Mary named as Turkic world cultural capital of 2015

ASTANA. KAZINFORM Today the XXXII meeting of the TURKSOY Permanent Council held in Tatarstan declared the city of Mary, Turkmenistan, the cultural capital of the Turkic world of 2015.

Its former names include Merv, Meru and Margiana. Mary is Turkmenistan's fourth-largest city and a large industrial centre, the Kazakh Culture and Sport Ministry said. The city is included into the UNESCO World Heritage list.