Understand
In 1717, Russian Prince Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky landed and established a secret fortified settlement on this location, where the dry bed of a former mouth of the Amu-Darya River once emptied into the Caspian Sea. His intent was to march an army up this dry riverbed and conquer the Khanate of Khiva. The expedition failed, and the Russians abandoned the settlement for over 150 years.
In 1869, the Russians made a second and latest attempt. They named their fort Krasnovodsk ÐÑаÑноводÑк, which is the Russian version of the original name, Kyzyl-Su Red Water. Krasnovodsk was Imperial Russia's base of operations against Khiva and Bukhara, and the nomadic Turkmen tribes. It fell to the Red Army in February, 1920.
In 1993 Krasnovodsk was renamed "Turkmenbashi" Many would assume that the city was renamed on behalf of Niyazov's self proclaimed title "Turkmenbashi" meaning "The leader of Turkmens" yet the rationale behind renaming is to denote that Turkmenbashi is the place where Turkmens Spring. Turkmen meaning the Turkmen and bashi - the start, spring.
Niyazov's successor Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow pledged to invest 1 billion dollars into the project slated to turn TürkmenbaÅy into a major tourist resort "with dozens of hotels, spas, seaside restaurants and glimmering spaceship-like skyscrapers".erroneous
