Mary Region () is one of five provinces in Turkmenistan. It is located in the south-east of the country, bordering Afghanistan. Its capital is the city of Mary. Its area is and population 1,613,386 (2022 census). The average population density is about 15 persons per square kilometer, but it reaches 150–200 per square kilometer in the most developed oases.
In 2000, Mary Region accounted for 23% of Turkmenistan's population, 19% of the total number of employed, 26% of agricultural production (by value), and 21% of the country's total industrial production. The region's industries include natural gas extraction (the Galkynysh Gas Field), electric power generation, textiles, carpet weaving, chemical and food industry. In 2001 it accounted for 74% of Turkmenistan's electricity generation 26% of natural gas extraction.
Agriculture in Mary Region is irrigated by the Karakum Canal, which runs east to west through the center of the province, and by the Murghab River, which runs south to north, entering the province from Afghanistan. While the northern portion of the province is within the Central Asian southern desert ecoregion, the southern portion of the province is characterized by a savanna of pistachio and desert sedges, classified as the Badkhiz-Karabil semi-desert by the World Wildlife Fund.
Ancient Merv, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the main archeological attraction of Mary Province. This is one of the best-preserved oasis cities on the ancient Silk Road.
The capital of Mary Region is the city of Mary, located at the intersection of Murghab River with the Karakum Canal. Other major cities are Baýramaly (), Ýolöten (Iolotan, ), and Serhetabat (, formerly , ) on the border with Afghanistan.
Demographic
Table of National composition of the population of Mary region (2022)
Table:
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
! rowspan="2" |Ethnicity
! colspan="2" | Total
! colspan="2" | Urban
! colspan="2" | Rural
|-
! Population
! %
! Population
! %
! Population
! %
|-
| Turkmens
| 1,485,844 || 92.10%
| 376,386 || 91.21%
| 1,109,458 || 92.40%
|-
| Baloch
| 85,384 || 5.29%
| 2,840 || 0.69%
| 82,544 || 6.88%
|-
| Russians
| 14,995 || 0.93%
| 14,319 || 3.47%
| 676 || 0.06%
|-
| Uzbeks
| 6,676 || 0.42%
| 6,299 || 1.53%
| 377 || 0.03%
|-
| Azerbaijanis
| 6,336 || 0.40%
| 5,509 || 1.34%
| 827 || 0.07%
|-
| Afghans
| 2,325 || 0.15%
| 184 || 0.05%
| 2,141 || 0.18%
|-
| Armenians
| 2,148 || 0.13%
| 2,109 || 0.51%
| 39 || 0.00%
|-
| Tatars
| 1,641 || 0.10%
| 1,481 || 0.36%
| 160 || 0.01%
|-
| Kazakhs
| 722 || 0.05%
| 471 || 0.11%
| 251 || 0.02%
|-
| Kurds
| 377 || 0.02%
| 230 || 0.06%
| 147 || 0.01%
|-
| Ukrainians
| 355 || 0.02%
| 319 || 0.08%
| 36 || 0.00%
|-
| Lezgins
| 153 || 0.00%
| 142 || 0.03%
| 11 || 0.00%
|-
| Karakalpaks
| 21 || 0.00%
| 19 || 0.00%
| 2 || 0.00%
|-
| Koreans
| 20 || 0.00%
| 17 || 0.00%
| 3 || 0.00%
|-
| other nationalities
| 1,671 || 0.10%
| 1,435 || 0.34%
| 236 || 0.02%
|- class="sortbottom"
! Total
! 1,617,352 || 100%
! 1,445,046 || 100%
! 172,306 || 100%
|}
Administrative divisions
Districts
As of 9 November 2022, Mary Province (Mary welaýaty) is subdivided into 9 districts ():
- Baýramaly District
- Garagum District
- Mary District
- Murgap District
- Sakarçäge District
- Tagtabazar District
- Türkmengala District
- Wekilbazar District
- Ýolöten District
By parliamentary decree of 9 November 2022, two districts, Oguzhan and Serhetabat, were abolished and their land distributed to other districts.
|-
|-
|
| colspan="3" |area, thousand hectares
| colspan="3" |production, thousand tonnes
|-
|
| align="center" |2017
| align="center" |2018
| align="center" |2019
| align="center" |2017
| align="center" |2018
| align="center" |2019
|-
|Cereals and legumes
| align="right" |223.0
| align="right" |181.4
| align="right" |182.6
| align="right" |409.8
| align="right" |286.4
| align="right" |422.4
|-
|Cotton
| align="right" |165.0
| align="right" |165.0
| align="right" |165.0
| align="right" |327.6
| align="right" |337.2
| align="right" |330.5
|-
|Vegetables
| align="right" |7.3
| align="right" |7.6
| align="right" |7.6
| align="right" |177.5
| align="right" |177.9
| align="right" |178.2
|}
Industry
{| class="wikitable"
| colspan="4" align="center"|Mary Province: Production of selected industrial and processed goods, 2017–2019
|-
|
| align="center" |2017
| align="center" |2018
| align="center" |2019
|-
|Electricity, million kwh
| align="right" |8,074.7
| align="right" |8,260.8
| align="right" |8,831.7
|-
|Natural gas, billion m<sup>3</sup>
| align="right" |20.6
| align="right" |24.8
| align="right" |26.6
|-
|Gas condensate, thousand tonnes
| align="right" |45.7
| align="right" |47.4
| align="right" |42.7
|-
|Mineral fertilizers, NPK basis, thousand tonnes
| align="right" |324.4
| align="right" |318.5
| align="right" |256.7
|-
|Bricks, million
| align="right" |179.3
| align="right" |178.0
| align="right" |201.6
|-
|Cotton lint, thousand tonnes
| align="right" |99.9
| align="right" |63.6
| align="right" |89.8,
|-
|Wool, degreased, thousand tonnes
| align="right" |4.0
| align="right" |4.0
| align="right" |4.0
|-
|Cotton yarn, thousand tonnes
| align="right" |17.3
| align="right" |17.9
| align="right" |19.1
|-
|Cotton textile, million m<sup>2</sup>
| align="right" |43.6
| align="right" |46.0
| align="right" |47.2
|-
|Unrefined vegetable oil, thousand tonnes
| align="right" |25.3
| align="right" |26.0
| align="right" |13.2
|-
|Flour, thousand tonnes
| align="right" |168.0
| align="right" |176.6
| align="right" |173.6
|}
History
thumb|700px|Panorama of the Margush ruins in Mary Province, Turkmenistan
Prehistory
Bronze Age and Iron Age finds support the probability of advanced civilizations in the area including finds associated with a society known to scholars as the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC) – near the modern city of Mary, and at the Jeitun and Gonur Tepe archeological sites.
Founding of Merv
Alexander the Great conquered the territory in the 4th century BC on his way to South Asia. In 330 BC, Alexander marched northward into Central Asia and founded the city of Alexandria Margiana (Merv) near the Murghab River. A busy Silk Road caravan route, connecting Tang dynasty China and the city of Baghdad (in modern Iraq), passed through Merv. The city of Merv was occupied by the lieutenants of the caliph Uthman ibn Affan, and was constituted as the capital of Khorasan. Using this city as their base, the Arabs, led by their commander Qutayba ibn Muslim, brought under subjection Balkh, Bokhara, Fergana and Kashgaria, and penetrated into China as far as the province of Gansu early in the 8th century.
Merv achieved some political spotlight in February 748 when Abu Muslim (d. 750) declared a new Abbasid dynasty at Merv, and set out from the city to conquer Iran and Iraq and establish a new capital at Baghdad. The goldsmith of Merv famously challenged Abu Muslim to do the right thing and not make war on fellow Muslims. The goldsmith was put to death.
In the latter part of the 8th century, Merv became obnoxious to Islam as the centre of heretical propaganda preached by al-Muqanna "The Veiled Prophet of Khorasan". Present Turkmenistan was ruled by Tahirids between 821 and 873. In 873, Arab rule in Central Asia came to an end due to the Saffarid conquest. During their dominion, Merv, like Samarkand and Bokhara, was one of the great schools of learning, and the celebrated historian Yaqut studied in its libraries. Merv produced several scholars in various branches of knowledge, such as Islamic law, Hadith, history, literature, and the like.
Arrival of the Turkmen
In 1055 Seljuk forces entered Baghdad, becoming masters of the Islamic heartlands and important patrons of Islamic institutions. Until these revolts, Turkmen tribesmen were an integral part of the Seljuk military forces. Turkmen migrated with their families and possessions on Seljuk campaigns into Azerbaijan and Anatolia, which began the Turkification of these areas. During this time, Turkmen also began to settle the area of present-day Turkmenistan. Prior to the Turkmen habitation, most of this desert had been uninhabited, while the more habitable areas along the Caspian Sea, Kopet Dag Mountains, Amu Darya, and Murghab River () were populated predominantly by Iranians. The city-state of Merv was an especially large sedentary and agricultural area, important as both a regional economic-cultural center and a transit hub on the Silk Road. The last powerful Seljuk ruler, Sultan Sanjar (d. 1157), witnessed the fragmentation and destruction of the empire because of attacks by Turkmen and other tribes.
O'Donovan also asserted that as of 1881
: The Turkomans of Merv have only been twenty-six years in the oasis. They formerly inhabited the district around Sarakhs on the upper part of the Tejend river. They were driven from there twenty-seven years ago by the Persians, who objected to the neighbourhood of persons so disagreeable as to insist in carrying off Persian men, their wives, and daughters, and selling them at 5L per head in Bokhara.
References
External links
- OpenStreetMap Wiki: Mary Province
- OpenStreetMap Wiki: Districts in Turkmenistan