Editing Ashgabat (section)

==Economy==
The principal industries are [[cotton]] textiles and metal working. It is a major stop on the [[Trans-Caspian railway]]. A large percentage of the employment in Ashgabat is provided by the state institutions; such as the ministries, undersecretariats, and other administrative bodies of the Turkmenistan government. There are also many foreign citizens working as diplomats or clerks in the embassies of their respective countries. Ashgabat lends its name to the [[Ashgabat agreement]], signed by [[India]], [[Oman]], [[Iran]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Uzbekistan]] and [[Kazakhstan]], for creating an international transport and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Hans-Classroom/2016-03-24/Ashgabat-Agreement/215932|title=Ashgabat Agreement|website=The Hans India|date=March 24, 2016|access-date=August 2, 2017}}</ref>

In 2019 and 2020, Ashgabat was the most expensive city in the world for foreign [[expatriate]]s in [[ECA International]]'s Cost of Living Survey.<ref name="USN-cost">{{cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/cities/articles/2019-06-18/ashgabat-turkmenistan-is-the-worlds-most-expensive-city-for-expats |publisher=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |title=Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Is the World's Most Expensive City for Expats |first=Wilson |last=Chapman |date=18 June 2019 |access-date=3 July 2020}}</ref><ref name=bbc2021>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57564902 |title=Turkmenistan's capital tops list of most expensive cities for expats |date=22 June 2021 |publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3091525/hong-kong-falls-two-places-become-sixth-most |title=Hong Kong falls two places to become sixth-most expensive city for expats |first=Kanis |last=Leung |publisher=[[South China Morning Post]] |date=2 July 2020 |access-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> It was also listed as the second most expensive city in the world overall by the 2020 [[Mercer (consulting firm)|Mercer]] Cost of Living Survey.<ref name="Forbes-cost">{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverwilliams1/2020/06/08/the-10-most-expensive-cities-in-the-world-just-became-pricier/#6cabfd626aee |work=[[Forbes]] |first=Ollie |last=Williams |title=The 10 Most Expensive Cities in the World Just Became Pricier |date=8 June 2020 |access-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> Its high cost of living for foreigners has been attributed to severe inflation and rising import costs.<ref name="USN-cost"/><ref name="Forbes-cost"/><ref name=hanke>{{cite web|url=https://en.hronikatm.com/2018/06/expert-annual-inflation-rate-in-turkmenistan-reached-almost-300/|title=Expert: annual inflation rate in Turkmenistan reached almost 300%|publisher=Chronicles of Turkmenistan|date=June 6, 2018}}</ref>

===Industry===
Between 1881 and 1921, little industry existed in Ashgabat. Muradov relates that in 1915 the city featured "68 enterprises, mainly semi-handicrafts, with a total of 200-300 workers".<ref name=muradov3 /> Another source relates that as of 1911 roughly half the workforce of somewhat more than 400 "workers" was employed at the railroad depot, engaged in locomotive and railcar maintenance and repair, with the rest occupied in cotton ginning, cottonseed oil extraction, flour milling, and leather-, brick-, glass-, and iron production.<ref name=encyclopedia /> By 1915 the city boasted as well three printing houses, an electrical power station, three cotton gins, a creamery, a tannery, and 35 brickyards.<ref name=guide />

In 1921 Soviet authorities built a new glass plant plus a wine and spirits factory. In the years following several more factories were added, including the "Red Metalworker" iron-working plant (1925), the silk spinning plant (1928), a cotton spinning plant and textile plant (1929), candy factory (1930), garment factory (1933), shoe factory (1934), and a meat cannery (1938).<ref name=encyclopedia /> As of 1948, Ashgabat boasted "about twenty large factory-plant enterprises, which produce fabrics, glass, footwear, garments, meat products, dredges, agricultural implement parts and much else".<ref name=turkmenistan /><ref name=geotext>{{cite book|url=https://docplayer.biz.tr/181461559-Turkmenistanyn-bilim-ministrligi-tarapyndan-hodurlenildi.html#show_full_text|title=Türkmenistanyň Geografiýasy|language=Turkmen|date=2010|place=Ashgabat|publisher=Bilim Ministrligi|last1=Çaryýew|first1=B.|last2=Ilamanow|first2=Ýa.}}</ref>

Annexation of the former city of [[Büzmeýin, Turkmenistan|Buzmeyin]] ({{langx|tk|Büzmeýin}}), which from 2002 to 2018 was known as Abadan,<ref name="cci.gov.tm"/> brought into Ashgabat's city limits its major industrial suburb. Today's Buzmeyin neighborhood features the Buzmeyin State Electrical Power Plant, and factories for production of reinforced concrete, cement, asbestos roofing, pipes, and concrete blocks, as well as a carpet-weaving factory and soft-drink bottling plant.<ref name=encyclopedia />

Today more than 43 large and 128 medium-sized industrial enterprises along with over 1,700 small industrial facilities are located in Ashgabat and its suburbs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ashgabathotels.ru/ashgabat.htm|title=Ашхабад, Туркменистан|access-date=March 12, 2015|archive-date=June 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609085945/http://www.ashgabathotels.ru/ashgabat.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The most important are Ashneftemash, Turkmenkabel, and Turkmenbashy Textile Complex.<ref>{{cite web|first=Федор|last=Забродин|url=http://www.turkmenistan.ru/ru/node/16744|title=Сделано в Туркменистане|publisher=Turkmenistan.ru|access-date=March 12, 2015}}</ref>

====Electrical power generation====
The Abadan State Power Plant (now Büzmeýin State Power Plant), commissioned in 1957, was the first large power plant in Turkmenistan. Two gas turbine plants with a capacity of 123 MW each currently generate electricity in this plant.<ref name=minenergo>{{cite web|url=http://www.minenergo.gov.tm/tm/node/14|title="Türkmenenergo" döwlet elektroenergetika korporasiýasy|date=14 February 2016|language=Turkmen|publisher=Ministry of Energy (Turkmenistan)|access-date=11 April 2021|archive-date=April 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411201132/http://www.minenergo.gov.tm/tm/node/14|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Ashgabat State Power Plant, located in the southern part of city, began operating in 2006. It is equipped with gas turbine generators with a total capacity of 254.2 megawatts.<ref name=minenergo />

Ashgabat also draws power from the Ahal State Power Plant, located outside the city in [[Ahal Province]]. It began operating in 2010 with two gas turbines producing 254.2 MW. Three small gas turbines were added in 2013 and two more gas turbines in 2014, bringing capacity to 648.1 MW.<ref name=minenergo />

===Shopping===

{{Multiple image
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| image1            = Berkarar.jpg
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| caption1          = [[Berkarar]] Shopping and Entertainment Centre
| image2            = Ashgabat Mall.jpg
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| caption2          = [[Ashgabat Mall]] inside
| image3            = Tolkuchka Bazaar in Ashgabat.jpg
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| caption3          = [[Turkmen carpet]]s in [[Altyn Asyr Bazaar]]
}}

[[Altyn Asyr Bazaar]] in Choganly, also known as "Tolkuchka", features manufactured items including traditional fabrics and hand-woven carpets, as well as livestock and used automobiles.

Modern shopping areas are found mostly in central streets,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.infoabad.com/70-nazvany-luchshie-torgovye-predprijatija-ashhabada.html|title=Названы лучшие торговые предприятия Ашхабада — НОВОСТИ ТУРКМЕНИСТАНА|website=www.infoabad.com}}</ref> including the modern [[Berkarar|Berkarar Mall]], Arkaç Mall,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sng.fm/ashkhabad/31849-v-istoricheskom-rajone-ashhabada-pojavilsja-sovremennyj-arhitekturnyj-kompleks.html|title=В историческом районе Ашхабада появился современный архитектурный комплекс » Голос СНГ|website=Голос СНГ}}</ref> [[Ashgabat Shopping and Entertainment Center]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Торгово-развлекательный центр "Ашхабад"|language=ru|trans-title=Ashgabat Shopping and Entertainment Center|date=October 18, 2021|website=turkmenportal.com|url=https://turkmenportal.com/catalog/20173|access-date=September 6, 2024}}</ref> Gül Zemin<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://turkmenportal.com/blog/46481/v-ashhabade-vozobnovit-rabotu-trc-gul-zemin|title=В Ашхабаде возобновит работу ТРЦ "Гуль земин" &#124; Общество}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arzuw.news/novyj-trc-g-l-zemin-nachal-rabotu-v-ashhabade|title=Новый ТРЦ "Gül zemin" начал работу в Ашхабаде|first=Arzuw|last=NEWS|date=November 11, 2020}}</ref>  and [[Paýtagt Shopping Center|Paýtagt]], as well as the 15 Years of Independence Shopping Centre ({{langx|tk|15 ýyl Garaşsyzlyk söwda merkezi}}), colloquially known as the "Wholesale Market" ({{langx|ru|Optovyy rynok}}).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.polimeks.com/eng/UstyapiAsgabatAlisverisMerkezi.aspx|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005065237/http://www.polimeks.com/eng/UstyapiAsgabatAlisverisMerkezi.aspx|url-status=dead|title=Ashgabat Shopping Mall|archivedate=October 5, 2013}}</ref><ref name=optovyy>{{Cite web|url=https://turkmenhabargullugy.blogspot.com/2016/11/asgabatdaky-sowda-merkezleri.html|title=Turkmen Habar Gullugy: Aşgabatdaky Söwda Merkezleri|first=Turkmen Habar|last=Gullugy|date=November 18, 2016}}</ref><ref name=optovyy2>{{Cite web|url=https://foursquare.com/v/15-%C3%BDyl-gara%C5%9Fsyzlyk-s%C3%B6wda-merkezi/4eb66decbe7bfc284ab9863e|title="15 ýyl Garaşsyzlyk" söwda merkezi|website=Foursquare}}</ref>

Local residents tend to shop at traditional bazaars: [[Russian Bazaar, Ashgabat|Gülistan (Russian) Bazaar]], Teke Bazaar, Daşoguz Bazaar, Paytagt (Mir) Bazaar, and Jennet Bazaar. The Turkish-owned Yimpaş department store closed as of December 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.chrono-tm.org/2016/12/the-shopping-centre-yimpas-in-ashgabat-dismisses-staff-before-closing/|title=The shopping centre Yimpas in Ashgabat dismisses staff before closing|date=December 12, 2016|publisher=Chronicles of Turkmenistan|access-date=August 2, 2017|archive-date=August 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803014308/http://en.chrono-tm.org/2016/12/the-shopping-centre-yimpas-in-ashgabat-dismisses-staff-before-closing/|url-status=dead}}</ref>