Battle of Geok Tepe
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The Siege of Geok Tepe or The Battle of Geok Tepe was a siege by the Imperial Russian army against the Turkmen fort of Geok Tepe in 1880–1881.
History
Throughout 1853–1868, the Russians moved south and occupied most of what was later called Russian Central Asia. The area they did not yet occupy was approximately modern Turkmenistan. In 1869, they built Krasnovodsk on the east side of the Caspian sea. In 1879, they moved east and tried to take Geok Tepe. After bombarding the fort with artillery, the Russian forces tried to take the fort by storm. The more numerous Turkomans drove them back. The Russians retreated and had difficulty holding off their pursuers. They retreated back across the desert toward Krasnovodsk. It is said[1] that this was the worst Russian defeat in Central Asia since 1717.
A second Russian expedition to take the fort was sent with more men and equipment, including 20,000 camels for transport. In December 1880, Geok Tepe was besieged by 7,100 Russians under General Mikhail Skobelev. The defenders of Geok Tepe numbered 25,000, which included the civilian Turkmen population. Learning a lesson from the previous expedition, Skolobev decided to besiege the fort instead of attempting direct assault.[2] The siege of Geok Tepe lasted twenty-three days after which the city was taken by storm. Although they encountered heavy resistance, Russian forces were eventually able to break in by digging a tunnel underneath a portion of the wall, then detonating a mine underneath the wall. On 12 (24) January 1881, the mine was detonated. Once the fortress was breached, the Russian troops stormed in. Several hundred defenders were killed in the initial explosion, and many more were killed in the fighting that ensued. As the Russians poured into the fort, the defenders, along with the civilians inside the fortress, fled across the desert, pursued by General Skobelev's cavalry.[2]
The massacre
Around 8,000 Turkmen soldiers and civilians, including women and children were killed in their flight, along with an additional 6,500 that were killed inside the fortress. The Russians killed all Turkmen males in the fortress who had not escaped, but they spared some 5,000 women and children and freed 600 Persian slaves. The taking of Geok Tepe and the following slaughter broke the Turkmen resistance and decided the fate of Transcaspia. On 6 May 1881, Transcaspia was declared an oblast of the Russian Empire. During the entire campaign of 1880–1881 Russian casualties were 290 killed and 883 wounded, sickness accounted for the death of 645 Russian soldiers.[3]
The Russian general Skobelev said the following about the massacre:
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"The harder you hit them, the longer they'll stay down."[4]
Aftermath
Skobelev was removed from his command because of the massacre. In 1881, Ashgabat was founded 28 miles southeast of Geok Tepe. The next Russian move was east to Merv in 1884. In 1885, the Russian advance continued south from Merv to Pandjeh on the Afghan border.
Commemorations
The Geok Tepe (Gokdepe Mosque) was built to commemorate the siege and the defenders, it is noted for its mint-turquoise blue coloured roof and white marble structure.
The battle is remembered as a national day of mourning each year, and the resistance is often cited as a source of great national pride.[4]
Sources
Further reading
- Chahryar Adle, Madhavan K. Palat, Anara Tabyshalieva History of Civilizations of Central Asia
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