Turkmenistan's Independence Day commemorates independence from the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1991. The declaration of independence was observed in October.
Throughout history, important characters including Cyrus the Great, Alexander the Great, and Ghengis Khan have invaded the region. The Turkmen initially arrived in the area about the 10th century, however their origins are unclear.
The Russian Empire originally targeted Turkmens in the late 18th century, but resistance was not crushed until the Battle of Gök-Tepe (now Gökdepe) in 1881, when the region of modern-day Turkmenistan was annexed into Russian Turkestan.
Following the Russian revolution, Turkmenistan joined the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) in 1921, and became a constituent republic of the USSR in 1925.
When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the Turkmen Communist Party backed the attempted coup against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev before declaring independence on October 27th, 1991.
In 2017, a study of Turkmen public holidays revealed that Independence Day might be moved from October 27 to September 27.
This alteration was made to ensure that the 10-day Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG), held in Turkmenistan in 2017, ended on Independence Day. In coming years, the holiday will continue on September 27th to remind people of the country's successes at the games.
