Page 54 - The Stans of Central Asia: Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan

Call it Turkmenbashi

Apparently, names matter a lot in Turkmenistan—or, at least one name mattered a lot—and
that name was Turkmenbashi (also spelt “Türkmenbasy”). This title, meaning “Leader of
all the Turkmen People”, was held by the late President for Life, Saparmurat Niyazov. And it
seems the President liked the name quite a bit:

• In 1993, he changed the name of the port city of Krasnovodsk to Turkmenbashi.

• The Ashgabat airport was named Turkmenbashi when it opened in 1994.

• When a large meteorite crashed in Turkmenistan in 1998, it was named Turkmenbashi.

• In 2002, the government of Turkmenistan decreed that the months of the year would
have new, Turkmen-inspired names. January was renamed Turkmenbashi. September
was renamed Ruhnama, which is the title of a book written by Turkmenbashi.
But it wasn’t always about him—April was renamed Gurbansoltan, which was his
mother’s name.

In addition to his name appearing on several dozens of streets and schools across the country,
Turkmenbashi’s likeness appeared in unlikely places throughout the nation. His face was on
the money (of course) but it also appeared on all clocks and watches in Turkmenistan, as the
logo for all three staterun T.V. stations, and on vodka bottles. Turkmenbashi brand vodka,
naturally.

The President also had several “restrained and tasteful” statues of himself erected in the
main squares of important towns and cities, like the capital Ashgabat. They were generally
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sun. Sadly, the statue was removed in 2010, as were many other reminders of Turkmenbashi,
including a reference to him in the national anthem (the lyric was changed to “the people”)
and on the currency (today he only appears on the 500 manat note).

Religion

Islam is the predominant religion in most of Central Asia, so an understanding of the religion
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noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening. Some newspapers will print the exact time each day, but
others will rely on the call to prayer. The call to prayer, called the PeLY, is sung or broadcast
from minaret towers to remind the faithful that it is time to pray. Friday is the Muslim
Sabbath day, but businesses in the region usually remain open.

When visiting a mosque, it is polite to be modestly dressed (no bare shoulders, no short skirts
or shorts). You will be asked to remove your shoes before entering. In some mosques, female
visitors are not required to cover their hair, in others you may be asked to do so. Typically a
mosque that requires special dress for female visitors will have pieces to lend or rent.

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