President Hotel in Ashgabat

... the more people that see them the better, especially in Turkmenistan where they are all about propagandizing the President. We stopped for the night not far outside Ashgabat, in a clearing characterised only by a pile of rubbish and a stray dog.  It ...

... are 91 metres tall, commemorating the '91 independence from the USSR. There is also the mausoleum for the former President Niyazov, and extensive parks, gardens and fountains.    Carry on into the city proper, passing impressive parks, ...

... of a map pretty early on and just followed our noses.  Ashgabat is full of clinical white buildings and reference to "the President" as he is affectionately known, at every opportunity.  The story goes that he lost his father in the war and his ...

... want by the way) Niyazov simply changed the name of his party to the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and made himself President, creating a personality cult in a similar fashion to the Kim Dynasty in North Korea. He took the name of Turkmenbashi, meaning ...

... en deux parties, les politiques et monolithiques constructions du gouvernement sovietique et les politiques et monolithiques constructions du President Niyazov, dont le nombre augmente tous les mois. C est un ensemble de batiments flambants neuf de marbre ...