Portal:Turkmenistan

The Turkmenistan Portal

Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to the north, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest, and the Caspian Sea to the west. It is one of six independent Turkic states. Ashgabat is the capital and largest city. With over 7 million people, Turkmenistan is the 35th most-populous country in Asia and has the lowest population of the Central Asian republics while being one of the most sparsely populated nations located on the Asian continent.

Turkmenistan has long served as a thoroughfare for several empires and cultures. Merv is one of the oldest oasis-cities in Central Asia, and was once among the biggest cities in the world. It was also one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by the Russian Empire in 1881, Turkmenistan figured prominently in the anti-Bolshevik movement in Central Asia. In 1925, Turkmenistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic (Turkmen SSR); it became independent after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Turkmenistan is widely criticized for its poor human rights record, including for its treatment of minorities, and its lack of press and religious freedoms. Since the independence declared from the Soviet Union in 1991, Turkmenistan has been ruled by repressive totalitarian regimes: that of President for Life Saparmurat Niyazov (also known as Türkmenbaşy or "Head of the Turkmens") until his death in 2006; Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, who became president in 2007 after winning a non-democratic election (who had been the minister of health, vice-president, and then acting president previously); and his son Serdar, who won a subsequent 2022 presidential election described by international observers as neither free nor fair, and now shares power with his father.

Turkmenistan possesses the world's fifth-largest reserves of natural gas, and many leaks. Most of the country is covered by the Karakum Desert. Turkmenistan is an observer state in the Organisation of Turkic States, a founding member of TÜRKSOY (the International Organization of Turkic Culture) and a member of the United Nations. (Full article...)

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Berdimuhamedow in 2025

Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow (born 29 June 1957) is a Turkmen politician, lawyer and former dentist who is currently the chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan. He previously served as the second president of Turkmenistan from 2006 to 2022, when he entered into a power-sharing arrangement with his son, Serdar, the current president.

A lawyer and former dentist, Berdimuhamedow served in the government of the president, Saparmurat Niyazov, as the minister of health in 1997 and as the deputy cabinet chair in 2001. He became acting president following Niyazow's death on 21 December 2006 and subsequently won the 2007 presidential election. He faced no meaningful opposition and won by an overwhelming margin with 89% of the vote. In 2012, he was re-elected for a second term with 97% of the vote and he was re-elected again in 2017 with 97.7% of the vote. He was among the candidates elected to the People's Council of Turkmenistan on 28 March 2021, as a member from Ahal Region. He reportedly received 100% of votes from the electors. On 14 April 2021, he was unanimously elected chairman of the People's Council, the upper chamber of the Turkmen parliament. (Full article...)

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Turkmenistan
Economy of Turkmenistan
Geography of Turkmenistan
Education in Turkmenistan
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Culture of Turkmenistan

General images

The following are images from various Turkmenistan-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Hoisting the Red Banner in Tashkent 1917 (from History of Turkmenistan)
Image 2Turkmen woman's jewelry, metal and cornelian, 20th century. Musée du Quai Branly, Paris, France. (from Culture of Turkmenistan)
Image 3Turkmen man and his son hoist the flag of Turkmenistan while on horseback at the opening ceremony for the 2008 World Nomad Games. (from Culture of Turkmenistan)
Image 4The Parthian Empire in 94 BC at its greatest extent, during the reign of Mithridates II (r. 124–91 BC) (from History of Turkmenistan)
Image 5Map of the Timurid Empire (from History of Turkmenistan)
Image 6Oghuz Yabgu State, 750–1055 (from History of Turkmenistan)
Image 7Soviet soldiers returning from Afghanistan. 20 October 1986, Guşgy, Turkmenia. (from History of Turkmenistan)
Image 8Female figurine of the "Bactrian princess" type, 2500-1500 BCE, chlorite (dress and hat) and limestone (head, hands and a leg), height: 13.33 cm, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (USA). (from History of Turkmenistan)
Image 9Turkmen woman's jewelry, silver, gold and cornelian, 20th century. Musée du Quai Branly, Paris, France. (from Culture of Turkmenistan)
Image 10Seljuk Empire at its greatest extent in 1092, upon the death of Malik-Shah I. (from History of Turkmenistan)
Image 11Tekke Turkmen kapunuk (door surround), early 19th century. A kapunuk is designed to surround a door frame, providing a decorative entry to a circular Turkmen yurt. (from Culture of Turkmenistan)
Image 12Detail of a Salyr Turkmen ceremonial carpet, dating from the mid-1700s to the mid-1800s (from History of Turkmenistan)