# Baýramaly

Baýramaly (formerly Bayram-Ali, also spelled Bairam Ali; earlier Bahrām Ali; Turkmen: Baýramaly) is a city in and the seat of Baýramaly District, Mary Province, Turkmenistan. It lies about 27 km east of the provincial capital Mary, along the main railway line from Ashgabat to Tashkent. In 2022, its population was 70,376 (up from 43,824 in the 1989 census).
The modern city of Baýramaly was established in 1887 as part of the Murgab Imperial Estate, a property of the Russian crown. Over the following decades, the town experienced rapid growth, with the Russian Empire investing in factories, irrigation systems, hospitals, orchards, nurseries, and parks. It became a symbol of the Russian Empire's "civilizing mission" in Central Asia and was prominently featured in Russian propaganda to showcase the empire's ability to transform inhospitable environments. However, in later years, the project was exposed as a sham. In particular, Count K. K. Pahlen, in his report on travels to Russian Turkestan, revealed that the glorified photographs of the Baýramaly estate had been staged "to present a rosy picture to the Tsar."

## Etymology

The city is named after Bayram 'Ali Khan Qajar, the most prominent ruler of the Qajar Principality of Merv. According to Atanyyazow, Bayramaly ruled Mary in the 18th century, from 1782 to 1785, although the actual length of his reign remains disputed.

## Overview

The city is located in a dry oasis formed by the Murghab River. Baýramaly is a climatic spa and visitors are often sent to the city for treatment of chronic kidney disease, acute forms of nephritis and nephrosis, hypertension, renal tuberculosis, and problems of blood circulation. The Baýramaly Sanitorium (Turkmen: Baýramaly Şypahanasy) has been in operation since 1933. In 2010 the sanitorium underwent renovation and two new buildings were added. The sanitorium specializes in ailments of the kidneys and urinary tract, diseases of the cardiovascular system, and diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

## Climate

Baýramaly has a cold desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWk), with cool winters and very hot summers. Rainfall is generally light and erratic, and occurs mainly in the winter and autumn months.
Climate data for Baýramaly (1991-2020, extremes 1885-present) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 28.0 (82.4) | 31.8 (89.2) | 37.2 (99.0) | 40.5 (104.9) | 45.5 (113.9) | 46.3 (115.3) | 47.5 (117.5) | 45.7 (114.3) | 44.0 (111.2) | 41.0 (105.8) | 35.2 (95.4) | 29.0 (84.2) | 47.5 (117.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 10.1 (50.2) | 12.6 (54.7) | 18.6 (65.5) | 25.6 (78.1) | 32.0 (89.6) | 36.8 (98.2) | 38.6 (101.5) | 37.0 (98.6) | 31.9 (89.4) | 25.1 (77.2) | 16.8 (62.2) | 11.1 (52.0) | 24.7 (76.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.3 (39.7) | 6.4 (43.5) | 12.0 (53.6) | 18.5 (65.3) | 24.8 (76.6) | 28.7 (83.7) | 31.5 (88.7) | 29.3 (84.7) | 23.6 (74.5) | 16.7 (62.1) | 9.9 (49.8) | 5.3 (41.5) | 17.6 (63.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.0 (32.0) | 1.5 (34.7) | 6.4 (43.5) | 12.0 (53.6) | 17.3 (63.1) | 21.6 (70.9) | 23.7 (74.7) | 21.1 (70.0) | 15.2 (59.4) | 9.3 (48.7) | 4.2 (39.6) | 1.0 (33.8) | 11.1 (52.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −26.3 (−15.3) | −24.8 (−12.6) | −16.8 (1.8) | −3.6 (25.5) | 2.2 (36.0) | 7.6 (45.7) | 11.7 (53.1) | 7.4 (45.3) | −1.8 (28.8) | −8.3 (17.1) | −21.5 (−6.7) | −23.0 (−9.4) | −26.3 (−15.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 22.4 (0.88) | 29.0 (1.14) | 34.2 (1.35) | 23.5 (0.93) | 10 (0.4) | 0.9 (0.04) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.3 (0.01) | 0.5 (0.02) | 5.5 (0.22) | 16.0 (0.63) | 14.8 (0.58) | 157.1 (6.19) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 7.2 | 6.2 | 5.9 | 3.8 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 2.2 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 40.1 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 73.5 | 67.3 | 57.7 | 51.6 | 40.6 | 31.7 | 30.3 | 29.4 | 34.7 | 46.1 | 63.1 | 72.8 | 49.9 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 120.9 | 131.9 | 165.4 | 210.3 | 288.4 | 337.3 | 358.8 | 344.5 | 294.7 | 240.2 | 157.6 | 120.8 | 2,770.8 |
| Source 1: Pogoda.ru.net, climatebase.ru (precipitation days-humidity) ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA ||||||||||||||

## Economy

The economy is based around food and construction materials industries. Natural gas is also extracted in the area.

## Sights

* Close to Baýramaly are the ruins of ancient Merv.
* 28 kilometres (17 mi) to the north is the mausoleum of Hudaýnazar Öwlüýä (early 12th century).

## Notable people

* Mähri Hojaniyazova
* Nury Halmammedov
* Suleyman Nazarov Berdiyevich
* Dzhamaldin Khodzhaniyazov
* Alvina Shpady