The Battles of Geok Tepe (1879-1881)

By the late 19th century the last great power in Central Asia not under Russian rule was the Teke Turkmens of the Akhal oasis at the foot of the Kopet Dag. They had fortified themselves in a great earthen fortress called Dengil-Tepe near Geok Tepe. In 1879 a Russian army under General Lomakin stormed the fortress, but the Turkmens beat off the attack and the Russians withdrew with heavy losses.

After this defeat Russia mounted a new, carefully prepared campaign under General Mikhail Skobelev. At the end of 1880 the Russian army, supplied with guns and food brought by railway and camel caravans, laid siege to the fortress. The Turkmen defenders held out for several weeks and struck at the besiegers with night sorties.

On 24 January 1881 (12 January old style) a mine under the walls brought down a section, and the fortress was taken. According to the sources most men who could not escape were killed, while women and children were spared. With Geok Tepe Russia took most of what is now Turkmenistan. The Turkmen people remember the defence as an act of heroism.