Sights of the town of Dashoguz in Turkmenistan.

Dashoguz velayat equals 73 000 km2 and its population 1.1 million inhabitants. It is situated in the northern part of Turkmenistan on the left bank of the Lower Amu Darya, in the Karakum desert.
The northern part of the region is occupied by the ancient delta of the Amu Darya River and the Sarykamysh Hollow with a lake, and the southeast part – by the Ustyurt plateau. The administrative centre is Dashoguz city.
The words of the President of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Turkmenbashi that “we never to uncover the facts of history in full” have become a powerful stimulus for Turkmen historians studying the historical past of the country.
Special attention is devoted to archaeological research into the centers of ancient civilizations. The archaeological and cultural – historical monuments of Kunya-Urgench take a special place among the numerous examples of history in Turkmenistan.
With good reason, Kunya-Urgench is on the UNESCO register as being a monument of world inheritance. Kunya-Urgench was the capital of ancient Khorezm, founded in the first century A.D. 
The town reached its heyday in the first two centuries of the present millennium and was destroyed by the Mongols in 1221. Later it was revived as an important transshipment trade centre of the Great Silk Road, before its final destruction in 1288 with the overwhelming pressure of Tamerlan’s troops.
The interest of experts, historians and tourists in Kunya-Urgench has not died away. Besides the historical architectural monuments of Kunya-Urgench itself, are the ruins of the medieval settlements of Shakhsenem, Decsen Gala and the Fortress of Izmukshir.
Responding to the growing interest of tourists to the region, the Ministry of culture of Turkmenistan together with the UNDP experts has begun realization of a special program to preserve and restore the historical monuments, and develop a tourism infrastructure in the Dashkhovuz’s velayat, where the monuments of ancient Kunya-Urgench are located. According to the UNDP experts, the important factors influencing the development of tourism in the region have three main lines: the historical zone of Kunya-Urgench, the Sarakamysh lake and the Kapaskly reserve.
The integration of these tourist sites into the common Central Asian tourist system will add to the streams of foreign visitors, increasing employment of the local population in the infrastructure of the tourist business, and promoting the inflow of foreign currency into the economy if the velayat.
The other important direction of the UNDP program is the investment of one million dollars in further archaeological excavations on the territory of Kunya-Urgench and the creation of a modern financial and technical basis for the local historical museums.
The joint efforts of the Turkmen specialists and international experts underline the cultural and historical significance of the monuments of Kunya-Urgench for the whole world community.

Authority:
Alexey Shirobokov. “Tourism and Development” №1,1999.