Turkmenistan to remove famed Arch of Neutrality

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ASHGABAT – Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has ordered the dismantling of the Arch of Neutrality and its statue of Saparmurat Niyazov, news media reported January 18.

According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Berdymukhamedov ordered the move as part of his ongoing efforts to chip away at the cult of personality associated with Niyazov, who presided over Turkmenistan for 21 years until his death in 2006.

Since taking over as Turkmen president in 2007, Berdymukhamedov has repealed many of the decrees made by Niyazov, including renaming streets, cities and removing the ubiquitous portraits of the self-proclaimed Great Turkmenbashi, or, “Father of All Turkmen”.

Among Niyazov’s other decrees was one renaming the month of April for his mother. Completed in 1998, the arch’s construction was ordered by Niyazov as a tribute to his nation’s permanent status as a neutral nation.

The arch was built as a tripod and features a large glass elevator with ornate inscriptions as outer decorations. The 75-metre structure is topped with a 12-metre gold-plated statue of Niyazov that rotates 360 degrees over 24 hours so that it always faces the sun.

According to Ferghana.ru, a new neutrality monument, expected to be 95-metres high will be erected in the southern suburbs of Ashgabat in 2011. The new monument will cost US $218 million and be constructed by a Turkish firm, Ferghana.ru said.