‘Gateway to Hell’ and personality cults: 5 things to know about Turkmenistan
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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:
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.
Content retrieved from: https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/2025/05/06/2441019/gateway-hell-and-personality-cults-5-things-know-about-turkmenistan.
