Afghanistan and Turkic States

Turkmenistan formerly also known asTurkmenia(Russian ?????????), is one of theTurkic statesinCentral Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of theSoviet Union, theTurkmen Soviet Socialist Republic(Turkmen SSR). Turkmenistan is one of the six independentTurkic states. It is contact byAfghanistanto the southeast,Iranto the south and southwest,Uzbekistanto the east and northeast,Kazakhstanto the north and northwest and theCaspian Seato the west. Turkmenistans GDP egress rate of 11% in 2010ranks 4th in the world, but these figures argon subject to wide margins of error. 5It possesses the worlds fourth largest reserves of natural gas resources. Although it is sozzled in natural resources in certain areas, most of the country is cover by theKarakum (Black Sand) Desert. The Turkmen government operates as asingle-party system. 6Turkmenistan was ruled byPresident for LifeSaparmurat Niyazov(called Turkmenbasy leader of the Turkmens) until his sudden death on 21 December 2006. Gurb anguly Berdymukhammedovwas elected the new president on 11 February 2007.The filth of Turkmenistan has a long explanation, as armies from one empire after some other decamped there on their way to more prosperous territories. The characters written history begins with its conquest by theAchaemenid Empireof ancient Persia, as the region was separate between thesatrapiesofMargiana,KhorezmandParthia. citation needed Alexander the Greatconquered the territory in the 4th one CBCon his way toCentral Asia, around the time that theSilk Roadwas realized as a major trading route betweenAsiaand theMediterranean Region. citation needed Approximately 80 years later, PersiasParthian Kingdom formal its capital inNisa, now in the suburbs of the capital,Ashgabat. After replacement of the Parthian empire by Persian Sassanids, another native Iranian dynasty, the region remained territory of the Persian empire for several centuries. 7 In the 7th nose candy AD,Arabsconquered this region, introdu cingIslam. The Turkmenistan region soon came to be known as the capital ofgreater Khorasan, when the caliphAl-Mamunmoved his capital toMerv. citation needed In the middle of the eleventh century, theTurkoman-ruledSeljuk Empireconcentrated its strength in the territory of recent Turkmenistan in an attempt to expand intoKhorasan(modernAfghanistan). The empire broke down in the second half of the 12th century, and the Turkmen lost their independence whenGenghis caravan inntook control of the easternCaspian Searegion on his march west. For the adjacent seven centuries, the Turkmen people lived under various empires and fought constant inter-tribal wars. weeny is documented of Turkmen history prior toRussianengagement.