Aşäher, translated as "city," is the most important form ofthird-level administrative division of Turkmenistan. In theory, a şäher should be more populated than aşäherçe ("town") or ageňeşlik ("rural councils"). In some cases, a şäher may include towns or villages ("oba" /pl. "obalar") within its boudaries.
InTurkmenistan, municipalities with a city status are established by law. Cities fall into three categories:
Cities equivalent to a province, a status claimed byAşgabat only.
Cities with a district status, "etrap hukukly." Those cities must have a population over 30,000 and fulfill an administrative, an economic or a cultural role within its province. There are 7 of them.
Cities within a district. Those cities must have a population over 8,000 and possess some of the following actors or structures: Industrial enterprises, construction and transport organizations, utilities, municipally-owned housing stock, socio-cultural institutions, trade and social services.[1][2] There are 44 of them.
Cities with district status, along with regular districts, are headed by apresidentially appointedhäkim, translated as "governor" or "mayor" in the case of a city. Three cities in Turkmenistan,Aşgabat,Arkadag, andTurkmenbaşy, are further subdivided intoboroughs with district status, each of them having its ownhäkim. Cities within a district are subordinated to the district's intitutions and are administered jointly. Those cities are headed by ageňeş, an elected council chaired by anarçyn ("elder") who serves as both chairman and mayor.[1][2]
Here is a list of the 52 municipalities designated as cities by law in Turkmenistan arranged by administrative divisions and alphabetical order as of December 20, 2022. Cities with district status arebolded.
The former cities ofGumdag andHazar were downgraded to town status in November 2022, and thus have been removed from this list.[23] The cities previously named Gurbansoltan Eje adyndaky, Nyýazow, and Serdar were renamed Andalyp, Şabat, and Gyzylarbat respectively.[23] The new city of Arkadag was formally incorporated on 20 December 2022 by act of the Turkmen parliament.[3]
Media related toCities in Turkmenistan at Wikimedia Commons
