Ahal Province

Ahal Province (Turkmen: Ahal welaýaty, Ахал велаяты) is ane o the welayatlar (provinces) o Turkmenistan. It is in the sooth-centre o the kintra, borderin Iran an Afghanistan alang the Kopet Dag Range. Its aurie is 97,160 km² (37,510 sq mi) an population 939,700 (2005 est.).^[1] In 2000, Ahal Province accoontit for 14% o Turkmenistan's population, 11% o the total number o employed, 23% o agricultural production (bi value), an 31% o the kintra's total industrial production.^[2]

Ahal's agriculture is irrigatit bi the Karakum Canal, which stretches aw the way athort the province frae east tae wast, trackin Turkmenistan's soothren border. Anither water source is Tejen River, which flows north frae Afghanistan in the sooth-east corner o the province, passin through twa lairge reservoirs sooth o the ceety o Tejen.

Ahal is kent for the Geok Tepe battle o 1881, today the site o an imposin new mosque Archived 2010-01-17 at the Wayback Machine, an for the Baharden unnergrund warm lake (in the Kov Ata karst cave),^[3][4] baith wast o Ashgabat.

The caipital o Ahal Province is Anau (or Annau), a toun on the sooth-eastren ootskirts o Ashgabat. Ither notable touns are Abadan (umwhile Büzmeýin, Roushie: Безмеин) north-wast o Ashgabat an Tejen in the sooth-east near the border wi Mary Province. Turkmenistan's lairgest ceety, Ashgabat, is locatit athin the Ahal Province, but it haes the status o a special caipital destrict ootside the provincial jurisdiction.

1. ↑ Statistical Yearbook of Turkmenistan 2000-2004, National Institute of State Statistics and Information of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 2005.
2. ↑ Social-economic situation of Turkmenistan in 2000, National Institute of State Statistics and Information of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 2001, pp. 129-130 (in Roushie).
3. ↑ Baharden warm lake Archived 2008-11-21 at the Wayback Machine in Kov Ata cave.
4. ↑ Turkmenistan: an official guide Archived 2011-10-06 at the Wayback Machine (downloadable Word file).