Lebap Region

History

The region of present-day Lebap once occupied a spot along the Silk Road. The 9th-10th century caravansaray of Dayahatyn is located within Lebap.

Bukhara and Khiva khanates

Prior to the Russian Revolution, much of today's Lebap Region was part of either the Khanate of Bukhara or the Khanate of Khiva. The last khan of Bukhara, Sayyid Mir Muhammad Alim Khan, nominally submitted to Soviet authority, but in reality joined the Basmachi movement and rebelled against the Bolsheviks. He fled in 1920, and the area was declared a people's republic until Soviet power was firmly established in 1924. In that same year, the settlements at Çärjew and Kerki were formally assigned to the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, along with the western parts of the Khiva khanate along the Amu Darya.

Recent history

On April 27, 2020, the region was hit by a severe windstorm. RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty alleged that the storm disrupted much of the region's electrical grid, public water supplies, natural gas connections, cell service, and internet connection. A local human rights website, Turkmen.news, reported that many people were admitted to the regional hospital in Türkmenabat after suffering injuries. They also alleged that there was sporadic looting in the storm's aftermath and that food prices in the region rose as a result of the storm. Local Turkmen media reported 10 deaths resulting from the storm, while Turkmen.news suggested that the true death toll was likely in the dozens, and dozens remained unaccounted for in the storm's aftermath. The rights group Human Rights Watch condemned what it perceived as "censorship" by local officials following the storm, noting that one group alleged that local police were watching out for people filming the storm's damage, and another group reported that dozens of people were detained for allegedly sending videos "abroad".

In December 2020, RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty reported that regional officials threatened to cut off the region's population from subsidized food if they were not up to date on their utility bills. The agency reported that many in the region received seasonal income from farming, and often did not earn money in the winter, and such matters were complicated by a decrease in remittances to the region as a result of the economic fallout from COVID-19.

Demographic

Table of National composition of the population of Lebap region (2022)

Table:

Administrative divisions

As of 2021, according to the official website of the regional government, Lebap Region included one city with status equivalent to a district, 10 districts, 14 cities "in the district" (), 24 towns, 105 rural councils, and 429 villages.

Districts

As of 9 November 2022 Lebap Region () is subdivided into eight districts (etrap, plural etraplar):

:* Çarjew (formerly Serdarabat) :* Darganata (formerly Birata) :* Dänew (formerly Galkynyş) :* Halaç :* Hojambaz :* Kerki (formerly Atamyrat) :* Köýtendag (formerly Çarşaňňy) :* Saýat

In November 2017 four districts, (Beýik Türkmenbaşy, Garaşsyzlyk, Garabekwül, and Sakar), were abolished and their territories absorbed by other districts. In November 2022 another two districts, Döwletli and Farap, were similarly abolished.

Municipalities

As of January 1, 2017, the region included 15 cities (, ), 23 towns (, ), 106 rural or village councils (, ), and 430 villages (, , or ).

In the list below, the lone city with "district status" is bolded: :* Dänew (formerly Galkynyş) :* Darganata (formerly Birata) :* Dostluk (formerly Yuzhnyy) :* Farap :* Garabekewül :* Gazojak :* Halaç :* Hojambaz :* Kerki (formerly Atamyrat) :* Köýtendag (formerly Çarşaňňy) :* Magdanly (formerly Gowurdak) :* Sakar :* Saýat :* Seýdi (formerly Neftezavodsk) :* Türkmenabat (formerly Çärjew)

Economy

Agriculture

Crop production in Lebap is heavily dependent on irrigation from the Amu Darya. Fields are cultivated when one-and-a-half to two meters above the floodplains of the river, primarily cereal grains and cotton.

Extraction industries

Lebap is rich in various natural resources, most notably, natural gas. The region is home to the Malai Gas Field and the Bagtyýarlyk Gas Field, which both serve as major suppliers of natural gas to China.

The Garlyk Mining and Enrichment Amalgamate in Köýtendag District produces potash fertilizer, and the Seýdi Oil Refinery is one of two petroleum refineries in Turkmenistan.

From antiquity, local residents quarried sulfur, zinc and lead in the Köýtendag (Kungitang) foothills for domestic needs, including casting of bullets. During the Soviet period, a lead mine was dug and the town of Svintsovyy Rudnik was founded.

Construction materials

The Lebap Cement Plant in Turkmenabat has a design capacity of one million tons per year. Polimeks built it in 2012. In 2020, construction of a second plant, in Köýtendag District, also with a design capacity of one million tons, got underway.

Power generation

The Zerger power plant under construction by Sumitomo, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, and Rönesans Holding in Çärjew District will have a design capacity of 432 megawatts. It is primarily intended for export of electricity. The Zerger plant will use natural gas from the Üçajy Gas Field (), delivered via a 125-km high-pressure pipeline.

Nature preserves and reservations

• Amudarya State Nature Reserve
• Köýtendag Nature Reserve
• Repetek Biosphere State Reserve

Tourist attractions

• Aýrybaba
• Dayahatyn caravansaray (in use 9th to 16th centuries)
• Dinosaur Plateau

References

Qashqadaryo Region, Uzbekistan Jowzjan Province, Afghanistan

References

1. "Turkmenistan: Regions, Major Cities & Towns - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information".
2. ''Statistical Yearbook of Turkmenistan 2000-2004'', National Institute of State Statistics and Information of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 2005.
3. UNESCO., Ahmad Hasan Dani, and V. M. Masson. 1992. [https://books.google.com/books?id=AzG5llo3YCMC&dq=lebap+lab-i+ab&pg=PA128 History of civilizations of Central Asia]. Vol. V. Paris: Unesco. p.128
4. (2010). "TÜRKMENISTANYŇ GEOGRAFIÝASY". Ministry of Education.
5. (2015-06-04). "Ambassador Mustard Travels to Lebap Province". [[United States Department of State]].
6. Skosyrev, P.. (1948). "Туркменистан". Molodaya Gvardiya.
7. Skosyrev, P.. (1948). "Туркменистан". Molodaya Gvardiya.
8. (30 April 2020). "Turkmen Province 'In Chaos' After Deadly Windstorms". [[U.S. Agency for Global Media]].
9. (2020-05-04). "Turkmenistan Government's Deafening Silence After Hurricane".
10. Najibullah, Farangis. (2020-12-25). "Grim Choice: Turkmen Warned Of Food Cutoffs Over Unpaid Utility Bills".
11. link
12. "Lebap Region official website".
13. (10 November 2022). "Постановление Меджлиса Милли Генгеша Туркменистана". Электронная газета «Золотой век».
14. Türkmenistanyň Mejlisi. (2010–2018). "Türkmenistanyş Mejlisiniň Karary".
15. . . (). "". link. [[State Committee of Turkmenistan on Statistics]]
16. . . (2017-11-27). "". link
17. Skosyrev, P.. (1948). "Туркменистан". Molodaya Gvardiya.
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20. (2015-09-28). "Turkmenistan supplied 125BCM of gas to China". Natural Gas World.
21. Skosyrev, P.. (1948). "Туркменистан". Molodaya Gvardiya.
22. "lead ore mine" in English; today called Gurşun Magdan Käni şäherçesi, "town of lead ore mine"
23. [https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/531255297#map=14/37.8651/66.4389 Way: Gurshun Magdan Kani (531255297)]
24. "Лебапский цементный завод Туркменабад – 2012". Polimeks.
25. (15 July 2020). "В Лебапском велаяте началось строительство 2-й очереди цементного завода". Arzuw.
26. (3 July 2020). "В Койтендагском этрапе начнется строительство второй очереди цементного завода «Лебап»". Turkmenportal.
27. (9 April 2021). "Новости Лебапа: производство шелковичных коконов и строительство магистрального газопровода". «Туркменистан: золотой век».
28. (2020). "Türkmenistanyň Ýyllyk Statistik Neşiri 2019 Ýyl". State Committee of Statistics of Turkmenistan.
29. Bushmakin, A.. (4 February 2012). "Следы динозавров в Койтендаге". Alpagama.
30. (7 April 2015). "Всё о Койтендаге: Айрыбаба, Ходжапиль, Плато динозавров, Карлюкские пещеры…". Alpagama.