KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (NNN-Bernama) — Ashgabat, the capital city of Turkmenistan, once badly devastated by an earthquake, is today a vibrant, modern metropolis.
As Ashgabat is celebrating its 140th anniversary this year, Turkmenistan’s government led by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has laid out plans to continue developing and transforming the historically and culturally rich city into one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Berdimuhamedov, in his congratulatory address to mark the anniversary, recently said the government’s goal is to transform the architectural look of Ashgabat, to modernise urban infrastructure to provide Ashgabat’s residents with amenities and comfort, increase the level of social security, create new jobs, improve the service system, and keep the city clean and in order.
“Currently, within the framework of the capital development programme, we have built modern residential complexes, hotels, shopping and entertainment centres, social and cultural facilities in Ashgabat.
“In recent years, many parks and squares have been built in the capital. We attach great importance to developing and beautifying Ashgabat,” he said.
This year’s anniversary also coincides with the 30th anniversary of the independence of the country.
Ashgabat was founded in 1881. It is located in a picturesque corner – between the green foothills of the Kopetdag Mountains and the wide open spaces of the Karakum Desert.
On Oct 6, 1948, the city was hit by 7.3 magnitude earthquake, causing extreme damage to the city and surrounding villages.
Around 110,000 victims, equivalent to more than two-thirds of the city’s population at that time, were reportedly killed in the disaster which also caused brick buildings to collapse and heavy damage to concrete structures.
Presently, the city of over one million people, is known for having the most white marble buildings in the world, a feat that helped it make it into the Guinness World Records.
According to a statement from Turkmenistan’s Embassy in Malaysia, the celebration for the 140th anniversary of Ashgabat was marked with the ground-breaking ceremony of the new Ashgabat City megaproject, which will comprise new district administrative buildings, education complexes, social and cultural facilities as well as the construction of smart houses and development of smart public bus stations.
According to Turkmenistan’s tradition, each historical date is marked by the opening of new buildings and various facilities and ground-breaking ceremonies for new facilities.
Berdimuhamedov took part in the ground-breaking ceremony which laid the foundation for the complex of buildings and facilities, which will be erected in the northern part of the capital.
The large-scale complex with total area of 744 hectares can be called a city inside a city as it includes more than two hundred various facilities, which form urban infrastructure with all amenities for comfortable living.
Many facilities will be built in this place, in particular the district administration building and other facilities. Four kindergartens for 1,200 children and the same number of schools for 3,000 students, a cultural club and a sports complex with a 5000-spectator capacity will also be built, the statement said.
Berdimuhamedov in his speech at the ceremony highlighted that much preparation work had to be carried out prior to the construction of the new city, such as making detailed seismic analysis, while the latest technologies and digital systems will be actively used in building operations and urban management structure.
Special attention to create urban parks and green spaces, organic combination of urban and natural landscapes were also emphasised by the President.
Meanwhile, in conjunction with the anniversary, a Conference of Mayors of Friendly and Sister Cities of Ashgabat was held in a hybrid format on May 20 which was aimed to offer new impetus to further friendly partnership, making twin cities and their residents closer to each other, and strengthening traditional relations of mutual understanding and trust.
“Ashgabat has established friendly relations with various cities and regions of the world countries that contributed to significant intensification of fruitful cooperation with foreign partners. Today, there are all the prerequisites for building multifaceted cooperation and productive exchange of experience,” the statement from the Embassy said.
Khyakim (Mayor) of Ashgabat noted that the capital of Turkmenistan was recognised as a friendly, hospitable, beautiful city from an architectural point of view.
He added that speakers to the conference had noted that Ashgabat is one of the most beautiful cities in the region, rich in historical past and has now become a world-class metropolis, a national centre for technological progress and innovation.
— NNN-BERNAMA
