Ashgabat vs Saratov

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Ashgabat (Turkmen: Aşgabat; Ашгабат, pronounced [ɑʃʁɑˈbɑt], Persian: عشق آباد‎; Russian: Ашхабад), formerly named Poltoratsk (Russian: Полтора́цк, IPA: [pəltɐˈratsk]) between 1919 and 1927, is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It is situated between the Karakum Desert and the Kopet Dag mountain range in Central Asia. It is also near the Iran-Turkmenistan border. The city was founded in 1881 on the basis of an Ahal Teke tribal village, and made the capital of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic in 1924.

Much of the city was destroyed by the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake but has since been extensively rebuilt under the rule of Saparmurat Niyazov’s "White City" urban renewal project, resulting in monumental projects sheathed in costly white marble. The Soviet-era Karakum Canal runs through the city, carrying waters from the Amu Darya from east to west. Since 2019, the city has been recognized as having one of the highest costs of living in the world largely due to Turkmenistan's inflation and import issues.

Source: Wikipedia

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Saratov (UK: , US: ; Russian: Сара́тов, IPA: [sɐˈratəf] (listen)) is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River located upstream (north) of Volgograd. As of the 2010 Census, Saratov had a population of 837,900, making it the 17th largest city in Russia by population. Saratov is 389 km from Volgograd, 442 km from Samara, and 858 km to the south-east of Moscow. The city stands near the site of Uvek, a city of the Golden Horde. The Tsar Feodor I of Russia likely developed Saratov as a fortress to secure Russia's southeastern border.

Saratov developed as a shipping port along the Volga, and it was historically important to the Volga Germans, who settled in large numbers in the city, before they were expelled after World War II. Saratov is home to a number of cultural and educational institutions, including the Saratov Drama Theater, Saratov Conservatory, Radishchev Art Museum, Saratov State Technical University, and Saratov State University.

Source: Wikipedia