Turkmenistan: The Province of Lebap

The province of Lebap occupies the eastern part of Turkmenistan with the center at Turkmenabat city (former Charjou). Inhabited by the smaller Turkmen tribes of Salor, Saryk and Ersary it supports the population of 1,5 million people. Leading industrial sectors here are gas, textile and food processing industries. The province manufactures the entire volume of sulphuric acid, wool and silk fabrics. Major agricultural products are cotton, wheat, vegetables and melons remarkable for their sweet taste.

Founded in the 1928 the Repetek Desert Research Station is located there ( 60 km south of Turkmenabat). Broad-scale research into the fauna and flora in the eastern Kara Kum desert is carried out at the station. It houses a fine museum with an impressive panorama showing a small area of the desert. Visitors to the museum can also familiarize with stuffed animals inhabiting in the desert (snakes, lizards, gofers, tortoises, etc.). It also contains several desert plants, with white twisted deep-rooted shrubs and desert acacias among others.