One of the must-see tourist attractions when traveling to Central Asia and Turkmenistan is the monuments of the ancient city of Anau, announced as the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2024.
In the entire history of the development of the ancient Turkmen city of Anau, humanity knows only a few centers of culture of the early Neolithic era. One of these few centers of the emergence of global culture is the civilization of the ancient settlement of Anau located in the territory of modern Turkmenistan.
Two mounds of Anau are located 8 kilometers from the capital of Turkmenistan – the city of Ashgabat. By their location, they mark the territory of the large ancient city of Anau, which are called the Southern and Northern mounds.
Today, Anau is a city, the administrative center of the Ak Bugday strap and the Ahal velayat of Turkmenistan. Archaeological evidence indicates the existence of the settlement of Anau back in the Eneolithic era (IV–III millennium BC). In 2005, the National Wheat Museum “Ak Bugday” was erected in Anau, which houses many ancient exhibits of the Neolithic era.
The presence of stone mills proves that the ancient inhabitants of these places were not only excellent and skillful farmers, but also masterfully ground grain. They learned to raise goats and sheep.
The main attraction of Anau from the 4th to the 19th centuries is the majestic ruins of the Seyit Dzhemaletdin mosque, destroyed during a terrible earthquake in 1948. This mosque, which served as a large religious complex built in the 15th century, consisted of 17 rooms. We can still see the remains of a square hall covered with a dome. Medieval Arab sources note that the caravan, having left the beautiful Nisa (as this city is figuratively called in the chronicles), passed through the flourishing Anau with the famous mosque and could stop in many settlements along the way. In addition to the original mosque, there is an interesting sardoba, which is a round reservoir. It is assumed that its maximum capacity was 200 thousand liters of water.
Today, scientists from the Institute of History and Archeology of the Academy of Sciences are conducting current scientific research in the field of in-depth study of the characteristics of the Anau culture, which are a significant contribution to the historical science and historiography of Turkmenistan and Central Asia.
Last year, the ancient Turkmen city of Anau was declared the cultural capital of the Turkic world for 2024, following the 39th meeting of the Permanent Council of Ministers of Culture of the TURKSOY member countries in Bursa (Turkey).
At the same time, we would like to remind our readers that Uzbek Travel is happy to assist you with planning an unforgettable trip to Central Asia, combining a trip to Uzbekistan with a trip to other Central Asian countries, including Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. You can visit our "Central Asia Tour" ready packages by clicking the link https://uzbek-travel.com/tours/central_asia/, as well as contacting us directly to design a tailor-made tour for you as per your interests and preferences.
