The words Täze bazar mean in Turkmen "new bazaar", "new market". Atanyyazow explains that this name refers to a then-new bazaar set up at a crossroads of major routes leading to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The name Nyýazow paid homage to Saparmyrat Nyýazow. The Turkmen government has not indicated the meaning behind the new name, Şabat. Atanyyazow explains that Şabat derives from şa (Persian "shah, king") and the Persian suffix ābād (آباد), meaning "cultivated place" (village, city, region). He notes that Anusha Khan of Khiva named a fortress in Khorezm thus after conquering the Iranian city Mashhad.
