Gumdag

Gumdag
Gumdag şäherçesi
Town
Gumdag
Location in Turkmenistan
Coordinates: 39°12′15″N 54°35′06″E / 39.20416598057923°N 54.584895193362705°E / 39.20416598057923; 54.584895193362705
Country Turkmenistan
ProvinceBalkan Region
CityBalkanabat
Population
 • Total
30,884
Time zoneUTC+5

Gumdag, formerly known as Kum-Dag (in Russian: "Кум-Даг"), is a town in Balkan Province, Turkmenistan. It is located 43 km southeast of the city of Balkanabat. To the south-east of the town, lies the Boyadag Mud Volcano.[1] In 2022, it had a population of 30,884 people.[2]

Etymology

The name is derived from two words in Turkmen, gum ("sand") and dag ("mountain, hill").[3] Atanyyazow postulates that the name came from the sand hill 3 km to the west where the first oil well in the area was drilled.[4]

Economy

The town is home to the Gumdag oil and gas field, which is the main driver of the local economy.[1]

History

Before Gumdag was established, the settlement was called Khuday-Dag, Bahangosha and Monjukly.[4] Gumdag was founded as a village in the 1930s by nomadic families from nearby settlements. In the same years, a well-drilling machine was installed by the government on the sand hill 3 km west of the village. With the development of oil production from the region, people from Balkanabat and other cities started to flock here. From 1951 to 1956, it was attached to the Ashgabat region. It used to be a city-with-district-status until November 2022, and alongside Hazar, it became subordinate to City of Balkanabat.[5]

Population

1959 1970 1979 1989 2022
9,237[6] 11,615[7] 14,449[8] 16,529[9] 30,884[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Brummell, Paul (2005). Turkmenistan. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 152. ISBN 978-1-84162-144-9.
  2. ^ a b "Türkmenistanyň Statistika baradaky döwlet komiteti". www.stat.gov.tm. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  3. ^ Frank, Allen J.; Touch-Werner, Jeren (October 20, 1999). Turkmen-English Dictionary (in English and Turkmen). Kensington, Maryland: Dunwoody Press. ISBN 978-1881265290.
  4. ^ a b Atanyýazow, Soltanşa (1980). Түркменистаның Географик Атларының Дүшүндиришли Сөзлүги [Explanatory Dictionary of Geographic Names in Turkmenistan]. Ashgabat: Ylym. p. 118.
  5. ^ "Постановление Меджлиса Милли Генгеша Туркменистана" (in Russian). Электронная газета «Золотой век». 10 November 2022.
  6. ^ Перепись населения СССР (1959)
  7. ^ Перепись населения СССР (1970)
  8. ^ Перепись населения СССР (1979)
  9. ^ Перепись населения СССР (1989)