James Baquet Turkmenistan is a central Asian country. In fact, it calls itself the “middlest country of central Asia,” and a look at the map shows that the saying is more or less correct, given its location on the eastern shores of the Caspian Sea, with Kazakhstan to its northwest, Uzbekistan to its north and east, Afghanistan to its southeast, and Iran along the south. With only about 5.6 million people, it has the smallest population of any republic in central Asia. Another crossroads country, it lies athwart the Silk Road caravan route, and is home to a host of historic cities, including the World Heritage Sites of Ancient Merv, a major oasis city located near modern Mary; Koneurgenc, the ruins of the 12th-century capital of one part of the First Persian Empire, which as yet have not been excavated; and the Parthian Fortresses of Nisa, a third-century B.C. city lying near modern Turkmenistan’s capital and largest city, Ashgabat. Eight more sites are on the tentative UNESCO list, including one that features trails of dinosaur footprints. The Turkmen people constitute 85 percent of the population; their language is also called Turkmen, a (not surprisingly) Turkic language which is also spoken in northeastern Iran. The population also includes Uzbeks, Russians and others. Turkmenistan became independent of the Soviet Union in 1991. From 1511 to 1920 (with one six-year interruption), Turkmenistan was known as the Khanate of Khiva, with a series of rulers called “khans” descended directly from the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan. The Khanate of Khiva also included portions of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, in the latter of which the capital city of Khiva was located. Khiva is now a modern city of some 50,000, located just 10 kilometers or so from Turkmenistan’s northern border, and was designated Uzbekistan’s first World Heritage Site. Around 90 percent of Turkmens are Muslim; most of the remainder are Christians, mainly Eastern Orthodox. Arabic language and the Quran are taught in schools, and mosques that were closed during the Soviet era have been restored since independence. Vocabulary: Which word above means: 1. road, course 2. ancient, extinct reptile 3. large number 4. stopped, broken 5. Muslim place of worship 6. remains of ancient buildings 7. put back into service 8. Muslim holy book 9. across, side to side | 