Ashgabat is a relatively young city , having been founded in 1881 as a fortification and named after the nearby settlement of Askhabad ( see above for the etymology ) . Located not far from the site of Nisa , the ancient capital of the Parthian Empire , it grew on the ruins of the Silk Road city of '' ' Konjikala ' '' , first mentioned as a wine-producing village in the 2nd century BC and leveled by an earthquake in the 1st century BC ( a precursor of the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake ) . Konjikala was rebuilt because of its advantageous location on the Silk Road and it flourished until its destruction by Mongols in the 13th century . After that it survived as a small village until Russians took over in the 19th century
1948 Ashgabat earthquake
1948 Ashgabat earthquake
Ashgabat