Dashoguz Province

Dashoguz Province is in northern Turkmenistan.

Cities

• 1 Dashoguz — the major city of the north and third largest in the country, with the airport receiving travelers going to Konye-Urgench as well as a good amount of large Soviet monuments.
• 2 Konye Urgench — a small town home to the UNESCO World Heritage site Urgench, which contains the unexcavated ruins of the twelfth-century capital of Khwarezm.

Other destinations

• 1 Darvaza – straddles along both Ahal Province and Dashoguz Province, home to the Derweze Gas Crater

Understand

The Karakum Desert stretches from east to west. It is traversed by ancient channels of the Amu Darya and Derweze. There are many towns along these channels, such as Orungum, Öwezaly, Urpakgum, Ataçagan, Sekizatly, Bäşoý, Garaporsaň, Lawak and Eşegarbat, along with a few smaller villages like Garadaşly and Gökçäge.

Within the desert, the Gubadag, Misginata, and Ýylangyr plateaus host various types of fossils from the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras.

In Gubadag, marble and granite can be found, while certain areas have natural deposits of high-quality clay and ceramics. In Düzgur, there are salt springs.

Climate

While other regions experience severe winters, Daşoguz remains moderately cold throughout the winter. The average temperature in January ranges from −4 to −7 °C (25 to 19 °F) with occasional drops as low as −36 °C (−33 °F) and highs reaching 44 °C (111 °F). It can be extremely hot during summers as well. In July, the average temperature is around 27 to 29 °C (81 to 84 °F) with peaks of 43 to 44 °C (109 to 111 °F). This region receives the least amount of rainfall in Turkmenistan, with an annual average of only 100 mm, ranging from 86 to 98 mm. The climate of this area is harsh, characterised by strong winds, moderate humidity, and other desert phenomena. The main source of water in the region is the Amu Darya River.