Kerki

Kerki is a city in and capital of Kerki District, Lebap Province, Turkmenistan. It was formerly known as Zamm[1] and, between 1999 and 2017, as Atamyrat.

Not to be confused with Karki, Azerbaijan.
Kerki
Atamyrat (1999-2017)
Zamm (in antiquity)
Kerki airport
Kerki airport
Kerki is located in Turkmenistan
Kerki
Kerki
Location in Turkmenistan
Coordinates: 37°51′11″N 65°14′13″E
Country Turkmenistan
ProvinceLebap Province
DistrictKerki District
Population
 (2011)
 • Total96,720
Time zoneUTC+5

Geography

It is situated on a plain on the left bank of the Amu Darya river. Nearby towns and villages include Mukry (3.3 nm), Amydarýa (2.1 nm), Surhy (3.1 nm) and Kerkichi (2.2 nm).[2]

Etymology

According to Atanyyazow, the name Kerki is most likely of Persian origin, from ker ("fortress") and kuh ("mountain"), meaning "fortress on a mountain".[3] However, Muqaddasī and de Goeje assert it is a Turkified pronunciation of the Persian name Karkuh (کرکوه), meaning "deaf mountain".[4] The ancient name, Zamm, is of obscure origin.

On 29 December 1999, by Parliamentary Resolution HM-60, the city and district of Kerki were renamed Atamyrat in honor of Atamyrat Nyýazow, father of Saparmurat Niyazov, who had worked in Kerki as a teacher before being killed in World War II. On 25 November 2017, by Parliamentary Resolution No. 679-V, Atamyrat was changed back to Kerki for both the city and the district.[5]

Architecture

The city centre comprises multiple single-storeyed brick buildings from the tsarist era.[6]

Transportation

Air

The town is served by the new Kerki Airport, which replaced a defunct municipal airport in 2021.[7]

Road

Kerki lies on the P-36 and P-39 highways, which both lead northwest to Turkmenabat, one on each side of the Amu Darya. Nearby junctions connect to the P-89, which leads north to the border with Uzbekistan at Tallymerjen, and the P-37, which leads southeast to the border with Uzbekistan at Kelif. In the opposite direction the P-36 also continues south to a junction with the Kerki-Ymamnazar ýoly, which in turn leads to the border with Afghanistan at Ymamnazar.[8] In February 2013, a road bridge connecting the city with Kerkichi was commissioned;[9] it replaced an old pontoon bridge.[6]

Rail

In 1999, the rail line from Türkmenabat to Kerki was finished, linking Kerki to the Turkmen railway network without having to detour into neighbouring Uzbekistan.[10] In late 2016, a railway line was built south to Ymamnazar on the border with Afghanistan and further to Aqina, turning Kerki into a railway hub.[11]

Sights

Astana Baba Mausoleum is managed by the Kerki city museum, and consists of a minaret and tomb built in the 11th century. Allamberdar Mausoleum is also part of the Kerki city museum. This 11th-century building represents Seljuk architecture of northern Khorasan.

See also

References
  1. Bosworth, C. E. (1989). "ĀMOL (ĀMŪYA)". Archived copy. Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. I, Fasc. 9. pp. 982–983. Archived from the original on 2017-12-29. Retrieved 2016-02-08.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. Falling rain gazetteer
  3. Atanyýazow, Soltanşa (1980). Түркменистаның Географик Атларының Дүшүндиришли Сөзлүги [Explanatory Dictionary of Geographic Names in Turkmenistan]. Ashgabat: Ылым. p. 182.
  4. Muqaddasī, Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad, and M. J. de Goeje. 1967. Kitāb Aḥsan al-taqāsīm fī maʻrifat al-aqālīm. Bibliotheca geographorum Arabicorum, pars 3. Laydin: Maṭbaʻ Brīl.
  5. "Внесены изменения в административно-территориальное деление Лебапского велаята" [Changes to the administrative-territorial divisions in Lebap velayat] (in Russian). Türkmenistan Bu Gün. 2017-11-27. Archived from the original on 2018-07-30. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  6. Brummell, Paul (2005). Turkmenistan. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 197. ISBN 978-1-84162-144-9.
  7. "Kerki Airport awarded ICAO Code and International Certificate of Conformity". "Turkmenistan: Golden Age". 24 June 2021.
  8. OpenStreetMap
  9. Президенты Украины и Туркмении открыли мост через Амударью и заложили новый аэропорт
  10. Grantham, Andrew (15 July 2008). "Atamyrat to Afghanistan railway plan". Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  11. Salehai, Zarghona (28 November 2016). "Afghan-Turkmenistan railroad inaugurated". Pajhwok Afghan News. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
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