Battle of Geok Tepe (1881)

In 1880–1881 the Russian Empire mounted a campaign to subdue the Teke Turkmens of the Akhal oasis, who defended themselves in the fortress of Denghil-Tepe at the foot of the Kopet Dag, whose thick mud walls enclosed some 2.6 km².

The siege lasted weeks; in January 1881 Russian troops blew a breach in the wall and stormed the fort. All the men who had not escaped were killed, while women and children were taken captive.

The fall of Geok Tepe gave Russia control of most of present-day Turkmenistan and nearly completed the conquest of Central Asia. Today a mosque and memorial at Geok Tepe honour the fallen.