Gyzylarbat

The 8th-9th-century fortification in this place was called Kyzyl-Rabat, "red fortress". In the 16th-17th centuries this name was corrupted in the vernacular to Kyzyl-Arbat. In 1925, during Soviet rule, a district called Kizyl-Arvat[6] (Russian: Кызыл-Арбат) was established.

On 29 December 1999 the town was renamed from Kizyl-Arvat to Serdar.[6] The word serdar is a loan word from Persian meaning "leader" and is a reference to the first President of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov. The town also shared a name with the third President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, but had no relation. By decree of the Turkmen parliament on 9 November 2022, the old name was restored in the form Gyzylarbat.[5] The same decree downgraded Gyzylarbat from a city with district status to a city subordinate to a district, and renamed the district to Gyzylarbat, as well.[5]

In ancient times, the region was inhabited by the Dahae, an Iranian people. Gyzylarbat is at the site of the old Persian city of Farāva (Parau;[3] فراوه in Persian). Before the immigration of the Turkmens to these regions, Farava's population was Persian.[7]

When the Oghuz, under the command of Tughril and Chaghri, lost a battle against Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna (r. 998–1030), they submitted to the sultan, requesting him to allow them to cross the waters of the Oxus and settle somewhere between Nisa and Abivard. Sultan Mahmud acceded to their request and allotted them the grazing grounds in the steppe near Sarahs, Abivard and Farava.[7]

During the Russian conquest several exploratory expeditions reached here, but the main battle was at Geok Tepe (see Battle of Geok Tepe (1879) and Battle of Geok Tepe (1881)). The modern city was established in 1881 with a station on the Trans-Caspian Railway.[8]

In July 1918, following his declaration of martial law in Ashgabat, Commissar V. Frolov, head of the Tashkent Cheka, came to Kyzyl-Arvat to impose the authority of the Tashkent Soviet. However the railway workers had heard of his execution of strike leaders in Ashgabat and organised an armed response. He was shot with some of his followers and the rest were disarmed. This action opened the way to the formation of the Transcaspian Government.[9]

On 25 June 1957, the Soviet 58th Motor Rifle Division was established in Kyzyl-Arvat, from the 58th Rifle Division which had arrived years earlier.[10]

During the rule of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov (2007–2022), the city expanded to the north-west: a house of culture, a carpet factory, a secondary school, a kindergarten, an art school, a shopping center, a sports complex with a stadium, a swimming pool and playgrounds for various sports were erected. In addition, the infrastructure of the city was updated. In particular, a new railway and bus station, a flyover bridge, a collector for absorbing mudflows, sewage treatment plants, and a number of other engineering facilities were built here.

Private construction of the northern outskirts of the city is planned. Urban road infrastructure has been upgraded in recent years.