|
46.7
|
54.8
|
69.5
|
82
|
84.5
|
85.7
|
82.8
|
72.1
|
60.6
|
44.5
|
64.4
|
Average
ultraviolet index
|
3
|
3
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
8
|
7
|
6
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
5
|
Source 1: World Weather Online(Temperatures-Precipitation-Snow-Humidity-UV)(2009-present)
[11]
|
Source 2: Weatherbase(Sunshine-Dew point-Precipitation days)
[12]
|
Administrative context
[
edit
]
The city of Mary is the capital of
Mary Region
. Mary is a city of district-level importance, meaning that it is not part of any district, and is administratively directly subordinate to the region. However, there also is
Mary District
which surrounds the city. The administrative center of the district is also the city of Mary, despite not being part of it.
The city of Mary includes the town of
Saparmyrat Turkmenba?y
, and the villages of Mulkburkaz, Soltanyz, and Yolly.
Economy
[
edit
]
Mary is Turkmenistan's fourth-largest city and a large industrial center for the
natural gas
and
cotton
industries, two of the nation's major export earners. It is a trade center for
cotton
,
cereals
,
hides
, and
wool
.
Transportation
[
edit
]
Mary is linked
[13]
to
A?gabat
,
[14]
[15]
Tejen
[16]
and neighbouring countries
[17]
by the country's 600 km
motorway
network.
[18]
[19]
Culture
[
edit
]
Library
[
edit
]
Mary's library is the largest regional library in the
Mary District
.
[20]
Construction of the library began in February 2010. The library officially opened on October 20, 2011 and the President of Turkmenistan,
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov
, held the official opening ceremony.
[21]
The building has a spherical shape, and is supported by 62 columns. The height of the library is 42 meters. The three-story building is designed for the storage of three million books,
[22]
and can manage 600 concurrent readers. The library's collection includes a book shop, nine reading rooms, internet facilities, a separate reading room for elders, an office of special departments, conference rooms, and a children's room. Under the dome of the library, which is in the form of tulip petals, is a telescope.
Other
[
edit
]
Mary is known for its regional museum.
The main football team is
Merw Mary
, who play at the
Mary Stadium
.
Turkmen
Keraites
believe, according to a
Nestorian
tradition, that
Tomb of the Virgin Mary
is located in Mary.
Notable people
[
edit
]
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
MiG monument in Mary
-
Market in Mary, 1992
-
Market in Mary, 1992
-
Market in Mary, 1992
-
Bus stop,1992
-
Wedding in Mary, 1992
-
Women in Mary, 1992
-
Market in Mary, 1992
-
Man in Mary wearing a traditional
telpek
hat, 1992
International relations
[
edit
]
Twin towns ? Sister cities
[
edit
]
Mary is
twinned
with:
References
[
edit
]
- ^
1929 Soviet Turkmenistan map
- ^
Britannica Book of the Year 2010
. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 2009. p. 719.
ISBN
978-1-59339-232-1
. Retrieved
17 December
2019
.
- ^
Population census 1989
Archived
18 January 2012 at the
Wayback Machine
,
Demoscope Weekly
, No. 359?360, 1?18 January 2009 (search for Туркменская ССР)
(in Russian)
- ^
Atanyyazow, Soltan?a (1980).
Т?ркменистаны? Географик Атларыны? Д?ш?ндиришли С?зл?ги
[
Explanatory Dictionary of Geographic Names in Turkmenistan
]. Ashgabat: Ылым. p. 205.
- ^
The Country of the Turkomans
. London: Oguz Press and the Royal Geographical Society. 1977.
ISBN
0-905820-01-0
.
, Chapter 15, O'Donovan, Edmund,
Merv and Its Surroundings
, lecture delivered in 1882.
- ^
On Secret Service East of Constantinople
by
Peter Hopkirk
, John Murray, 1994
- ^
"МАРЫ".
Большая советская энциклопедия
(in Russian) (3 ed.).
(online version)
- ^
"Petroleum Geology and Resources of the Amu-Darya Basin"
. pdfio.com. 2004. Archived from
the original
on 5 May 2014
. Retrieved
5 May
2014
.
- ^
Гостеприимство древнего и вечно юного города
- ^
Туркменский город Мары получил сертификат культурной столицы СНГ
- ^
"Mary Annual Weather Averages - Mary,TM"
.
World Weather Online
. Retrieved
28 August
2023
.
- ^
"Mary, Turkmenistan Travel Weather Averages"
.
Weatherbase
. Retrieved
28 August
2023
.
- ^
Новая трасса: президент Туркменистана проехал по участку автобана Ашхабад ? Туркменабат на КамАЗе
- ^
Скоростная трасса Ашхабад-Теджен открывается 29 октября Orient Link: https://orient.tm/ru/post/35050/skorostnaya-trassa-ashhabad-tedzhen-otkryvaetsya-29-oktyabrya
- ^
Новая дорога соединит Теджен и Туркменабат
- ^
Строительство третьего этапа автобана Ашхабад ? Туркменабат начал Туркменистан
- ^
Автомагистраль Ашхабад?Туркменабат поспособствует развитию транспортного сообщения с Узбекистаном
- ^
Президент Гурбангулы Бердымухамедов принял участие в открытии участка Ашхабад?Теджен автобана Ашхабад?Туркменабат
- ^
В Туркменистане приступили к заключительному третьему этапу строительства высокоскоростной автомобильной дороги Ашхабад-Туркменабат
- ^
"Золотой век"
.
www.turkmenistan.gov.tm
.
- ^
"К услугам жителей Марыйского велаята открылась областная библиотека - Интернет-газета Turkmenistan.Ru"
.
www.turkmenistan.ru
.
- ^
Президент Туркменистана принял участие в открытии нового здания Марыйской велаятской библиотеки
|
---|
Culture
| |
---|
Tourism
| |
---|
Youth
| |
---|
Agriculture
| |
---|
|
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|