Abadan, Turkmenistan


Abadan is a district of Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. Formerly a separate town in Ahal Province, in 2013 it was incorporated into Ashgabat as part of a program that expanded the capital's area by about 15%.
It was founded in 1963 and bore the name Büzmeýin until October 2002, when its name was changed by Turkmenistan's president Saparmurat Niyazov. The traditional Russian name of the town is Bezmein.
The town's current mayor, Orazmyrat Garajaýew, was one of the approved candidates for the 2007 presidential election.
There are about 50,000 people living in Abadan. There is a power plant where Saparmurat Niyazov, former president of Turkmenistan, used to work.

Etymology

The origin of the name of the city is the same as in the Iranian city Abadan. The word is consisted of the noun 'ābād' which means inhabited, populous and thriving, joined by 'ān' which is the Persian suffix forming the plural form often used in Persian language meaning 'the Place of'.

Transport

The town is served by a station on the national railway system.

2011 arms depot explosion

On 7 July 2011, beginning around 16:45, massive blasts occurred in Abadan. According to government officials, they occurred at a fireworks warehouse, killing 2 military men and 13 civilians. Opposition groups, however, claim it was in fact a Soviet-era arms depot that caused the explosions, with a death toll above 1,300 people.