'Gateway to Hell' and personality cults: 5 things to know about Turkmenistan
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan — Turkmenistan's father of the nation, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, met French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday in Paris, a rare trip to the West.
Here are five things to know about Turkmenistan, the former Soviet republic in Central Asia and one of the most reclusive countries in the world:
Presidential dynasty
Turkmenistan has had only three presidents since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
First was Saparmurat Niyazov, who proclaimed himself both "president for life" and the "father of the Turkmen" (Turkmenbashi), and ruled for 15 years.
Then in 2006, the Berdymukhamedov family took over, with father Gurbanguly becoming president before handing that job to his son Serdar in 2022.
In reality, the pair rule in tandem. Gurbanguly still enjoys immense power and is the subject of an intense personality cult.
Officially proclaimed "leader of the Turkmen nation" and Arkadag, which means hero-protector, he built a vast city named after himself, Arkadag, at a cost of at least $5 billion (P278 billion).
A recently-formed local football club — unbeaten in all national competitions — and state media outlets also bear the name.
'Repressive state'
Turkmenistan is one of the most reclusive and secretive countries in the world.
Freedom House, an NGO which tracks the state of democracy around the world, calls the country "a repressive authoritarian state where political rights and civil liberties are almost completely denied in practice."
According to Amnesty International, Turkmenistan is "effectively closed to international human rights NGOs, UN special mechanisms and independent media."
Information on the country is fragmented, tightly controlled and generally unverifiable, "aimed solely at praising the regime," according to Reporters Without Borders.
Many social media platforms are inaccessible. Obtaining a visa to visit is extremely complicated, despite the authorities having said they want to make the country easier to access, including through the announcement of a vague e-visa scheme.
Lots of gas, little water
Turkmenistan is estimated to have the world's fourth largest gas reserves, exports of which generate billions of dollars for the country.
While gas is plentiful, water supplies are scarce. Three-quarters of Turkmenistan is covered by the vast Karakum desert. An aging 1,400-kilometer irrigation canal traverses the desert, bringing much-needed water to the country's cotton fields.
Cotton is an important industry for the Turkmen economy, but the high use of water has contributed to the drying up of the Aral Sea, between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, which has shrunk to a fraction of its former size.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization says water stress in the country is "extremely high," pressure that will likely intensify due to climate change.
'Gateway to Hell'
A massive five-decade old fire raging in a natural gas crater is the country's top tourist attraction.
Turkmen authorities have repeatedly stated their intentions to close the Darvaza crater, dubbed the "Gateway to Hell," but so far without success.
The fire has been burning in the Karakum desert since 1971, when Soviet scientists accidentally ignited it.
It emits huge volumes of methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, with Turkmenistan the world leader in large methane leaks, according to satellite monitoring.
Sacred animals
Local breeds of horse and dog are sacred and have been elevated to the status of national symbols.
On the orders of Gurbanguly, numerous statues honouring the Alabai — or Central Asian shepherd-dog and the Akhal-Teke horse have been erected. The animals are celebrated on public holidays.
Gurbanguly has even composed a song in honor of his favourite horse, while Serdar holds the title of the "honourable breeder" of Alabai and chairs the national Akhal-Teke association.
The Berdymukhamedovs like to give and receive the dogs and horses as gifts, including to other world leaders, and are often filmed cuddling the animals in public.
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