Keshi is one of the largest urban formations of Ashgabat, which has its own special, unique flavor. Thanks to the construction boom, the "old" Keshi is gradually acquiring new features of a modern metropolis. Young people today may even be surprised if you tell them that just 20-30 years ago this settlement had nothing to do with the capital, being at a sufficient distance from Ashgabat.

Over time, Keshi was able not only not to lose its uniqueness after joining the capital, but also to multiply the urban culture of the whole of Ashgabat, becoming a special center of attraction. It, along with Choganly, is considered to be a formed neighborhood, that is, a district with a consolidated population, having its own history, identity, and where all residents are more or less connected with each other.

Thanks to intensive urbanization, this area is not much different from the rest of the capital. But what are Caches? How did it appear and how is it unique?

Let's start with the history of the district. Keshi, according to a number of open sources, was an aul founded by 84 families who chose this place for a settled life. The people here were friendly from the very beginning, because even the word "koshe" means a tight ring formed when the rope is compressed on the bag.

The date of the foundation of the village is unknown, but the famous Turkmen poet Myataji, whose works have been preserved orally, was a native of this village, and he was born back in 1822. This means that the history of this village is older than the capital, and may date from the end of the XVIII — beginning of the XIX century.

Later, in the period after the Geoktepe battle, Russian generals paid attention to the fertile lands of Keshi and decided to green the area. So, apples, grapes and peaches began to be grown massively here. At the same time, the first park in Keshi was laid here, which was a favorite place for local residents. It was already in 1890.

Traditional Turkmen customs under the influence of Russian secular forms of farming caused the emergence of the very definition here — "Keshi-bounds" or "Keshin". This catoiconym was not previously identified with the concept of "ashgabadian". At that time, the first concrete skyscrapers were already built in the capital and the intelligentsia existed, while the neighboring aul continued to remain an ordinary aul in the suburbs, where grapes and apples are grown…

But time passed, Turkmenistan gained independence, and in 2013, due to the need to expand Ashgabat, which absorbed more and more territories, Keshi became part of the capital. At one point, modern hospitals, schools, cultural and recreation centers began to grow here on the site of the former one-story houses here. Such a process of development abruptly changed the status of those "Keshins": now their infrastructure involuntarily attracted residents of other districts of Ashgabat, which means that Keshi has successfully grown into the economic environment of the capital and all its residents can safely claim the status of "Ashgabat residents" not only by right of passport and administrative borders.

After the successful integration of the village, which became a district, the residents of Kesha acquired their own special "charm", thanks to which the inhabitants of the rest of the city can recognize the representative of this district. And one of the residents of this wonderful area told about how to identify a Keshinets:

— It is not so difficult to recognize a Keshin: they are quite hardworking, friendly, collective, that is, the capital's busyness and fuss has not erased the sweet simplicity in them. Some can even be recognized by the manner of speech — many male representatives have a muffled voice, they speak quite quietly. This manner appeared a long time ago, as a tribute to the elders, near whom you should talk in a low voice. Even at the mere mention of the word "Keshi", warm beautiful landscapes, kebabs, and greenery come to mind, a lot of greenery.

Such signs, of course, are not mandatory for every resident of Keshi. These features are gradually being lost or enriched under the influence of other socio-cultural formations of the city.

A new Dental center, white marble residential buildings and the creation of fundamentally new medical and residential infrastructure facilities contribute to the formation of the "north-western gate of Ashgabat" here, where large logistics hubs are located, providing communication between the capital and the industrial districts of the Ahal region.

Arslan MAMEDOV