History of Turkmenistan

The history of the peoples and territories of Turkmenistan, shaped by ancient oasis civilizations, imperial rule, nomadic societies, and the creation of an independent state in 1991.

Margiana: An ancient Bronze Age civilization centered on the Murghab River delta in present-day Turkmenistan. Its settlements, including Gonur Depe, reveal one of the earliest complex societies in the region.
Arab conquest of Transoxiana: The seventh- and eighth-century Muslim expansion into the lands north of Iran and east of the Caspian Sea. It brought Islam and new political structures to much of the region.
Oghuz Turks: A grouping of Turkic peoples whose migrations and political formations shaped West and Central Asian history. Turkmen identities developed within the wider history of Oghuz-speaking peoples.
Transcaspian Oblast: An administrative region of the Russian Empire established in Central Asia in the late nineteenth century. It provided an imperial framework for governing much of the territory that became Turkmenistan.
History of Uzbekistan: The history of the peoples and territories that form modern Uzbekistan, from ancient oasis states to independence. Uzbekistan shares regional empires with Turkmenistan but developed different borders and political centers.
Gonur Depe: A major Bronze Age settlement and ceremonial center in the ancient region of Margiana. Excavations there illuminate urban life before the great empires entered the region.
Seljuk Empire: A medieval Turkic Muslim empire that ruled large parts of West and Central Asia in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The Seljuks made Merv a major imperial capital.
Seljuk dynasty: A Turkic ruling house that established the Seljuk Empire across much of West and Central Asia. The dynasty rose from Oghuz groups and governed from Merv during its expansion.
Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic: A constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1925 until Turkmenistan's independence in 1991. Soviet boundaries and institutions formed the basis of the independent state.
History of Kazakhstan: The history of the peoples and territories that form modern Kazakhstan, including steppe polities and Russian and Soviet rule. Its steppe-centered history contrasts with Turkmenistan's oasis settlements and desert tribal confederations.

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History of TajikistanCompared with: Both republics emerged from Soviet rule, but their regional histories and post-Soviet political developments differ.