Turkmenistan Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Turkmenistan appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 33 different states, among them USSR, Russian Empire, Khiva Khanate, Turkmenistan, central Asian khanates.
TurkmenistanExplore the history of Turkmenistan in the interactive map
Who ruled the land of Turkmenistan, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
Historic cities in Turkmenistan
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Turkmenistan?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Turkmenistan belonged to USSR, Russian Empire, Khiva Khanate, Turkmenistan, central Asian khanates, Timurid Emirates, along with 27 other states.
What was Turkmenistan part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Turkmenistan lay within Ghaznavid Emirate.
What was Turkmenistan part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Turkmenistan lay within Timurid Emirates.
What was Turkmenistan part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Turkmenistan lay within Russian Empire.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.