Anau, Ahal Province, Turkmenistan

🇹🇲 Anau is a city in Turkmenistan. It is the capital of Ahal Province and is 8 km south-east of Ashgabat, to which it is connected via the M37 highway.

Etymology The name Anau derives from Turkic Ana ev (Mother's Home), meaning "Mother's Home".

Overview The city built a new stadium in 2003 and the National White Wheat Museum in 2005 to house artifacts recovered from the area.

The city was designated "Cultural Capital of the Turkic World" for 2024 at the 39th session of the Permanent Council of Ministers of Culture of TURKSOY.

Archaeology The Chalcolithic Anau culture dates to 4500 BC, following the Neolithic Jeitun culture in the cultural sequence of southern Turkmenistan.

Anau was excavated by a joint Turkmen-U.S. archaeological expedition in the 1990s and 2000s. Anau was a stopping point along the ancient Silk Road. Fine painted pottery is found here.

Transport The city is connected to Ashgabat and Mary by M37 highway.

The largest nearby airport is Ashgabat International Airport, which offers domestic and international flights.

Sport In soccer, Anau is represented by Ahal FK of Ýokary Liga, who play their home games in Ashgabat.

The city has a stadium Änew Sport Toplumy with 10 thousand seats.

Economy: Industry The Ahal State Power Station (Ahal Döwlet Elektrik Stansiýasy), located about 9 km NE of Anau, with design capacity of 650 megawatts, was constructed to power the city of Ashgabat. It began operating in 2010 with two gas turbines producing 254.2 MW. Three small gas turbines were added in 2013 and two more gas turbines in 2014, bringing capacity to 648.1 MW. The additional capacity was needed in particular to power Ashgabat's Olympic Village.