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It is situated on a plain on the left bank of the Amu Darya river. Nearby towns and villages include Mukry (3.3 nm), Amydarýa (2.1 nm), Surhy (3.1 nm) and Kerkichi (2.2 nm).[2]
According to Atanyyazow, the name Kerki is most likely of Persian origin, from ker ("fortress") and kuh ("mountain"), meaning "fortress on a mountain".[4] However, Muqaddasī and de Goeje assert it is a Turkified pronunciation of the Persian name Karkuh (کرکوه), meaning "deaf mountain".[5] The ancient name, Zamm, is of obscure origin.
On 29 December 1999, by Parliamentary Resolution HM-60, the city and district of Kerki were renamed Atamyrat in honor of Atamyrat Nyýazow, father of Saparmurat Niyazov, who had worked in Kerki as a teacher before being killed in World War II. On 25 November 2017, by Parliamentary Resolution No. 679-V, Atamyrat was changed back to Kerki for both the city and the district.[6]
Architecture
The urban core consists of numerous one-story brick structures dating back to the period of the Russian Empire..[7]
Transportation
Air
The town is served by the new Kerki Airport, which replaced a defunct municipal airport in 2021.[8]
Road
Kerki lies on the P-36 and P-39 highways, which both lead northwest to Turkmenabat, one on each side of the Amu Darya. Nearby junctions connect to the P-89, which leads north to the border with Uzbekistan at Tallymerjen, and the P-37, which leads southeast to the border with Uzbekistan at Kelif. In the opposite direction the P-36 also continues south to a junction with the Kerki-Ymamnazar ýoly, which in turn leads to the border with Afghanistan at Ymamnazar.[9] In February 2013, a road bridge connecting the city with Kerkichi was commissioned;[10] it replaced an old pontoon bridge.[7]
Rail
In 1999, the rail line from Türkmenabat to Kerki was finished, linking Kerki to the Turkmen railway network without having to detour into neighbouring Uzbekistan.[11] In late 2016, a railway line was built south to Ymamnazar on the border with Afghanistan and further to Aqina, turning Kerki into a railway hub.[12]
Sights
Astana Baba Mausoleum is managed by the Kerki city museum, and consists of a minaret and tomb built in the 11th century. Allamberdar Mausoleum (ru) is also part of the Kerki city museum. This 11th-century building represents Seljuk architecture of northern Khorasan.
^Bosworth, C. E. (1989). "ĀMOL (ĀMŪYA)". Archived copy. Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. I, Fasc. 9. pp. 982–983. Archived from the original on 2017-12-29. Retrieved 2016-02-08.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^Muqaddasī, Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad, and M. J. de Goeje. 1967. Kitāb Aḥsan al-taqāsīm fī maʻrifat al-aqālīm. Bibliotheca geographorum Arabicorum, pars 3. Laydin: Maṭbaʻ Brīl.
