Gumdag is a town in Balkan Region, Turkmenistan. It is located 43 km southeast of the city of Balkanabat. To the south-east of the town, lies the Boyadag Mud Volcano.
Etymology
The name is derived from two words in
Turkmen language,
gum ("sand") and
dag ("mountain, hill").
Atanyyazow postulates that the name came from the sand hill 3 km to the west where the first oil well in the area was drilled.
Economy
The town is home to the Gumdag oil and gas field, which is the main driver of the local economy.
History
Before Gumdag was established, the settlement was called Khuday-Dag, Bahangosha and Monjukly.
Gumdag was founded as a village in the 1930s by nomadic families from nearby settlements. In the same years, a well-drilling machine was installed by the government on the sand hill 3 km west of the village. With the development of oil production from the region, people from Balkanabat and other cities started to flock here. From 1951 to 1956, it was attached to the
Ashgabat region. It used to be a city-with-district-status until November 2022, and alongside Hazar, it became subordinate to City of
Balkanabat.
Population
| +
!1959
!1970
!1979
!1989 |
9,237[Перепись населения СССР (1959)] | 11,615[Перепись населения СССР (1970)] | 14,449[Перепись населения СССР (1979)] | 16,529[Перепись населения СССР (1989)] |
