ASHGABAT, TURKMENISTAN: MONUMENTS TO INDEPENDENCE, A WEDDING, AND A MONUMENT TO EGO

Many countries have a Monument to Independence, but Turkmenistan's, which commemorates their independence from Russia on October 27, 1991, is just as unique as you would expect it to be in a country full of unusual, mind-blowing monuments. Like many other monuments in Ashgabat, the tower is 91 meters (299 feet) tall in honor of the year of independence. Inside there are exhibition halls depicting the history of the region--which we did not have time to see.

Supposedly the architectural style was inspired by traditional Turkmen yurts and traditional female headgear. The spire also looks like the minaret of a mosque. On the other hand, I've read that the monument is sometimes referred to by visitors as "The Plunger," and I think it looks like an alien's helmet:

We were very fortunate when we were there to see a large gathering of real live people!!!! This was by far the largest group of locals we saw during our time in Ashgabat. They were celebrating the wedding of the couple in the center of the photo:

It was fun to see the guests wearing their beautiful traditional clothing, which is similar in style to what we saw them wearing in the street (when we saw anyone), but perhaps a little more ornate:

The car (white, of course, like everything else in the city) was all gussied up for the special occasion as well:

This family must have money. They are driving a Mercedes:

The wedding party posed for a nice photo and didn't seem bothered at all that an extra thirty people were also taking pictures:

The groom looks so HAPPY and the bride looks so . . . extraterrestrial:

The bridesmaid (?) was there to adjust the evil eye ornament for maximum effect:

Finally, a smile from the groom. He must be relieved to be on his way to the car, where he can remove that hat. I'm assuming the bride is happy too:

More adjustments were made to the bride's wedding dress. It must weigh about 200 pounds:

I know I am unfairly poking fun at another culture's traditions because I don't understand them. I do think it is cool that wedding parties typically visit national monuments as part of the wedding tradition. I wish I knew more about the bride's dress and that unusual curtain in front of her face. Look at the back of her dress--an incredible amount of fine handwork. I think this would make a lovely wall hanging after the wedding. It would be a shame to waste those brilliant colors and intricate designs by packing it away in a box like we westerners do our wedding dresses:

Okay, back to the Monument to Independence. This fellow seems to be shrugging and saying, "No, I don't understand that headgear either."

The 345 acres around the monument is called Independence Park. The park includes 27 statues of past Turkmen heroes. The one in the left photo below is Muhammet Togrul Beg Turkmen (990-1063 AD), the second ruler of the Seljuk dynasty and the man who united the warriors of the Erasian Steppes into a confederacy. On the right is Gara Yusup Beg Turkmen, a 15th century leader who appears on the back of the 50 manat coin. (Guess who is on the front? Yep. President Niyazov.)

I don't know who this one is, but he is wearing a hat similar to the one worn by the happy groom in earlier photos:

To give you an idea of how colossal size these fellows are, here is Bob standing next to one:

This is Kemine (1770-1840), a well-known (to Turkmen), popular satiric poet, also topped by the national hat:

No idea who this one is, but that's the Cultural Center and Library in the background. See the hundreds of people going in and out? Yeah, me neither:

Here is my favorite. It is Oghuz Khagan (or Khan), a mythical figure who supposedly could talk on the day he was born and after one sip of his mother's milk, started drinking fermented horse milk instead. That will make a man out of anyone, and in just 40 days he was full grown and killed the dragon that had been preying upon the land. After thwarting several palace intrigues, he became the Khan. He married a supernatural being and they had three sons they named Sun, Moon, and Star. He married a second supernatural being and they had three sons they named Sky, Mountain, and Sea. He and his sons fought many battles until Oghuz became Khan of the four corners of the earth. He is the perfect predecessor to Turkmenistan's two modern presidents, don't you think?

On the other side of the monument is the biggest hero kook of them all, Saparmurat Niyazov, President/Dictator #1 (1991-2006) of Turkmenistan, standing on an appropriately tall pedestal:

He has a Superman-like cape tossed jauntily over his left shoulder. That circle of gold on his right shoulder is actually the top of the Monument to Independence tower, which is directly behind him:

He wears a Western-style suit, and apparently birds like to sit on his head.

How do they keep these lustrous gold statues clean? And what happened to the finish on the president's right shoulder?

Niyazov is surrounded by gold-covered five-headed eagles clutching a double-headed snake, the symbol he adopted for himself. Each head represents one of the five provinces of Turkmenistan. I don't know for sure what the double-headed snake represents, but some sources say that in mythology, it symbolizes rebirth, which seems to fit Turkmenistan, which has recreated itself since its liberation from Soviet rule (apparently, thanks to Niyazov):

Even Lenin and Stalin did not exhibit this level of hubris.

A series of fountains flow down a gentle slope that leads from the Monument to Independence . . .

. . . to the strangest of all the strange things we saw in Turkmenistan: a monument to a book written by President Niyazov entitled Ruhnama ("Book of the Spirit"):

The lilac-pink, green, and gold book is two stories tall:

The five symbols of the five districts of Turkmenistan are on the spine, along with the five-headed eagle and the esteemed author's name:

The snake-carrying five-headed eagle is repeated on the back, along with the crescent and stars from the Turkmenistan flag:

Niyazov's manifesto includes the supposed history of the Turkmen people, their expected moral conduct, some religious instruction, some of Niyazov's life story, some poetry, and some fairy tales. There is a fair amount of "creative writing" involved, and apparently the book is in desperate need of a good editor. During Niayzov's regime:

• the Ruhnama was a mandatory part of all levels of education and children were required to memorize passages from it (at the expense of the study of other less-important topics such as algebra, physics, and physical education).

• exams on its teachings were given as part of job interviews and the driver's license test.

• TV shows were replaced by solemn readings from the text.

• the text was translated into 41 languages and placed in libraries around the world.

• bookstores were required to give it a prominent place in displays, and mosques had to make sure it was as visible as the Qu'ran.

• as noted in a previous post, the mosque in Niyazov's hometown had passages from the Ruhnama engraved on the walls along with passages from the Qu'ran.

• a copy was launched into space aboard a Russian satellite.

• Niyazov allegedly claimed that God himself told him that anyone who read the Ruhnama three times was guaranteed to get into heaven.

• every evening, at least during Niyazov's life, this version of the book in Monument Park opened at 8:00 and a passage was read over the intercom.

Yeah, weird.

Scenes from Turkmenistan's history and present day monuments are shown in golden bas relief around the base of the monument:

. . . including the monument to the 1948 earthquake, sans the golden baby Niyazov being held aloft by his mother:

These days, our local guide told us, the Ruhnama is out of print and is no longer required reading. I'm guessing that in a few years, this monument to "The Book of the Soul" will quietly disappear--or perhaps find a less prominent location--as the new president, just 61 years old and with a decade or two of governance ahead, solidifies HIS grip on his "President for Life" status.

Near the monument is this little alcove. I think it must be the sound stage from which the readings of the Ruhnama are projected over the head of its author, as if he is speaking the words himself:

See ya later, Saparmurat Niyazov, aka Turkmenbashi (Head of the Turkmen):