Sarahs Sarahs | |
|---|---|
  Sarahs Location in Turkmenistan | |
| Coordinates:36°32′N61°13′E / 36.533°N 61.217°E /36.533; 61.217 | |
| Country |  Turkmenistan |
| Province | Ahal Province |
| District | Sarahs District |
| Elevation | 285 m (935 ft) |
| Population (1989 census)[1] | |
• Total | 9,585 |
Sarahs (Turkmen pronunciation:[θɑˈɾɑχθ], also writtenSaraghs,Serahs,Sarakhs,Saragt, orSerakhs, the last a backformation ofRussian:Серахс) is anoasis city inAhal Province,Turkmenistan, and the administrative center ofSarahs district (Turkmen:Sarahs etraby). It is located at latitude 36°31' North; longitude 61°12' East and an elevation of 285m abovesea level. It is one of the oases of the ancientSilk Road lying betweenMerv to the east andMashhad to the west. In 1989 the city had a population of 9,585.[1]
InSoviet times called Saragt inTurkmen, the city was referred to as Sarahs in antiquity and continuously to the present by locals. The meaning is unknown, but medieval historians asserted that it was a person's name.[2]
The Sarahs Oasis surrounding the town has been inhabited since 2nd millennium BCE. The main administrative centre was Old Serakhs, located in a slightly raised area somewhat south of the towns's present location. At the original site there remain a few brick fragments of the former citadel. The town claims to have been founded in 507BCE. Although this is considered to be a somewhat arbitrary choice of date,[3] the city duly celebrated its 2500th anniversary in 1993. During theSassanid period aZoroastrian fire temple was constructed inMele Hairam, about 15 km east of the town. It has been excavated byPolish archaeologists fromWarsaw University since 1997.[4] In theSeljuk Era a famous school of architects was located in Sarahs, along with a mausoleum commemorating the 11th centurysufi Abul Fazl (Serakhs Baba). In 1089 Yarty Gumbez mausoleum was constructed 8 km south of the town, possibly as a burial site for Sheikh Ahmed Al Khady.
The modern settlement was established in 1884 when Sarahs Oasis was annexed by theRussian Empire. It served as a Russian military post at theIranian border. It was inhabited mainly by settlers ofRussian and Polish origin. AnOrthodox church, which no longer survives, was constructed in the town.
In 2010 monuments of Sarahs, including Old Serakhs, the Abul Fazl mausoleum, and the Mele Hairam temple complex were inscribed on the Tentative List to becomeUNESCOWorld Heritage Sites as a part of the "Silk Roads Sites in Turkmenistan" entry by the Turkmen government.[5]
Sarahs has a borderlinehot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classificationBSh)/hot arid climate (BWh), with cool winters and sweltering, rainless summers. Rainfall is generally light and erratic, and occurs mainly in the winter and spring months.
| Climate data for Serakhs (1991-2020, extremes 1903-present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 29.5 (85.1) | 32.9 (91.2) | 39.9 (103.8) | 43.3 (109.9) | 45.7 (114.3) | 47.3 (117.1) | 48.2 (118.8) | 47.3 (117.1) | 45.7 (114.3) | 44.3 (111.7) | 36.2 (97.2) | 33.0 (91.4) | 48.2 (118.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 11.0 (51.8) | 13.0 (55.4) | 18.7 (65.7) | 25.6 (78.1) | 32.5 (90.5) | 37.3 (99.1) | 39.0 (102.2) | 37.4 (99.3) | 32.6 (90.7) | 26.0 (78.8) | 17.7 (63.9) | 12.2 (54.0) | 25.3 (77.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.5 (41.9) | 7.2 (45.0) | 12.3 (54.1) | 18.5 (65.3) | 25.0 (77.0) | 29.9 (85.8) | 31.6 (88.9) | 29.5 (85.1) | 24.4 (75.9) | 18.0 (64.4) | 11.1 (52.0) | 6.7 (44.1) | 18.3 (65.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.4 (34.5) | 2.6 (36.7) | 7.1 (44.8) | 12.6 (54.7) | 18.0 (64.4) | 22.4 (72.3) | 24.1 (75.4) | 22.1 (71.8) | 17.2 (63.0) | 11.3 (52.3) | 5.9 (42.6) | 2.4 (36.3) | 12.3 (54.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −25.6 (−14.1) | −23.3 (−9.9) | −11.4 (11.5) | −3.0 (26.6) | 2.6 (36.7) | 9.0 (48.2) | 12.1 (53.8) | 9.7 (49.5) | 2.1 (35.8) | −7.9 (17.8) | −15.3 (4.5) | −22.1 (−7.8) | −25.6 (−14.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 29 (1.1) | 33 (1.3) | 43 (1.7) | 30 (1.2) | 12 (0.5) | 0.8 (0.03) | 0.2 (0.01) | 0.1 (0.00) | 0.9 (0.04) | 5 (0.2) | 15 (0.6) | 17 (0.7) | 186 (7.38) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 4.8 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 31.3 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 70.1 | 66.8 | 59.9 | 51.3 | 38.9 | 26.9 | 25.3 | 24.2 | 29.3 | 40.5 | 59.4 | 70.7 | 46.9 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 146.8 | 141.5 | 172.7 | 213.0 | 302.2 | 359.5 | 378.7 | 358.9 | 315.1 | 256.0 | 191.7 | 145.8 | 2,981.9 |
| Source 1: Pogoda.ru.net,[6] climatebase.ru (humidity)[7] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:NOAA[8][9] | |||||||||||||
Sarahs is a crossing point on the Iranian-Turkmen border and the place wherebogies must bechanged on the freight railway line fromTejen toMashhad inIran, which was opened in 1996. The passenger connection between Sarahs andAshgabat is also operated.[citation needed] The airport at Sarahs is out of service.
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36°32′N61°13′E / 36.533°N 61.217°E /36.533; 61.217
