Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov cuts the ribbon during the ceremony inaugurating the new city of Arkadag. (Photo by Natalia KOLESNIKOVA / AFP)
Turkmenistan, which on Thursday is inaugurating a city named after the energy-rich former Soviet republic’s authoritarian ruler, is one of the most secluded countries in the world.
Here are five things to know about the isolated Central Asian country:
Since Turkmenistan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, rights groups have denounced the succession of three repressive regimes in Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan’s first president Saparmurat Niyazov proclaimed himself “president for life” and held the official title of “Father of the Turkmen”. He died in 2006, passing power to the Berdymukhamedov family.
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Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who now also holds grandiose titles rendering him head of the Turkmen nation, handed the presidency to his son, Serdar, in 2022 but remains the country’s most powerful man.
Local horse breed, the Akhal-Teke, and the Central Asian shepherd dog, the alabai, are revered as national symbols.
On Berdymukhamedov elder’s orders, statues to the animals have been erected throughout the arid country and the venerated breeds are celebrated on designated public holidays.
He gifted an alabai to Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2017 and composed a song in honour of his favourite horse.
His son Serdar holds the title of “honourable alabai breeder” and leads the national association of Akhal-Teke horses.
Known as the “Gates of Hell,” the Darvaza gas crater in the Karakum Desert has been continuously on fire since its discovery by Soviet scientists in 1971.
The country’s main tourist attraction points to Turkmenistan’s immense gas reserves — the world’s fourth largest. The economy largely relies on gas exports, primarily to China.
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In mid-June, the state-owned Turkmengaz announced it had found a way to extinguish the crater by drilling a gas well nearby, following a presidential order more than one year ago.
Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, a former health minister and dentist by training, has overseen a government campaign to promote a healthy lifestyle, orchestrating spectacular public sporting events.
He participates regularly in bodybuilding contests, football matches, car rallies, and bicycle parades.
Turkmenistan’s fight against tobacco smoking is another cornerstone of the regime’s health policy, with the aim of eliminating it entirely by 2025.
Turkmenistan reported there was not a single case of coronavirus in the country, a claim highly doubted by observers.
Three quarters of Turkmenistan is covered by the “black sands” of the Karakum Desert, one of the largest in the world, traversed by a 1,400-kilometre canal which irrigates the land where, in some places, annual precipitation does not exceed 100 mm.
While the country has abundant natural gas resources, water reserves are critically scarce, with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) saying water stress in Turkmenistan is “extremely high.”
The situation, which is likely to worsen due to climate change, is aggravated by extremely water-intensive cotton cultivation, one of the largest sectors of the Turkmen economy.
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