Derweze
Derweze go, Дарваза (in Russian) | |
|---|---|
  Derweze Location in Turkmenistan | |
| Coordinates: 40°15′09.48″N 58°26′21.93″E / 40.2526333°N 58.4394250°E | |
| Country |  Turkmenistan |
| Province | Ahal Province |
| District | Ak bugdaý District |
| Population (1989 census) | |
• Total | 1,683 |
Darvaza (from Persian: دروازه, Turkmen: Derweze) is a rural council (village council) in Ak bugdaý District, Ahal Province, Turkmenistan of about 2 thousand inhabitants, located in the middle of the Karakum Desert, about 260 km north of Ashgabat. The rural council consists of three separate villages: Derweze (formerly Aeroport) (the administrative center), Ataguýy, and Böri.[1]
Darvaza's inhabitants are mostly Turkmen of the Teke tribe, preserving a semi-nomadic lifestyle. In 2004 the village was disbanded following the order of the President of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, because "it was an unpleasant sight for tourists."[citation needed] The village was reestablished, by the renaming of "Aeroport" village to Derweze on 28 April 2016.[2]
- ^ "Districts in Turkmenistan / Ahal welaýaty". Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- ^ "TÜRKMENISTANYŇ MEJLISINIŇ KARARY № 391-V" (PDF) (in Turkmen). Parliament of Turkmenistan. 28 April 2016. p. 177.