Excursion on historical sights of city of Atamurat.

Atamurat (turkmen. Atamurat, till 1999, after 2017 Kerki) - the town in Turkmenistan, the administrative center of the Atamuratsky Etrap of Lebap Region. It is located in the east of Turkmenistan on the left (western) coast of Amu Darya.
The town is located on the left coast of Amu-Darya, in 200 km to the southeast from Türkmenabat. In the city there are a bus station, the airport and the railway station. In 2012 "The Turkmen airlines" announced the international tender for design and construction of the new airport complex in the city, with a capacity of 100 passengers in an hour.
In February, 2013 the automobile bridge the connecting Atamurat with the settlement of Kerkichi was put into operation. Railway traffic since the end of 2009 is carried out in the following 3 directions:
on the northwest - to Türkmenabat (in Soviet period the station was called Chardzhou) 203 km long, constructed in 1999. On the southeast - through the 14-flying railway bridge opened on September 16, 2009 through Amu Darya 1414 meters long to the station Kerkichi.
On the right coast and then 125 km to border Kelif and further 94 more km to Termez (Uzbekistan). On the northeast - through the same bridge to the station Kerkichi and then 120 km to Qarshi (Uzbekistan) through border Talimardzhan.After commissioning of the railway bridge construction of the automobile bridge through Amu Darya is begun. Design and building of railway and automobile transition through the river made and conduct now (in 2010) the construction organizations of Ukraine.
The project on the southern direction. In the spring of 2013 the agreement on construction of the railroad Turkmenistan - Afghanistan - Tajikistan (TAT) bypassing Uzbekistan from the South is reached.
In November, 2015 Turkmenistan Atamurat (Kerki) - Imamnazar (border check-point) finished a construction of 85 km of the site across the territory. By November, 2016 4 more km of the railroad to Afghanistan to Akin's station are laid.
Tajikistan offered Afghanistan 4 options of a route for the site of the railroad between two countries, giving preference to the shortest route of Ayvadzh - Kaldar - Hairatan. In this case the TAT will pass a part of a route across the line Hairatan - Mazar-i-Sharif which was constructed by Uzbekistan. According to a census of 1991 in it is mute about 20 thousand people lived.
The settlement arose in the middle of the I millennium BC. In the Middle Ages it carried the name "Zemm". The name "Kerki" presumably happened from Persian Kerk - the building, a structure.
Since 1999 the city bears a name of the father S. Niyazov - Atamurat. In the neighborhood of the city mausoleums Astana Woman (the XI-XII century of century) are located and Alamberdara (or Muntasira) - the beginning of the X century, other historical constructions, many of which became subjects to worship of believers.
Already in Soviet period in 1928 the 47th Kerkin boundary group which, "made a powerful contribution to defeat of the basmatch movement in Central Asia" was created here. The basmatch movement Bolsheviks called the national liberation movement extended in all territory of Central Asia in 20 - the 30th years of the last century.
In the town there is a historical quarter with rich pseudo-east architecture of the pre-revolutionary city. Locals make thrifty use of ancient monuments. In the city there is a cozy local history museum located in the old building.
By forces of employees of the museum and volunteers, but it is not absolutely qualitative, wooden carved columns were restored. Astana Woman is in the area the only new sports complex.
The gym located in the ancient building of the former (Gregorian) church, the plate "Also hangs on the building the monument of architecture is protected by the state". During Niyazov's government the local airport was closed. In this city documentary and feature films "Lachin", "Here the Father Will Return" of the Turkmen director H.Kakabayev, the well-known movie of the director O. Kuliyev of "Kaygysyz Atabayev" and many other movies were shot.

Authority:
On materials of information department of the State committee of Turkmenistan on tourism and sport.