Turkmen Sahra

Turkmen Sahra (Persian: ترکمن صحرا‎‎) is a region in the northeast of Iran near the Caspian Sea, bordering Turkmenistan, the majority of whose inhabitants are ethnic Turkmen. The most important cities of Turkmen Sahra are Gonbad, Aqqala, Kalaleh, Maraveh Tappeh, Gomishan and Bandar Torkaman. There were, according to Ethnologue, over 2 million Turkmens in Turkmen Sahra in 1997.

Turkmens today in Turkmensahra live fairly modern lifestyles, although the effects of religion and the Muslim way of life are visible. The economy is based on industry, even if agriculture still plays a great role in some Turkmens' life, like in other places of Iran. The professions among Turkmens shows the pattern of a modern economy even if there are still some shortcomings due to lack of funding from the central authorities. The economic potential of Turkmensahra is big since a vast amount of oil was discovered early in the 1930. But since there was a deal with the Soviet Union that there would be no oil extraction from Turkmen Sahra, there is not an oil industry at the moment.

Before the revolution in 1979 the Turkmens lived an economically richer life than people in other areas of Iran. Though poverty existed in small portions, most people lived and could afford material goods in their home. This was unusual for some parts of Iran. During the Shah's time the difference between cities and villages was great. Going from a city like Bandar Torkaman to a nearby village, the differences were so vast that tourists felt like they had gone back in time. In villages there were no asphalt roads nor doctors. There was no electricity either to light up the town or the houses. People used donkeys and horses to travel until about 30 years ago. Buses, taxis and private cars were found only in bigger cities. The literacy rate has also increased since the revolution; it was not unusual for older Turkmen women to be analphabets. Girls began to study in school after the revolution which was unusual back in the Shah's period. All these differences shared between a city and village were common all over Iran during the Shah's period not excluded only to Turkmen Sahra.

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Wikipedia