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The Monument to the Desert Explorers (Pervoprokhodtsy) in Balkanabat was designed by the Turkmen Soviet sculptor Alexander Arushanovich Abramov. Construction commenced in 1981, and the monument was officially inaugurated on 27 December 1983 during celebrations marking the 35th anniversary of the founding of Balkanabat (then Nebit-Dag). The composition depicts Ivan Gubkin and fellow petroleum geologists, accompanied by a camel, struggling through a Karakum sandstorm, symbolizing the exploration that led to the discovery and development of western Turkmenistan’s oil fields.
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