Renaming of Turkmen months and days of week, 2002
Encyclopedia
On August 10, 2002, the government of Turkmenistan
adopted a law to rename all the months and most of the days of week. The names were chosen according to Turkmen national symbols, as described in Ruhnama
, a book written by Saparmurat Niyazov
, Turkmenistan's first president for life
. Accordign to Arto Halonen
's documentary film The Shadow of the Holy Book, the Turkish
businessman Ahmet Çalık
came up with the idea to rename the months, as he was trying to befriend Niyazov in order to expand his business in the country.
After the law was passed the new names were used in all Turkmen state-owned media. Publications in languages other than Turkmen often use the new names too, especially those that were targeted at Russian-speaking citizens of Turkmenistan, with the old name sometimes written in brackets. The old month names were still used in popular speech, however.
On April 23, 2008 it was reported that the cabinet of ministers of Turkmenistan discussed restoring the old names of the months and days of week. The old names were finally restored in July 2008.
The original month names were taken from the Russian language
. The adopted Turkmen month names were as follows:
The original names of the days of the week come from Persian. The adopted names were as follows:
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
adopted a law to rename all the months and most of the days of week. The names were chosen according to Turkmen national symbols, as described in Ruhnama
Ruhnama
Ruhnama , is a book written by Saparmurat Niyazov, late President for Life of Turkmenistan, combining spiritual/moral guidance, autobiography and revisionist history, much of it is of dubious or disputed factuality and accuracy. The text includes many stories and poems, including those by Sufi poet...
, a book written by Saparmurat Niyazov
Saparmurat Niyazov
Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov; , was a Turkmen politician who served as President of Turkmenistan from 2 November 1990 until his death in 2006...
, Turkmenistan's first president for life
President for Life
President for Life is a title assumed by some dictators to remove their term limit, in the hope that their authority, legitimacy, and term will never be disputed....
. Accordign to Arto Halonen
Arto Halonen
Arto Halonen is a documentary filmmaker from Finland. He was also teacher of cinematography in Joensuu between 1986-1989.-Director:*Karmapa *The Stars Caravan *The Tank Man...
's documentary film The Shadow of the Holy Book, the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
businessman Ahmet Çalık
Ahmet Çalık
Ahmet Çalık is a Turkish businessman. He is Chairman of Çalık Holding.Çalık's professional life began when he established Ortadoğu Tekstil Ticaret ve Sanayi A.Ş. in 1981. As a member of a family that operates in the textile business since the 1930s, he made his first large-scale industrial...
came up with the idea to rename the months, as he was trying to befriend Niyazov in order to expand his business in the country.
After the law was passed the new names were used in all Turkmen state-owned media. Publications in languages other than Turkmen often use the new names too, especially those that were targeted at Russian-speaking citizens of Turkmenistan, with the old name sometimes written in brackets. The old month names were still used in popular speech, however.
On April 23, 2008 it was reported that the cabinet of ministers of Turkmenistan discussed restoring the old names of the months and days of week. The old names were finally restored in July 2008.
The original month names were taken from the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
. The adopted Turkmen month names were as follows:
| English name | Old Turkmen Turkmen language Turkmen is the national language of Turkmenistan... name |
Adopted Turkmen name | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Ýanwar | Türkmenbaşy | The adopted name of Saparmurat Niyazov, president of Turkmenistan and author of Ruhnama, meaning "The Leader of Turkmen". |
| February | Fewral | Baýdak | Flag - the Turkmenistan flag Flag of Turkmenistan The flag of Turkmenistan was adopted on January 24, 2001.It features a green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five carpet guls stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to those on the flag of the United Nations; a white waxing crescent moon, typical of... day is celebrated in February on Niyazov's birthday. |
| March | Mart | Nowruz Norouz Nowrūz is the name of the Iranian New Year in Iranian calendars and the corresponding traditional celebrations. Nowruz is also widely referred to as the Persian New Year.... |
The traditional Persian new year, which is celebrated in March. |
| April | Aprel | Gurbansoltan | Gurbansoltan Eje - The name of Niyazov's mother. |
| May | Maý | Magtymguly | Magtymguly Pyragy Magtymguly Pyragy Magtymguly Pyragy was a Turkmen spiritual leader and philosophical poet who made significant efforts to secure independence and autonomy for his people in the 18th century.... - Turkmen poet, considered by Niyazov one the greatest spiritual teachers of the Turkmen people. |
| June | Iýun | Oguz | Oguz Khan - the founder of the Turkmen nation, according to Ruhnama (see Oghuz Oghuz Turks The Turkomen also known as Oghuz Turks were a historical Turkic tribal confederation in Central Asia during the early medieval Turkic expansion.... ). |
| July | Iýul | Gorkut | The hero of "Gorkut-Ata Book of Dede Korkut The Book of Dede Korkut, also spelled as Dada Gorgud, Dede Qorqut or Korkut-ata , is the most famous epic stories of the Oghuz Turks The stories carry morals and values significant to the social lifestyle of the nomadic Turks and their pre-Islamic beliefs... " Turkmen epic. |
| August | Awgust | Alp Arslan Alp Arslan Alp Arslan was the third sultan of the Seljuq dynasty and great-grandson of Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty... |
The founder of the Seljuk Empire, a Turkmen according to Ruhnama. |
| September | Sentýabr | Ruhnama Ruhnama Ruhnama , is a book written by Saparmurat Niyazov, late President for Life of Turkmenistan, combining spiritual/moral guidance, autobiography and revisionist history, much of it is of dubious or disputed factuality and accuracy. The text includes many stories and poems, including those by Sufi poet... |
Niyazov's book, defined as a spiritual guide for the Turkmen nation. |
| October | Oktýabr | Garaşsyzlyk | Independence - Turkmenistan's Independence Day is celebrated in October. |
| November | Noýabr | Sanjar Ahmed Sanjar Ahmad Sanjar Ahmad Sanjar Ahmad Sanjar (Mu'iz ud-Dīn Ahmad-e Sanjar; was the sultan of the Great Seljuq Empire from 1118 to 1153. He was initially the sultan of Khorasan until he gained the rest of the territory upon the death of Muhammad I.... |
The last ruler of the Seljuk Empire. |
| December | Dekabr | Bitaraplyk | Neutrality - Turkmenistan was proclaimed a neutral country, and the Neutrality Day is celebrated in December. |
The original names of the days of the week come from Persian. The adopted names were as follows:
| English name | Old Turkmen name | Adopted Turkmen name | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Ýekşenbe | Dynçgün | Rest day |
| Monday | Duşenbe | Başgün | Main day |
| Tuesday | Sişenbe | Ýaşgün | Young day |
| Wednesday | Çarşenbe | Hoşgün | Favourable day |
| Thursday | Penşenbe | Sogapgün | Justice day |
| Friday | Anna | Annagün | Added the Turkmen word gün (day) to the old Persian-based name |
| Saturday | Şenbe | Ruhgün | Spirit day |