Kaka, Turkmenistan
Kaka
Kaka şäheri | |
|---|---|
City | |
Kaka Location in Turkmenistan | |
| Coordinates: 37°21′N 59°36′E / 37.350°N 59.600°E | |
| Country | Turkmenistan |
| Province | Ahal Province |
| District | Kaka District |
| Population (2022 official census) | |
• City | 33,759 |
| • Urban | 33,315 |
| • Rural | 444 |
| Time zone | UTC+5 |
Kaka, also known in Russian as Kaakhka ("Каахка"), is a city in and capital of Kaka District, Ahal Province, Turkmenistan. It lies on the Trans-Caspian railway and the M37 highway. In 2022, it had a population of 33,315 people.[1]
Etymology
The name Kaka is of obscure origin.[2] Some local elders have attributed it to an eponymous "long-forgotten" local king, while others to the Persian onomatopoeic word قهقهه (Qahqahe) "ha-ha", a deep laugh, indicating that the area is a happy land.[2] The current spelling of the name, Kaka, was established by parliamentary decree in April 1992.[3]
History
Timur had a fortress—of unknown antiquity—restored in 1382 during his campaigns in East Caspian lands, and named it "Kahkah".[2][4] The ruins of the fortress command immense archaeological significance.[4]
The city was initially known as Kaakhka by the Russian, then renamed Ginzberg ("Гинцбeрг") from 1919 until 1927.[5] It was renamed Kaakhka once again in 1927.
Fighting took place in Kaka between the Trans Caspian Mensheviks and the Tashkent Bolsheviks on 28 August and on 11 and 18 September 1918 during the Russian Civil War. Troops of the British India Army were involved.[6]
Dependencies
Kaka as a town has only a single dependent rural village: Hywaabat.
Transport
There is a Tsarist era railway station.[4]
References
- ^ "Türkmenistanyň Statistika baradaky döwlet komiteti". www.stat.gov.tm. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
- ^ a b c Atanyýazow, Soltanşa (1980). Түркменистаның Географик Атларының Дүшүндиришли Сөзлүги [Explanatory Dictionary of Geographic Names in Turkmenistan]. Ashgabat: Ылым. p. 175.
- ^ "ТҮРКМЕНИСТАН ЁКАРЫ СОВЕТИНИҢ ПРЕЗИДИУМЫНЫҢ КАРАРЫ Областларың, районларың ве шәхерлериң атларының рус дилинде язылышыны түркмен транскрипциясына лайыклыкда үзгүнлешдирмек хакында, №- 680 – XII" (PDF) (in Turkmen). Government of Turkmenistan. 17 April 1992. pp. 2–4.
- ^ a b c Brummell, Paul (2005). Turkmenistan. Bradt Travel Guides. pp. 124–125. ISBN 978-1-84162-144-9.
- ^ "ГЕОГРАФИЧЕСКИЕ НАЗВАНИЯ РЕСПУБЛИКИ ТУРКМЕНИСТАН". whp057.narod.ru. Archived from the original on 4 May 2008. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Operations in Trans-Caspia Archived 4 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Behind the Lines, accessed 23 September 2009
37°21′N 59°36′E / 37.350°N 59.600°E