From 14 May 2003 to 27 November 2017, the city was called Birata.[1][2]
Etymology
The name Darganata is of obscure origin. Atanyyazow speculates that dargan might be from an Arabic-origin root referring to "boat" or "hull" (the city is on the Amu Darya) but finds the suffix ata ("father") inexplicable.[3][4]Paul Brummell notes that the name could be interpreted as "Divided Ata Tribe"; this had prompted the renaming to Birata, meaning "United Ata Tribe"![5]
History
The place developed out of the Khorezm settlement of Dargan; however, the modern city lies about 3 km north.[5] Nothing exists of the ancient settlement except the wall-perimeter.[5]
On 27 July 2016, the erstwhile town was upgraded to a city; over a year later, on 5 November 2017, its Soviet-era name of Darganata was restored.
Tourism
The Darganata Mausoleum (c. 14th c.) stands between the modern town and the walled perimeter of the ancient settlement; according to local tradition, it is the tomb of Abu Muslim.[5] However, this appears to be untrue since contemporary sources record that Muslim's mutilated body was thrown in the River Tigris.[6]
^Межгосударственный совет по геодезии, картографии, кадастру, и дистанционному зондированию земли государств - участников СНГ. (2017), Изменения географических названий Туркменистана. (Электронный бюллетень) (in Russian), vol. 10, p. 16, archived from the original on 2018-04-16{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Frank, Allen J.; Touch-Werner, Jeren (October 20, 1999). Turkmen-English Dictionary (in English and Turkmen). Kensington, Maryland: Dunwoody Press. ISBN978-1881265290.
