Noiser
Turkmenbashy: The Dictator Who Rewrote Reality
Play Real Dictators Turkmenbashy Part 1: Soviet Stooge, Hermit Tyrant
Little known in the West for most of his career, Saparmurat Niyazov only made international headlines when his eccentricities became too absurd to ignore. This was a man who renamed the months after himself and his family, banned beards and smoking seemingly on a whim, and even outlawed dogs in the capital city. But, there was more to Turkmenbashy than mere comedy…
Early Life and Rise to Power
Saparmurat Niyazov was born on February 19th, 1940, in Ashgabat, then part of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic within the Soviet Union. Orphaned at a young age—his father reportedly died in World War II, and his mother and two brothers perished in a devastating 1948 earthquake—Niyazov grew up in state-run orphanages.
In 1967, Niyazov graduated from the Leningrad Technological University with a degree in electrical engineering. Upon returning to Turkmenistan, he worked at a power plant near Ashgabat. Fluent in both Russian and Turkmen, and a member of the Communist Party, Niyazov climbed the ranks swiftly. By 1980, he was appointed head of the Communist Party in Ashgabat, and in 1985, he became First Secretary of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan—the highest position in the republic.
Following the failed 1991 coup against Mikhail Gorbachev, Niyazov seized the opportunity to consolidate power. He announced an independence referendum, which passed with an implausible 94% of the vote. On December 26th, 1991, the day after the Soviet Union formally collapsed, Niyazov became the president of an independent Turkmenistan.
Presidency and Personality Cult
In the earliest days, Niyazov showed a degree of restraint. He was careful not to come across as overbearing… at least at first.
Turkmenistan was by no means an affluent country. However, it did possess a valuable commodity that the world wanted, and Russia needed very much: natural gas. With hard currency from energy exports and no real political opposition, Niyazov moved quickly to centralise control.
In 1999, he was declared President for Life by the Turkmen parliament. Around the same time, he adopted the title Turkmenbashy, meaning “Leader of the Turkmen.” Thus began one of the most outlandish personality cults of modern times. His portraits adorned nearly every public building, an enormous golden statue of himself rotated to face the sun, and towns, streets, and even a meteorite were named after him or members of his family.
He mandated the construction of lavish monuments and buildings in the capital, Ashgabat, creating a city of white marble and gold domes. Under his rule, the country invested heavily in grand architectural projects while much of the population remained impoverished.
By the end of Turkmenbashy’s rule, there will be an estimated 2,000 monuments to him across the country.
Derek Henry Flood, photojournalist
The Ruhnama and Cultural Rewriting
In 2001, Niyazov published the Ruhnama ("Book of the Soul"), a bizarre blend of autobiography, spiritual musings, and historical revisionism. The book became compulsory reading in schools and was required knowledge for job interviews and driving tests. He claimed it was divinely inspired and even said reading it could earn one a place in heaven.
His decrees grew increasingly surreal. He renamed months and days of the week after himself and his family. He banned ballet, opera, long hair on men, lip-syncing, and gold teeth. He shut down rural libraries, stating that villagers didn’t read. In one of his strangest moves, he dedicated a national holiday to Muskmelon, Turkmenistan’s version of the watermelon.
In 2002, at the age of 62, Niyazov appeared concerned about being perceived as elderly in a nation where life expectancy for men hovered around 60. His solution? He changed the definition of time. By official decree, adolescence extended to 25, and old age began at 85. Life was divided into 12 official stages: "Childhood" ended at 12, "Youth" at 37, and "Maturity" at 49.
Citizens who reached 62 entered the stage called Inspirational, and were entitled to a three-day holiday and a government bonus.
Human Rights and Repression
Beneath the absurdity of his many decisions lay a deeply authoritarian regime. Dissent was brutally suppressed. Opposition politicians, independent journalists, and religious minorities were harassed, imprisoned, or disappeared. The country became one of the most closed and secretive in the world, with media entirely state-controlled and Internet access heavily restricted.
Among his legal methods of isolating his people was to demand a hefty fee if they wished to leave the country for any reason. It also cost an eye-watering 60,000 dollars – more than a Turkmen’s average lifetime earnings – to marry a foreigner.
After surviving an assassination attempt in 2002, Niyazov launched a massive crackdown. He ordered the installation of closed-circuit television cameras in public offices, factories, and on the streets. He also deployed soldiers on street corners across the land.
“This is not due to a lack of trust”, he reassured, “but to avoid disorder. As is practised in all developed countries, we must take measures aimed at maintaining order on Turkmen soil and ensuring our citizens’ peace.”
Death and Legacy
Saparmurat Niyazov died suddenly of heart failure on December 21st, 2006, after 21 years in power. He was succeeded by his former dentist, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, who rolled back some of the more absurd policies (such as the renamed months) but kept the authoritarian system firmly in place.
Niyazov left behind a surreal legacy: a country plastered with his image, a national mythos built around his supposed wisdom, and a people who had been taught to revere him as both a father figure and a semi-divine prophet. He remains one of the strangest figures in post-Soviet history.