Ashgabat is a relatively young city, growing out of a
village of the same name established by Russian officers in 1881 after the Battle
of Geok Tepe. It is not far from the site of Nisa, the ancient capital of the Parthian
Empire, and it grew on the ruins of the Silk Road city of Konjikala, which was
first mentioned as a wine-producing village in 2nd century BCE and was leveled
by an earthquake in 1st century BCE (a precursor of the 1948 Ashgabat
earthquake). Konjikala was rebuilt because of its advantageous location on the
Silk Road and it flourished until its destruction by Mongols in the 13th
century CE. After
