NEWS

Ancient Wooden Utensils

Wood has long been the most common material for household items. Carpentry, which began with the making of simple items, developed into the art of woodworking. People’s desire to decorate their homes and to make beautiful dishes laid the groundwork for wood carving and wood painting. The Turkmen people made high-quality, artistic wooden products: vessels and household items. Wooden utensils were widely used in everyday life. In almost every Turkmen village there lived craftsmen who had, to one degree or another, carpentry skills and could make necessary household items and tools for their fellow villagers.

Ancient farming culture of the Turkmen people

Turkmenistan is one of the countries with a unique national cultural heritage dating back thousands of years. It is known that the first settled farming in the history of mankind took place in the ancient lands of Damdamcheshme, Jebel, Uzboy, Was, Jeytun, Goksüyri, Altyndepe, Anev. The results of archaeological excavations conducted in the territory of Turkmenistan prove that it is one of the places where the ancient agricultural culture of the Motherland originated. The Jeytun culture, which belongs to the Neolithic era, is considered the place where the first agriculture appeared in Turkmenistan.

World’s most famous sports museums

«Türkmenistan Sport», № 1 (21), 2024 Every continent on the planet is famous for its athletes performing in a wide variety of sports. Africa lives by football, England is passionate about tennis and Italy is unthinkable without the prestigious F1 races. Here we are presenting the brightest and most prestigious sports museums on the planet to devoted sports fans.

ASTANABABA - a Sacred Place

About ten kilometres west of the city of Kerki is the medieval historical monument of Astanababa, which is considered one of the holy places in the Muslim world. Pilgrims come there to bow and read a prayer for the repose of the souls of those whose bodies found their final resting place there. People who believed in the miraculous power of the ashes of saints came there to receive healing from their ailments. The caretaker of the monument, who was respected among the population, was asked to bless new beginnings. Drivers of long-distance buses, despite the fact that there is no parking there, stopped the car for a short time to receive wishes for a safe journey, giving passengers the opportunity to make a donation. And nowadays it is always crowded there. Newlyweds come there after their wedding ceremony to venerate the ashes of the saints in the hope that this ritual will strengthen their family ties. The medieval architectural complex of Astanababa has enjoyed such fame at all times. Pilgrims who live far beyond the Lebap velayat come there. This historical and cultural monument consists of a mosque and a tomb. Its first part was erected in the 12th century, and then new buildings were added, and it acquired its final form only in the 17th century.

Anau — the Mystery of Unsolved Mounds

Turkmenistan is a country of ancient and diverse cultural traditions that have developed over thousands of years in close contact with the ancient civilisations of the East and West. Time rapidly moves forward, making its own adjustments to the outline of the national culture of the Turkmen people, which, based on the centuries-old pillars of its original development, is filled with new content dictated by the trends of the modern development of society. Enriching the world’s cultural treasury, this beneficial process actively continues today, and after gaining independence by Turkmenistan in 1991, we have inexhaustible opportunities for creativity and preserving our identity.

Ancient Sanctuaries of the Anau Civilisation

The unique scientific and literary works by the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, which contain not only a lot of interesting information, but also important mentoring wishes, are of great humanitarian value for Turkmen scientists, particularly in the context of their professional activity. For example, in his wonderful book Turkmenistan – the Heart of the Great Silk Road, the Hero-Arkadag emphasises the special role of historians, archaeologists and ethnographers, to whom he addresses wishes to continue scientific research on a ongoing basis, study in more detail the places of the homeland where ancient cities and unique shrines of great value are located, noting that this is a priority task today.

Ancient Monuments

There are many ancient archaeological monuments known to testify to the interesting and remarkable past of the Turkmen people, shrouded in secrets, on the territory of Turkmenistan. One of them is the ancient city of Anau that is rightfully declared the Cultural Capital of the Turkic Word in 2024. It is well known that a worthy future cannot be built without a thorough study of the past. The origins of patriotic education of new generations, multiplying the achievements of the beloved Motherland are in our heroic past. In his wonderful book Turkmenistan – the Heart of the Great Silk Road, the National Leader of the Turkmen people Hero-Arkadag notes, “Only a patriot can live, comprehending his past, being proud of the Motherland, rejoicing at the great deeds performed by his glorious ancestors in honour of the Motherland, thoroughly studying history, learning the tree of ancestors and passing down valuable data about them to future generations.”

Dragons of Saint Seyit Jemaletdin

Now the time has come for the Rabbit, the symbol of the outgoing year 2023, to pass the baton to the Fish according to the Turkmen zodiac. According to the Eastern Chinese calendar, which has become widespread in many countries in Asia and Europe, the symbol of 2024 is the Dragon. Historians connect the origin of the 12-year zodiac calendar, which spread over a large part of the planet, with the way of life of the inhabitants of Central Asia and Turkic-speaking peoples. In the minds of the ancestors of the Turkmen people, the attitude towards the dragon itself was ambiguous and underwent significant changes over the centuries. In the archaeological excavations of Gonurdepe, stone amulets that are about four thousand years old were found. They are engraved with images of writhing snakes or dragons paired with birds or animals, which is associated with the idea of universal fertility and the endless continuation of life on Earth.

Historical roots of statehood

During the Revival of the New Epoch of the Powerful State, important work is carried out in the field of through and comprehensive study of the history of Turkmenistan and the Turkmen people, and promoting thereof in the region and globally. Passing on the rich experience of the glorious history of Turkmen statehood, which goes back to the early times, is one of the basic conditions of development. The Turkmens are the people who created many empires and states that had a special position in the world history in the past. Independent, permanently neutral Turkmenistan, formed at the end of the 20th century, spreads humanitarian principles in the world based on the principles of centuries-long statehood. Our Hero Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov notes about the strength of Turkmen statehood in his book «Independence — Our Happiness» published in 2021: «Our ancestors have built dozens of countries in the world over the millennia. Under the strong and glorious Turkmen states great paths have been opened up for humanity. Centuries after those states, at the end of the second millennium, the Turkmen state, which was established in our ancestral blessed land, spreads its light on human history. Thus, with the new state of Turkmenistan taking its rightful position on the political map of the world a completely new epoch in the life of the Turkmen people began in our histor

An old game

The game of chess is one of the most interesting sports. This game has been invented in ancient times. According to historical sources, our ancestors were deeply interested in the game of chess. In the 7th century, distinguished scientists came from the descendants of Sul, the ruler of Dehistan, located in the southwest of Turkmenistan. One of them is Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Suli, a well-known poet of the 9th century. Moreover, in the 10th century, the writer and historian Abu Bakr Muhammed bin Yahya al-Suli wrote a book about the lives of kings and caliphs and several poems in the form of ghazals and gathered information about scientists, poets and viziers. Besides, being a well-known chess player, Abu Bakr al-Suli created a valuable work ‘Kitab al-Shatranj’ (‘the Book on Chess’). These historical facts demonstrate that the game of chess had great importance in the Middle Ages. It should be noted that chess represents a legacy from our ancestors, enjoys growing popularity in Turkmenistan, and provokes the interest of the younger generations.