Turkic Republics and Communities:
Turkmenistan Links

Last Updated: February 28, 2012

Saparmurat Niyazov was the president of independent Turkmenistan between 1991 and 2006 and his increasingly bizarre policies became worrisome, continuing Soviet-style repression but with a Turkmen flavor. He was building a personality cult, funding weird projects, and starting to go over the top in regulating personal behavior, such as decreeing that men can't grow beards and that women working for television stations can't wear makeup. His closure of all hospitals and public libraries in places other than the capital, Ashgabat, was irresponsible. He also made it difficult for Turkmenistani residents to access the Internet.

Niyazov wrote a quirky book called Ruhnama that mixed history, spirituality, and autobiography. Hee mandated every schoolchild to read and be taught it instead of getting a real education. Courses in subjects like mathematics and science were dropped from the curriculum.

During some years (2001-2005) of Niyazov's regime, I earned commissions by advertising and selling beautiful handmade carpets and rugs from Turkmen Carpets Online. That made me one of the few foreigners living outside of the country to have a business relationship with a Turkmen company at that time. Meanwhile the most excellent businessman I worked with was one of the few (less than 1%) to have access to email and the Web.

Turkmenistan Flag Keychain Turkmenistan Flag License Plate Wall Sign Tag Cultures of the World: Turkmenistan by Marylee Knowlton

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