Iran’s Golestan Province: Turkmen Sahra (Photos)

Turkmen Sahra (meaning Plain of Turkmen) is a region located mainly in Golestan Province, reaching to the Provnice of Razavi Khorasan and North Khorasan. It is situated in the northeast of Iran, near the Caspian Sea, bordering Turkmenistan. The majority of the inhabitants of the Turkmen Sahra are ethnic Turkmen. The biggest city is Gorgan which is dominated by Persian inhabitants, though in recent years there has been immigration of Turkmen and Zabuli from southern Iran. Other cities of Turkmensahra are Gonbad (called Kummet in Turkmen), Aqqala (Ak Qala), Kalaleh (Kelala), Gomishan (Kumushdepe), meaning the “silvery hill” in Turkmen, and Bandar Torkaman (Bender Turkmen), generally just called Bandar.