Darganata Birata (2003-2017) Dargan-Ata | |
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  Darganata Location in Turkmenistan | |
| Coordinates:40°29′N62°10′E / 40.483°N 62.167°E /40.483; 62.167 | |
| Country |  Turkmenistan |
| Province | Lebap Province |
| District | Darganata District |
| Population (2010) | |
• Total | 21,465 |
| Postal code | 745190 |
Darganata is the capital city ofDarganata District inLebap Province ofTurkmenistan.
From 14 May 2003 to 27 November 2017, the city was calledBirata.[1][2]
The name Darganata is of obscure origin. Atanyyazow speculates thatdargan might be from an Arabic-origin root referring to "boat" or "hull" (the city is on theAmu Darya) but finds the suffixata ("father") inexplicable.[3][4]Paul Brummell notes that the name could be interpreted as "Divided Ata Tribe"; this had prompted the renaming to Birata, meaning "United Ata Tribe"![5]
The place developed out of the Khorezm settlement of Dargan; however, the modern city lies about 3 km north.[5] Nothing exists of the ancient settlement except the wall-perimeter.[5]
On 27 July 2016, the erstwhile town was upgraded to a city; over a year later, on 5 November 2017, its Soviet-era name of Darganata was restored.
The Darganata Mausoleum (c. 14th c.) stands between the modern town and the walled perimeter of the ancient settlement; according to local tradition, it is the tomb ofAbu Muslim.[5] However, this appears to be untrue since contemporary sources record that Muslim's mutilated body was thrown in the RiverTigris.[6]
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