Turkmenistan provinces: Ahal, Balkan, Daşoguz, Lebap and Mary
Turkmenistan has five provinces, Ahal, Balkan, Daşoguz, Lebap and Mary. This list writes each of them in Turkmen and in ten languages of the region, from Azerbaijani and Kazakh to Persian, Armenian and Georgian, in every script those languages use for the name.
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Updated
How the neighbours write the provinces
Turkmen names its provinces with the word welaýat, from the Arabic wilāya, after the province name: Ahal, Balkan, Daşoguz, Lebap and Mary. Most neighbours take these forms over and adjust only the spelling. Azerbaijani writes Daşoğuz with ğ and gives the Cyrillic Mary as Марј; Kazakh has Дашоғұз, Tatar Daşoğuz in Latin and Дашогуз in Cyrillic, Tajik Марӣ with its long ī.
Persian and Georgian stand apart. Persian calls Mary مرو, Merv, the old name of the oasis city, and spells Balkan بلخان, Balxân. Georgian adds its noun ending -i to every name, so Lebap becomes ლებაპი, Lebapi, and Ahal ახალი, Aȟali. Armenian writes Daşoguz as Դաշողուզ, Dašoġouz, with ղ for the Turkmen g.
Several languages give the name in more than one script. Kazakh and Tatar list Cyrillic, Latin and Arabic forms, Tajik Cyrillic, Arabic and Latin, and Azerbaijani Latin and Cyrillic; South Azerbaijani, written in Iran, puts the Arabic script first.
The five provinces of Turkmenistan in eleven languages
Each province (welaýat) appears in Turkmen and in ten languages of the region, Turkic and others. Every script a language uses for the name has its own column; Russian, Persian, Armenian and Georgian forms carry a transliteration. A dash marks a script the language does not use for the name.
Ahal welaýaty Ahal Region 11
| Language | Latin | Cyrillic | Arabic script | Armenian, Georgian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Turkmentuk
|
Ahal
|
Ахал
|
– |
– |
Azerbaijaniaze
|
Ahal
|
Аһал
|
– |
– |
South Azerbaijaniazb
|
Ahal
|
– |
آهال
|
– |
Kazakhkaz
|
Axal
|
Ахал
|
احال
|
– |
Tatartat
|
Axal
|
Ахал
|
ئاخال
|
– |
Turkishtur
|
Ahal
|
– |
– |
– |
Russianrus
|
– |
АхалAȟal
|
– |
– |
Persianfas
|
– |
– |
آخالÂxâl
|
– |
Tajiktgk
|
Ahal
|
Аҳал
|
اهل
|
– |
Armenianhye
|
– |
– |
– |
ԱհալAhal
|
Georgiankat
|
– |
– |
– |
ახალიAȟali
|
Balkan welaýaty Balkan Region 11
| Language | Latin | Cyrillic | Arabic script | Armenian, Georgian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Turkmentuk
|
Balkan
|
Балкан
|
– |
– |
Azerbaijaniaze
|
Balkan
|
Балкан
|
– |
– |
South Azerbaijaniazb
|
Balkan
|
– |
بالکان
|
– |
Kazakhkaz
|
Balqan
|
Балқан
|
بالقان
|
– |
Tatartat
|
Balqan
|
Балкан
|
بالقان
|
– |
Turkishtur
|
Balkan
|
– |
– |
– |
Russianrus
|
– |
БалканBalkan
|
– |
– |
Persianfas
|
– |
– |
بلخانBalxân
|
– |
Tajiktgk
|
Balkan
|
Балкан
|
بلکن
|
– |
Armenianhye
|
– |
– |
– |
ԲալկանBalkan
|
Georgiankat
|
– |
– |
– |
ბალკანიBalkani
|
Daşoguz welaýaty Dashoguz Region 11
| Language | Latin | Cyrillic | Arabic script | Armenian, Georgian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Turkmentuk
|
Daşoguz
|
Дашогуз
|
– |
– |
Azerbaijaniaze
|
Daşoğuz
|
Дашоғуз
|
– |
– |
South Azerbaijaniazb
|
Daşoğuz
|
– |
داشوغوز
|
– |
Kazakhkaz
|
Daşoğuz
|
Дашоғұз
|
داشوعۇز
|
– |
Tatartat
|
Daşoğuz
|
Дашогуз
|
داشوغۇز
|
– |
Turkishtur
|
Daşoğuz
|
– |
– |
– |
Russianrus
|
– |
ДашогузDašoguz
|
– |
– |
Persianfas
|
– |
– |
داشاغوزDâšoquz
|
– |
Tajiktgk
|
Daşoguz
|
Дашогуз
|
دشاگوز
|
– |
Armenianhye
|
– |
– |
– |
ԴաշողուզDašoġouz
|
Georgiankat
|
– |
– |
– |
დაშოუზიDašouzi
|
Lebap welaýaty Lebap Region 11
| Language | Latin | Cyrillic | Arabic script | Armenian, Georgian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Turkmentuk
|
Lebap
|
Лебап
|
– |
– |
Azerbaijaniaze
|
Lebap
|
Лебап
|
– |
– |
South Azerbaijaniazb
|
Lebap
|
– |
لئباپ
|
– |
Kazakhkaz
|
Lebap
|
Лебап
|
لەباپ
|
– |
Tatartat
|
Lebap
|
Лебап
|
لېباپ
|
– |
Turkishtur
|
Lebap
|
– |
– |
– |
Russianrus
|
– |
ЛебапLebap
|
– |
– |
Persianfas
|
– |
– |
لبابLebâb
|
– |
Tajiktgk
|
Lebap
|
Лебап
|
لیبپ
|
– |
Armenianhye
|
– |
– |
– |
ԼեբապLebap
|
Georgiankat
|
– |
– |
– |
ლებაპიLebapi
|
Mary welaýaty Mary Region 11
| Language | Latin | Cyrillic | Arabic script | Armenian, Georgian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Turkmentuk
|
Mary
|
Мары
|
– |
– |
Azerbaijaniaze
|
Mary
|
Марј
|
– |
– |
South Azerbaijaniazb
|
Mary
|
– |
ماری
|
– |
Kazakhkaz
|
Marı
|
Мары
|
مارى
|
– |
Tatartat
|
Marı
|
Мары
|
مارى
|
– |
Turkishtur
|
Mary
|
– |
– |
– |
Russianrus
|
– |
МарыMary
|
– |
– |
Persianfas
|
– |
– |
مروMerv
|
– |
Tajiktgk
|
Marī
|
Марӣ
|
مری
|
– |
Armenianhye
|
– |
– |
– |
ՄարիMari
|
Georgiankat
|
– |
– |
– |
მარიMari
|
Codes, Turkmen names and centres as on the Turkmenistan page: ISO 3166-2:TM on the ISO Online Browsing Platform, as tabulated in Wikipedia's ISO 3166-2:TM, checked 28 October 2026; Arkadag as centre of Ahal: Wikipedia, Ahal Region, checked 28 October 2026. The city of Ashgabat (TM-S), which ISO lists beside the provinces since 2010, is not part of this table.
Questions about the provinces of Turkmenistan
How many provinces does Turkmenistan have?
Five: Ahal, Balkan, Daşoguz, Lebap and Mary. ISO 3166-2 also codes the capital Ashgabat as a city with the rank of a province.
What is Lebap in Russian?
Лебап, Lebap. The Russian forms of all five provinces follow the Turkmen names closely.
Why does Persian call Mary Merv?
Persian keeps مرو, Merv, the historical name of the oasis city; the other languages follow the Turkmen form Mary.