Neutrality Arch on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Monument of Neutrality ( tk, Bitaraplyk arkasy) is a monument originally located in
/ref> was tall and was built in 1998 on the orders of the president of Turkmenistan,
/ref> It cost $12 million to construct. The monument was topped by a tall gold-plated statue of Nyýazow which rotated always to face the sun.BBC News: Turkmenistan ex-leader Niyazov's arch to be removed
/ref> The arch was located in central Ashgabat where it dominated the skyline, being taller than the nearby Presidential Palace. The statue was illuminated at night. The arch featured a panoramic viewing platform which was a popular attraction for visitors.
On 18 January 2010 Nyýazow's successor as president,
/ref> There were reports that the arch would be dismantled as early as 2008, but the president did not approve the move until 2010. The dismantling was officially said to be a move to improve urban design in Ashgabat but is seen as part of Berdimuhamedow's campaign to remove the excesses of the personality cult that Nyýazow had created in his two decades at the head of one of the world's most
10000 manat. Türkmenistan, 2000 b.jpg, 10000 manat
5 manat. Türkmenistan, 2012 b.jpg, 5 manat
The Neutrality Monument – Polimeks
{{Coord, 37.8822, 58.3333, type:landmark_region:TM, display=title Buildings and structures in Ashgabat Buildings and structures completed in 1998 Monuments and memorials in Turkmenistan Saparmyrat Nyýazow 1998 establishments in Turkmenistan
Ashgabat
Ashgabat or Asgabat ( tk, Aşgabat, ; fa, عشقآباد, translit='Ešqābād, formerly named Poltoratsk ( rus, Полтора́цк, p=pəltɐˈratsk) between 1919 and 1927), is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies ...
, Turkmenistan. In 2010, it was moved to the suburbs.
The three-legged arch, which became known locally as "The Tripod",Radio Free Europe: Turkmen Leader Orders Predecessor's Statue Removed/ref> was tall and was built in 1998 on the orders of the president of Turkmenistan,
Saparmyrat Nyýazow
Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow) (; 19 February 1940 – 21 December 2006), also known as , , was a Turkmen politician who ruled Turkmenistan as a dictator from 1985 until his death in 2006. He was first secretary of the Turkmen Communi ...
, to commemorate the country's official position of neutrality
Neutral or neutrality may refer to:
Mathematics and natural science Biology
* Neutral organisms, in ecology, those that obey the unified neutral theory of biodiversity
Chemistry and physics
* Neutralization (chemistry), a chemical reaction ...
.The Times: 'Father of all Turkmen' toppled under orders of successor/ref> It cost $12 million to construct. The monument was topped by a tall gold-plated statue of Nyýazow which rotated always to face the sun.BBC News: Turkmenistan ex-leader Niyazov's arch to be removed
/ref> The arch was located in central Ashgabat where it dominated the skyline, being taller than the nearby Presidential Palace. The statue was illuminated at night. The arch featured a panoramic viewing platform which was a popular attraction for visitors.
Removal
On 18 January 2010 Nyýazow's successor as president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow
Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow (born 29 June 1957), also known as Arkadag (Cyrillic: Аркадаг, "protector"), is a Turkmen politician who served as the second president of Turkmenistan from 2006 to 2022.
A dentist by profess ...
, signed a decree to begin work on dismantling and moving the arch.Financial Times: Turkmenistan to end personality cult/ref> There were reports that the arch would be dismantled as early as 2008, but the president did not approve the move until 2010. The dismantling was officially said to be a move to improve urban design in Ashgabat but is seen as part of Berdimuhamedow's campaign to remove the excesses of the personality cult that Nyýazow had created in his two decades at the head of one of the world's most
totalitarian
Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and regul ...
regimes. Nyýazow also named cities and airports after himself, ordered the building of an ice palace and a tall pyramid, but the gold-plated statue has been described as the most notorious symbol of his legacy.
Berdimuhamedow moved the "Monument to Neutrality" to the suburbs. The president appointed Turkish construction firm Polimeks, which had initially constructed it, to carry out the dismantling and movement of the arch. The removal of Nyýazow's golden statue was completed on 26 August 2010,
although it was then placed back after the monument was moved. The statue no longer rotates, but the viewing platform is still usually open for visitors. There are elevators inside the "legs" of the monument.
Symbol of the country
See also
* De-StalinizationReferences
External links
The Neutrality Monument – Polimeks
{{Coord, 37.8822, 58.3333, type:landmark_region:TM, display=title Buildings and structures in Ashgabat Buildings and structures completed in 1998 Monuments and memorials in Turkmenistan Saparmyrat Nyýazow 1998 establishments in Turkmenistan