Turkmenator: Incredible Adventures and Incredible Power of the President of Turkmenistan. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov Turkmen President

According to the Central Election Commission of Turkmenistan, in the presidential elections held on Sunday, February 12, the 59-year-old was re-elected the head of Turkmenistan. In addition to Berdimuhamedov, eight other candidates competed for the presidency.

According to the new version of the Constitution, the presidential term will be seven years instead of five.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Dossier

Gurbanguly Myalikgulyevich Berdimuhamedov was born on June 29, 1957 in the village of Babarab, Gekdepe district, Ashgabat region, Turkmenistan.

In 1979 he graduated from the Turkmen State Medical Institute. Doctor of Medical Sciences.

He began his career in 1979 as a dental intern at polyclinic No. 5 in Ashgabat.

From 1980 to 1982, he worked as a dentist in a rural outpatient clinic in the village of Errik-Kala, Ashgabat region.

In 1982-1985 he was the chief freelance dentist of the Ashgabat region.

From 1985 to 1987 he was the head of the dental department of the central district hospital of the Keshi village council of the Ashgabat region and the chief freelance dentist of the Ashgabat region.

In 1990-1995, he was an assistant at the Department of Therapeutic Dentistry, Associate Professor, Dean of the Dental Faculty of the Turkmen State Medical Institute.

In 1995-1997, he was the director of the Dental Center of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan.

Since 1997 - Minister of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan.

On April 3, 2001, by decree of the President of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Niyazov, he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan (Niyazov himself was the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan).

In November 2006, he represented Turkmenistan at the CIS summit in Minsk.

On December 21, 2006, by decision of the State Security Council of Turkmenistan and the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, he was appointed Acting President of Turkmenistan, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan, in connection with the death of the first president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov (1940-2006).

On February 11, 2007, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was elected the second president of Turkmenistan. On February 14, the inauguration ceremony took place. By tradition, Berdymukhammedov was presented with a presidential certificate and a distinctive sign in the form of a gold chain with an octagonal emblem. The new president walked on a white carpet, symbolizing a bright path. He was presented with sachak - bread wrapped in a tablecloth, a quiver with arrows, the Koran and the Rukhnama.

In March 2007, he was elected head of the highest representative and legislative body of power in Turkmenistan - the People's Council (Halk Maslakhaty).

On February 12, 2012, the second alternative presidential elections were held in Turkmenistan. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov won 97.14% of the votes.

In 2017, he won the presidential election for the second time.

Cult of personality

Among the people, the president bears the unofficial title of "Leader of the Nation" and Arkadag (translated from Turkmen Arkadag - "patron"). Many social and cultural objects of Turkmenistan are named after him, as well as the names of his family members. Images and portraits of Berdimuhamedov are placed on thousands of posters and banners, countless photographs in the premises of institutions, in the cabs of vehicles.

Relations with Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin Putin praised Berdimuhamedov's contribution to the development of friendly relations between the two countries.

Earlier, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stated that Russia and Turkmenistan have centuries-old friendly relations, which are constantly strengthened by new agreements and interaction in various sectors: the economy (in 2015, trade between the countries doubled), education and culture. In particular, about 17,000 Turkmen students study at Russian universities every year.

“Of course, the cultural and humanitarian sphere is very important for us, because these are issues of education, science, culture and sports. Even today we remember how you (Vladimir Putin) yourself founded the Russian-Turkmen school, which bears the name of the great poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. Over the years, a galaxy of graduates has been released who not only want to learn Russian, they love the Russian language. In many of our general education schools, and in higher educational institutions, great importance is attached to the study of the Russian language. Periodicals, exhibitions, photo exhibitions are very good with us, the work on the publishing press, namely on Russian periodicals, is going on at a high level, ”the President of Turkmenistan said at a meeting with Putin in November 2016.

As for foreign policy, Turkmenistan and Russia have always understood each other, Berdimuhamedov said.

“We are a neutral country. We are grateful to you for supporting us twice, you even co-authored the document on the permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan. Therefore, we, as a neutral country, and the only neutral country in the world, conduct our foreign policy based on the Charter of the United Nations: it is peaceful in our country - and in this regard, we are also doing a lot with you and, of course, we will continue this policy in the future. ”, Berdimuhamedov emphasized at the time.

I once asked a Turkmen how the personality cult of Turkmenbashi (the title of Saparmurat Niyazov, translated as “Head of the Turkmens”) differs from the personality cult of Arkadag (the title of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, translated as “Patron”).

You know, before we had portraits of Turkmenbashi hanging everywhere. Hung once - and forgotten. And then, in his old age, he decided to dye his hair black, and they announced to the people that the leader had begun to grow younger. Then all the portraits throughout the country were changed. And when Arkadag came, we change portraits every year. No, he does not dye his hair all the time, he just takes his photographs very carefully. Either it should be against a white carpet, or against a red carpet. And you need to constantly run and buy new portraits. We buy portraits with our own money. We jokingly call it the "tax on people's love."

In general, it is very interesting to observe how people are blown away by the unlimited dough and impunity. I can still imagine how Turkmenbashi seized power and began to erect golden statues of himself. A person has a difficult childhood (he grew up in an orphanage), all his life he was a party functionary. And so he decided to break away and take revenge on everyone. But Berdimuhamedov seems to be from a family of teachers, he himself is a doctor of medical sciences, a dentist, he worked as a doctor all his life, then he became the Minister of Health. It would seem that an educated person could pull the country out of medieval rituals. But several years have passed since Berdymukhamedov sat on the throne, and now, with a large crowd of people, a golden monument is opened to him, and portraits of Berdymukhamedov come across on the streets more often than paid parking signs in the center of Moscow.

But let's start in order.

The first president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, ruled the country for more than 30 years. Back in 1985, he became the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Turkmen SSR, before that he headed the Ashgabat city committee for five years.

When the USSR staggered, Niyazov became chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the republic, which proclaimed its independence. And already in June 1992, the former party worker was elected president of Turkmenistan. They say it was a completely democratic election with a single candidate and a fair 99.5% vote.

Just a year later, the Mejlis, that is, the parliament, bestowed on Niyazov the title of Turkmenbashi, which meant that from now on he is the head of all the Turkmens of the world. Later, the word "Great" was added to the title for persuasiveness. Optional during the reign of Turkmenbashi were such titles as "savior of the nation" and "messenger of Allah", commonly used (including in the media) - Serdar, or "leader". In addition, Niyazov, who did not serve in the army, had the rank of marshal and was awarded the title of Hero of Turkmenistan five times. Officials, when meeting with Turkmenbashi, had to kiss his right hand, studded with rings with emeralds and diamonds.

You think these are just titles, but no. Under the titles, the national anthem was changed. One Turkmen told me that at school on the blackboard where the anthem was, one line was smeared with white paint all the time, and then “Turkmenbashi”, then “Great Turkmenbashi”, or something else was manually entered there.

In the mid-1990s, Niyazov seriously considered declaring himself Shah, but it is said that the elders, as well as the heads of Iran, Russia and Uzbekistan, opposed this. To console himself, in 1999 Turkmenbashi forced the People's Council of the Republic to proclaim him president for life.

To emphasize his greatness, Turkmenbashi ordered to erect a giant 83-meter monument, known as the Arch of Neutrality, in the center of Ashgabat. At its top was a gilded statue of Niyazov himself, which rotated after the sun.

After the death of Turkmenbashi, the arch was dismantled and moved to the outskirts of the city. Now the statue does not rotate, because otherwise the golden figure of the leader would have been turned back to the capital for half a day. Ugly.

In 2000, another giant statue of Turkmenbashi appeared in the Turkmen capital, this time in front of the Independence Monument.

Near the Independence Monument there is the Alley of Presidents, where visiting leaders plant pine trees. This is Medvedev's pine, for example.

And here is Yanukovych's pine.

In total, 14,000 statues and busts of Turkmenbashi appeared in the country in a couple of decades. Their number began to decrease only with the coming to power of Berdimuhamedov. But even now there are a lot of statues.

Golden Turkmenbashi sits near the entrance to the local KGB, his profile adorns the buildings of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Press. And here is his statue in front of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan.

Another statue stands in the park of the 10th anniversary of the independence of Turkmenistan in the very center of Ashgabat.

The city of Turkmenbashi (former Krasnovodsk) and the peak of the Great Turkmenbashi (Ayribaba peak, the highest peak of the Koytendag ridge) were named after Niyazov. All the streets of Turkmen cities bore the names and titles of either Turkmenbashi himself or his relatives. The rest were either numbered, or had names that were not related to people (for example, Neutral Turkmenistan Street), or were named after two or three historical figures.

In all offices of officials, auditoriums, industrial premises and vestibules, portraits of the leader were to be placed. Of course, the bright face of Turkmenbashi looked at his subjects from the banknotes of the national currency.

The country sold vodka "Serdar" (leader) and toilet water "Turkmenbashi", produced in France. The fragrance, it seems, was chosen by Niyazov himself.

Name brandy

Yanardag Niyazov decided to place his Akhal-Teke horse in the center of the coat of arms of Turkmenistan. After the death of Turkmenbashi, his heir ordered to replace the horse with his own.

Deciding that all this was not enough, Turkmenbashi wrote a great work, which he called "Rukhnama". Niyazov himself called it "the main book of the Turkmen people" and "guide book".

"Rukhnama" was first published in 2001, but in five years they managed to translate it into more than 40 languages ​​of the world, and its total circulation exceeded 1 million copies. To study the book, a separate subject was introduced in schools and universities of the country, knowledge of the "Rukhnama" was tested at entrance exams, as well as when applying for a job.

In 2002, the month of September in Turkmenistan was renamed Rukhnama, and in 2005, construction began on the university. Ruhnama. But a year later, Niyazov died, and this plan could not be implemented. But in Ashgabat, they managed to erect a monument to the Ruhnama.

Few people believe that Turkmenbashi himself wrote the "holy book": it is believed that this is the work of literary blacks. However, this is no longer possible to prove. Turkmenbashi's heir, Berdymukhammedov, partially debunked the cult of the Ruhnama, but instead delighted his subjects with works of his own composition.

By the way, not only September received an actual name. Niyazov renamed the whole year, not forgetting either about himself (January became known as "Turkmenbashi"), or about his mother: the month of Gurbansoltan-eje now stands in Turkmenistan, and not April at all.

The Turkmens even had a joke: "Come to Turkmenbashi (city) to Turkmenbashi (month) along Turkmenbashi (street) to Turkmenbashi (hotel)".

The cult of Niyazov's mother is part of the cult of Turkmenbashi himself. First of all, with the light hand of the President, his parents became Heroes of Turkmenistan. Chorek, the national Turkmen bread, was named after Gurbansoltan-edje. In addition, it was the mother of Turkmenbashi who began to personify Justice instead of the goddess Themis.

In Ashgabat, of course, there were monuments to Gurbansoltan-eje and the father of the leader, Atamurat Niyazov, but in 2014 they were dismantled.

In 2004, in the city of Kipchak, where Niyazov was born, the Turkmenbashi Rukhy Mosque was built, at that time the largest single-domed mosque in the world. On the walls of the mosque there was a place for quotes from the Ruhnama.

Next to the mosque, a mausoleum was prudently built, in the corners of which Niyazov's father, mother and two brothers were buried, and Turkmenbashi himself was buried in the central sarcophagus in 2006.

After Niyazov's death, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov (who is widely rumored to be his illegitimate son) became president of Turkmenistan. Since the beginning of his rule, Berdymukhammedov has been trying to replace Niyazov's personality cult with a personality cult of himself.

But the golden statues of Turkmenbashi still stand outside the buildings of most state institutions. Berdimuhamedov has not yet decided to remove them.

Two years after the start of Berdymukhammedov's presidency, one of the officials reported that from all over the country there were "numerous wishes from citizens, collectives of enterprises, institutions and public organizations with a proposal to confer on the president the title of Hero of Turkmenistan."

The local media wrote that "these words ... those present at the meeting of the government met with a standing ovation, thunderous unceasing applause."

Berdymukhammedov was embarrassed and said that he was too young for the highest rank in the country:

I'm still young, I'm ready to work a little more, so that you can then give me such a high rating.

The Council of Elders of Turkmenistan obediently delayed and awarded him the title of Hero of Turkmenistan only two years later. Berdymukhammedov has four more Hero awards to catch up with Turkmenbashi in terms of the number of top awards.

In order for the new president to keep up with Turkmenbashi in other respects, loyal subjects gave him the title "Arkadag", which means "Patron" in translation. It was given to Berdimuhamedov at a military parade in 2010.

Journalists of the Turkmen edition of Radio Liberty, according to an unnamed blogger, tell how it happened:

A large detachment of the Turkmen military, marching past Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, stopped and turned to face him, and they all selflessly knelt before him. Perhaps this was supposed to symbolize a nation that knelt before its Patron (Arkadag). Interestingly, at the parade after the passage of the military, servile horsemen brought an Akhal-Teke horse to the podium with the "Patron of the Turkmens" and several times tried to force him to kneel before him, but they failed. Either the horse turned out to be thoroughbred, or they didn’t explain to him who was in front of him.

But the government website "Turkmexpo" stated that "stopping in front of the central tribune, the handsome horse bowed before the leader of the nation in a graceful bow."

There are still few monuments to Berdimuhamedov, the campaign for their mass installation is just beginning.

But Arkadag uses the latest achievements of progress and loves to place his portraits on multimedia screens along the streets. Usually he is depicted either against the background of a light-colored carpet, or against the background of a waving flag.

But sometimes he just goes to a brighter future on the green carpet. Here, for persuasiveness, the main sights of Ashgabat were placed behind Berdimuhamedov's back.

In the main newspaper of the country "Neutral Turkmenistan", the writer Gozel Shagulyeva published "A song of joy in honor of the awarding of the honorable President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov with the high title of "Person of the Year - 2010"" (this title was awarded to him by the Institute of International Relations and Economic Cooperation of Romania, and many are lost in conjecture why did he do it). Here is what was written in it:

First of all, I want to say about the main thing: I am happy because I am an eyewitness of the great deeds of the great era of the Great Son. I am happy because I consider it my duty to sing the days of the Renaissance of my country, full of great deeds, the fame of which has spread throughout the world.

The world-renowned Arkadag, our stronghold, support, hope, reviving the ancient Silk Road of the Turkmen people with its sympathetic heart, has today turned its Fatherland into a peacekeeping center.<...>

When I see how the grandiose plans of our esteemed President are being implemented, when I listen to his historic speeches, I cannot hold back tears of happiness and pride from excitement. And light tears roll down my cheeks - like droplets of my inspiration. When great words merge with great deeds, a real miracle occurs that can amaze our consciousness.

Arkadag welcomes you, traveler.

Sometimes you can see the continuity of generations: the golden statue of Turkmenbashi obscures the portrait of Berdimuhamedov.

In 2013, Berdymukhammedov attended the horse races on the occasion of the Akhal-Teke Horse Festival. He wanted to take part in the races himself, and the panel of judges included him in the Mentors' Race. He rode on his own horse named Berkarar and, unexpectedly for everyone, took first place. The only thing that overshadowed the jubilation of the crowd was the unexpected fall of Berkarar and his rider immediately after the finish.

For a few seconds, the people were numb, but then guards, intelligence officers and ministers rushed to Berdimuhamedov, who was lying motionless. He was taken away in an ambulance, for about an hour the audience waited tensely for news. At the end of the event, the president, alive and almost unharmed, nevertheless appeared in public and even talked with the offending horse:

In the end, Berkarara was taken to the treadmill. The leader of Turkmenistan, known for his love of horses, tried to kiss the horse, but he recoiled. The President did not back down, pulling his horse up again. The horse was forgiven. The crowd cheered.

When the event ended, exit security personnel began sifting through the crowd. Those with cameras were taken to a room under the stands and urged to erase all videos and photos. So that no one could hide the memory cards, student volunteers watched the crowd. In addition, the event was attended by foreign citizens and journalists: their laptops, tablets and phones were already confiscated at the airport. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan reported that several dozen people were then arrested for trying to take "prohibited materials" abroad.

Be that as it may, winning the race brought the president $11.05 million. He promised to transfer them to the state association "Turkmen horses". By the way, the horses that took second and third place also belonged to Berdimuhamedov.

The president participates not only in horse races, but also in auto racing. On them, he also invariably wins and even sets records. Usually such events are described as follows:

To the thunderous applause of the audience in the stands, the leader of the nation enters the track. The fireballs take off and immediately pick up high speed, rapidly covering the distance .... But the seventh number [under which Berdimuhamedov usually drives, because 7 is his favorite number] no longer leaves a chance for the opponent.<...>As you know, having been fond of driving cars since childhood, the leader of the nation has established himself as a high-class race car driver. Having shown a high class of driving a sports car, the pilot won a confident victory ... at number seven - President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov!

In general, Berdimuhamedov does not miss an opportunity to demonstrate to his subjects that he is in excellent athletic shape.

Berdimuhamedov also loves everything gold. Garden equipment included. Here is a golden leechka.

And this is a golden car. It is clear that the person is not easy.

Berdimuhamedov also writes books. He called one of them “The good name is imperishable” and dedicated it to his grandfather Berdimuhamed Annaev, who was a teacher. There are other works under the titles "Turkmenistan - a country of healthy and highly spiritual people", "Akhal-Teke - our pride and glory", "Flight of heavenly horses" and "Medicinal plants of Turkmenistan". At the initiative of the president, in 2009, copies of the Rukhnama written by Turkmenbashi were confiscated from Turkmen schools. In exchange, Berdymukhammedov's books are brought there.

In 2016, two new books were published at once: "The Source of Wisdom" (a collection of Turkmen proverbs and sayings) and "Tea - medicine and inspiration". Berdymukhammedov usually presents his novelties to their deputy prime ministers and ministerial heads, who in return bow at his waist and place the gift on their foreheads.

Berdimuhamedov loves to portray himself against the background of the people, against the background of children and/or elders. There are a lot of portraits where he goes somewhere, young and cheerful, and leads the people.

A classic photo of the leader against a light-colored carpet. This is just the standard of a portrait, which almost everyone in Turkmenistan has.

When possible, the portrait is hung directly on the carpet. The frame, of course, should be gold.

This is the ticket office of the entertainment complex with a Ferris wheel. Here everyone is again met by Arkadag against the background of children.

Portraits hang absolutely everything. They hang at airports, railway stations, many administrative buildings and, of course, in the offices of state and not only companies. This is, for example, the office of MTS. Arkadag here is adjacent to the flag and emblem of Turkmenistan.

In hotel.

This is how the booth looked like at one of the exhibitions of our KamAZ. All companies must equip their stand with a portrait of Berdymukhammedov against the backdrop of a carpet, otherwise, they say, things will not work in the country.

Every year, state institutions and enterprises must update the portraits of the president. The country has a special commission that orders, evaluates and approves new portraits. For different institutions, they are different: for hospital portraits, Berdymukhammedov is photographed in a white coat, for military departments and special services - in a brown uniform and with a serious face, and for the facades of the president's buildings, they are photographed in a suit and with his hand raised in greeting. Portraits of the organization must be purchased at their own expense. For example, last year school teachers bought presidential portraits for 33 manats (about 650 rubles) for their classes.

In general, the universal worship of Turkmenbashi is gradually fading into the past, but the personality cult of his successor continues to grow stronger. Berdymukhammedov recently decided to erect a monument to himself.

There he is! The monument "Arkadag" is a lifetime equestrian monument to Berdimuhamedov. Reminds me of St. Petersburg Peter I, only bigger)

It was opened like this.

The authorities presented the fundraising for the monument as voluntary. But according to the journalists of "Chronicles of Turkmenistan", in fact, the money needed for its construction was simply withheld from the salaries of people in the civil service. According to the plan, the monument was to overshadow the famous Arch of Neutrality with the golden figure of Turkmenbashi on top, which had been moved to the outskirts of the city a few years before.

The period of Berdimuhamedov's first presidential term was called the Epoch of the Great Renaissance. The period of the second term was declared the Epoch of Might and Happiness.

Good luck to you, dear friends. Continue tomorrow.

The logic of the decisions taken by the country's leadership, and in some states the political system, is largely determined by the personality of the chief leader. the site continues to talk about the biographies, families and hobbies of the leaders of the post-Soviet republics. Previous articles were devoted to the chapters of Uzbekistan. Today the material is about the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Myalikgulyevich Berdimuhamedov.

son of a communist

The future holder of the title Arkadag (“patron”) was born in 1957 in the village of Babarap, fifty kilometers from Ashgabat, into an intelligent family of school teachers. The leader of Turkmenistan is proud of his parents, he periodically appears with them at public events. In honor of the grandfather and father of Arkadag, military units, streets and squares are called in Turkmenistan, their detailed biographies were published several years ago. From the books you can learn that the grandfather of the President Berdimuhamed Annaev was a village teacher and school director, fought in the rank of corporal during the Great Patriotic War, and was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor for his labor activity. The president's father, Myalikguly Berdimuhamedov, is a historian by education, worked at a school, then made a career as a correctional worker, rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel of the internal service, and worked in the apparatus of the Ministry of Fruit and Vegetable Economy of the Turkmen SSR. The book "The Faithful Son of the Motherland" specifically notes that the president's father was a candidate member of the CPSU, in the party committee of the Ministry he was a member of the commission for the preparation of holidays, participated in various party and Komsomol meetings.

After graduation, the future leader decided to devote himself to healing people. At the age of 23, he graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry of the Turkmen State Medical Institute and began working as a dentist in rural and urban clinics. In 1987, he went to Moscow for postgraduate studies, and three years later he defended his Ph.D. Returning home, the future leader of the republic continued to treat patients' teeth, deepened his knowledge at the same time and gradually became an assistant professor, and then the dean of the Faculty of Dentistry. In 2007, when he had already taken the presidency, it was announced that Berdymukhammedov had been awarded the degree of doctor of science in medicine.

At 40, he was appointed Minister of Health. This fact, as well as the fact that in the future he did not fall under numerous purges in the government, gave rise to various gossip. Allegedly, the rapid rise was facilitated by the fact that Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov is actually the illegitimate son of the former president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov. Moreover, the external resemblance of the former and current leaders is striking. If we hypothetically imagine such a version to be true, it turns out that the current leader was born when Niyazov was only 17 years old.

kremlin.ru

Family

The president has many relatives, but very little is known about what they do. Some information can be gleaned from a memo from employees of the US Embassy in Ashgabat to employees of the State Department in Washington, which was published by the Wikileaks portal. It follows from the document that the Turkmen leader has two daughters and a son, Serdar. The eldest daughter Guljakhon lives in London and is married to Ilasgeldy Amanov, a representative of the Turkmen State Agency for the Management and Use of Hydrocarbon Resources in the UK. The younger Gulshan lives in Paris and is married to Derya Atabaev, an employee of the Turkmen embassy in France, the couple has a villa on the Cote d'Azur. American diplomats also wrote that, according to rumors, Berdymukhammedov has an unofficial Russian wife named Marina, who used to work as a nurse in the same dental clinic where the head of state worked. Marina, like her 22-year-old daughter common with the president, according to the employees of the American embassy, ​​lived in London at the time the note was written in 2010.

More information about son Serdar, born in 1981. In 2001, he received an engineering degree from the Turkmen Agricultural University and since then has managed to become a doctor of science, a member of parliament, a lieutenant colonel, an honored coach of the country, and in March 2018 he was appointed deputy minister of foreign affairs. Serdar has a wife, three daughters and a son.

Gurbanguly was the only son of his parents, but he has five sisters. Some of them hold responsible positions, for example, Gulnabat heads the national organization of the Red Crescent.

Recently, his grandson Kerimguly, the son of his eldest daughter Guljahon, often appeared in public with the president. In the summer, Turkmen television showed how the head of state, together with his grandson, perform a rap of their own composition.

The only thing known about the president's wife is that her name is Ogulgerek, and she is the same age as her husband. Sometimes Berdimuhamedov appears in public with his wife, but very rarely, she does not give interviews. Arkadag does not like to let others into his family life. But he himself has recently been present in almost every wedding photo in the country: since 2013, all newlyweds have been obliged to take a picture at the registry office against the backdrop of a portrait of the president

Handyman

The President of Turkmenistan has a wide variety of interests. In the list of hobbies and sports, which he has been involved in since childhood. At the age of 15, the future leader of the nation became the champion of Ashgabat in freestyle wrestling, and a year later - the champion of the republic in shooting. Now he has many sports titles in various international sports associations and federations, personally participates in horse racing and car racing, and watches football competitions with interest.

Another area of ​​hobbies is music. The head of state plays the guitar, accordion, keyboards and drums, he himself composes songs in various genres, from pop and pop to rap. He also loves to sing, both songs of his own composition and those of other authors. This year, the president congratulated the women of the republic on March 8 by singing Igor Sarukhanov's song "Kara-Kum".

Berdimuhamedov also loves to invent and assemble technology. Recently, state television showed how the president personally designed and then built a racing car from his drawings.

But the biggest hobby of the leader of Turkmenistan is writing books, which are translated into many languages ​​of the world by a special staff of translators in the country. Berdimuhamedov wrote volumes on the importance of sports, the need to get an education, the benefits of drinking tea, the beauty of music and nature, the importance of water for the national economy, breeding horses, and spiritual self-improvement. The encyclopedic collection in 9 volumes "Medicinal herbs of Turkmenistan" is recommended for use by all medical institutions of the republic. His last opus, published in 2018, is called "The Teaching of Arkadag - the basis of health and inspiration."

“Every day I understand more and more what a rich inheritance my parents left me. It is not comparable with anything, with any blessings of the world. All my life I try to be worthy of this inheritance, all my life I set myself the goal of being a son, worthy of their parents...

Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi.

The Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi is the name given by the people of S.A. Niyazov, the first and indefinite President of Turkmenistan. He belongs to a generation of people who have firmly established the name "children of the war and post-war years", harsh, hungry years that left a deep imprint on their whole life, leaving memorable scars in their souls and hearts. The vast majority of people of this generation were the children of front-line soldiers, direct participants in the Great Patriotic War, who defended their homeland from fascist invaders, many of them lost their fathers, mothers, older brothers and sisters, experienced the full bitter fate of orphanhood, deprivation, premature adulthood.

S.A. did not escape this fate either. Niyazov is the future Great Rain of the Turkmen people Saparmurat Turkmenbashi. In the sacred Rukhnama, he spoke about his fate and the tragic pages in the life of his family, which coincided with the dramatic pages in the history of the Turkmen people: the arrest of his grandfather Annaniyaz Artyk in the 30s. mass repressions, the death of Atamurat aga's father in the 2nd World War, the loss of his mother Gurbansoltan eje and two brothers in the Ashgabat earthquake of 1948, difficult childhood and adolescence. But nothing, no bitterness could undermine the spirit, harden the character of the future Great Serdar. The pages of the history of the Turkmen people passed through his heart helped him, having fully drunk the cup of the hardest trials that fell to his lot, successfully withstand all adversities. Having spent a lot of strength, health, patience and will, he was able to accomplish what made him an outstanding son and a generally recognized leader of the Turkmen people. The author of the sacred Ruhnama endlessly thanks his fate for the fact that no life difficulties have broken him or weakened him, but, on the contrary, made him stronger, tempered, success helped him not only survive, but also develop the moral principles inherent in him: honor, conscientiousness and industriousness". No less important role in the formation of the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi as a leader, leader of the state and society was played by peculiar genetic codes transmitted from ancestors to descendants. In the sacred Rukhnama, he emphasizes that he inherited from his parents only a good name and throughout his I heard from different people who knew his father, mother and grandfather only the best words about them as exceptionally honest, decent and fair personalities.These words please, penetrate into the heart and warm the soul of the Great Serdar, for whom such an inheritance is incomparable with what blessings of the world and dearer than all earthly treasures.The highest authority of seven generations of ancestors, father-mother played a huge important role in shaping the character and determining the life positions of the future President of Turkmenistan, obligated him to constantly follow their example, continuing their noble cause. "Neither from my father nor from my grandfather, I inherited any material wealth. But they left me a legacy of much more. All my life I heard from fellow countrymen who knew them closely that they were wonderful people ... What could be more valuable than a good name - proudly notes the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi in the sacred Rukhnama. When asked what helped him, despite the countless ups and downs in life, ". .to keep in himself that core that allowed him to cultivate will, fortitude and purposefulness", he firmly answers: "An inexhaustible spring of desires beat in my heart - to live for my people, my country, for my native land, in the name of its sacred history for the sake of today day for future generations. This spring gradually became a mudflow, a river ... ""

Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov was born on the 19th day of the month Baidak (February), 1940. in Ashgabat in a modest, hardworking family. His parents, natives of the village of Kipchak, Askhabad district (now Rukhabat etrap, Akhal velayat) are honest, conscientious workers. Father Atamurat Niyazov is a well-known school teacher and financial worker, mother Gurbansoltan Atamuradova is an unsurpassed seamstress, embroiderer and carpet weaver. They got married, and in 1937 they moved to Ashgabat, where Atamurat bought a small house. The marriage turned out to be happy. The spouses dearly loved each other, harmony of feelings and noble deeds reigned in a friendly family, national traditions and customs were observed. The children have gone. Three boys were born one after another: Niyazmurat, Saparmurat and Muhammetmurat.

When writing a biography of an outstanding political public figure, of course, it is important to find out his family tree, finding information about his ancestors. Knowledge of the pedigree, genealogical tree of a person makes it possible to identify hereditary relationships that objectively influenced the abilities and character of the child.

Turkmen society traditionally consisted of socially connected large and small families, considered related to the 7th generation. Since ancient times, the Turkmens have been very jealous, careful about their ancestry, proud of their ancestors. There was a long and strong tradition - every Turkmen should know his ancestors up to the seventh generation, respect them, follow their precepts, family traditions. This has been passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi believes, "the slogan -" every person must know his ancestors up to the seventh generation" - should become the motto of our return to our origins, roots."

Being hereditary by occupation has always been revered. When a business is passed down from father to son, from grandfather to grandson, this alone evokes a benevolent disposition towards the bearer of the family tradition. Especially if the occupation itself is respectful and honorable. Thus, from time immemorial, hereditary zergars (jeweler), stone cutters, hunters and trackers, embroiderers and carpet weavers, farmers, mirabs (an official distributing water from the irrigation system), bakhshi singers and musicians, storytellers of destans, dutarchi and gidzhakchi and etc. Hereditary warriors, commanders, serdars were especially valued, because military labor is not only hard, but also deadly. And here special training is required: severe, tireless and deeply patriotic.

The chain of tribal occupations, going from the depths of centuries, from generation to generation, reliably provided many human achievements, saved discoveries, secrets of creativity, useful traditions and skills. Great-grandchildren used the achievements of distant ancestors, sometimes not even knowing their names. Alas, the historical fate of the Turkmen people developed far from favorable conditions. Who were the architects who built the temples and palaces of Nisa, Merv, Kunya-Urgench? Who bred the world-famous breed of Akhal-Teke horses, created gels, amazing in their beauty and grace - ornaments of Turkmen carpets, bred and nurtured the world-famous white wheat - Ak bugday? Will we ever know? Will we resurrect the memory of wonderful ancestors? ...In the meantime, scientists are looking for...

Compiling a genealogy of a Turkmen family is a very painstaking and difficult task. This is not what, say, the English lords or Russian nobles. Oh, they already knew how to keep the memory of their ancestors, and how! Entire galleries of portraits were created, letters, diaries, household items of the ancestors were saved. The Turkmens, due to a number of historical conditions and circumstances, did not have this. Since ancient times, they have been in constant motion, forced by nature and the raids of their neighbors to change their place of residence. Involuntarily, such a situation developed that the memory of ancestors was sometimes preserved only in oral traditions, within two or three generations.

According to the testimony of the relatives of the Great Serdar of the Turkmen people Saparmurat Ataevich Niyazov, his distant ancestors lived in the village of Nyazdepe near Bami, located on the territory of the Bakharden etrap (now the Baharly etrap), and then migrated to the village of Kipchak in the Akhal velayat. Since then, Kipchak has become the ancestral home of the Niyazov family.

Ancestors of S.A. Niyazov on the paternal side were powerful and influential figures, played a huge role in the management of the clan. Great Serdar - S.A. Niyazov is a representative of the fifth generation in ascending line, starting from Tangrykuli batyr, who spent his whole life in the saddle, was a good horseman, distinguished by courage, combat skills. At the races, dzhigitovkas, arranged in the autumn at the harvest festivals, he amazed the audience with his skill. Tangrykuli batyr fell as a hero of the Patriotic War in the Battle of Geoktepe. He left the only son Artyk (great-grandfather of S.A. Niyazov), who in 1883 became the archin of the village. He skillfully used the reins of government of his relatives, was a wise, fair leader and passed on this rich experience to his son, whom he named Annaniyaz.

Annaniyaz by Artyk oglu is the grandfather of S.A. Niyazov. Annaniyaz Bai was a strong and colorful personality. Possessing by nature a quick-witted mind, a deep sense of justice, having a good education at that time, he enjoyed great respect among his milieu. Therefore, the villagers of the village of Kipchak repeatedly elected him archin. In the Central State Archive of Turkmenistan, a document has been preserved - order for the Transcaspian region No. 32 dated the 13th day of the month Gurbansoltan (April), 1917, on the approval of the foremen-archins of the Eastern region, elected at the aul gatherings of the Askhabad district at the beginning of this month. It follows from the document that in the village of Kipchak, Annaniyaz Artyk oglu was elected archin (in the list of approved foremen, he is listed at number 17). Annaniyaz Bai, as it were, continued the line of his ancestors in tribal administration. He was not afraid to openly express his own opinion about the problems of people's lives, willingly helped those in need, publicly and openly resolved the most important issues of aul life.

All this convincingly testifies that being a leader, being able to manage people, expressing and defending their interests, thinking and acting in a state-like way are in the blood of the entire genealogy of the Great Serdar. And it is quite natural that these precious qualities are most clearly manifested in the many-sided and fruitful activity of the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi, who tirelessly cares about the prosperity of the country and the well-being of the people in the Golden Age.

Annaniyaz Bai enjoyed great prestige and influence among the population even after the revolution. Direct, open, not tolerant of lies, a champion of justice and honesty, he did not come to the court of the new government, having his own opinion about the nature of the ongoing collectivization of agriculture. Annaniyaz Bai did his best to calm fellow countrymen who were dissatisfied with the regime, helped them with useful advice, and managed to convince some who decided to leave their homeland and go abroad not to make such a serious mistake. Under the pretext of dispossession (and he had his own allotment, his own shop, hired workers), in 1932 he was exiled into exile. In 1937, Annaniyaz Bai returned from prison to Kipchak, where his fellow villagers elected him for the second time archin - chairman of the village council. The arrest did not change his character: he still expressed dissatisfaction with the shortcomings of the existing system and order. Soon, on previous charges, he was again recorded as "enemies of the people", thrown into the dungeons of the KGB and sent into exile "to Siberia, from where he never returned, falling victim to the totalitarian regime. Having passed his life path with dignity, Annaniyaz Bai left behind four sons and three daughters, brought up by him in the spirit of the best traditions of the Turkmen people.He left in memory of himself and the family name of the Niyazovs (Annaniyazovs), which Saparmurat Ataevich wears with pride.In the family of Annaniyaz Bai, three sons became participants in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. of them - Atamurat (father of S.A. Niyazov) and Berdymurat - died at the front, defending the Motherland. The father of the future President of Turkmenistan, Atamurat Niyazov, was the eldest son in the family. He was born in 1912. Since childhood, he showed an attraction to knowledge and a love of books His father, himself an educated man, sent his son to study with a local Kipchak mullah. spiritual sciences.

When the draft age for military service came, the literate, physically strong Atamurat was assigned to the prestigious branch of the army of that time - the cavalry and served in the Turkmen cavalry regiment, which was then located on the outskirts of Ashgabat, in the village of Keshi. Much was given to him by service in the army (late 20s - early 30s). Along with military training, he, knowing the Arabic script perfectly, studied the Russian language, mastered the Latin alphabet, read a lot, and expanded his educational horizons.

After completing his military service, during the period of the so-called cultural revolution that unfolded in the republic, Atamurat Niyazov took an active part in the work to eliminate the illiteracy of the population. Having successfully completed in 1932 a three-month course for the training of elementary school teachers at the Ashgabat Pedagogical Institute, he was sent to the Kerkinsky district (now the Atamurat etrap of the Lebap velayat), where for three years he worked as a school teacher in the villages of Chekir and Dashlyk, headed the educational program, taught in a school for rural activists and young people of military age.

The thirst for knowledge, the desire to master the exact sciences led Atamurat Niyazov to the Ashgabat Accounting and Financial College, the department of planning and accounting. He not only studied well, but also actively participated in public life, was elected a delegate to the Republican Student Conference, and was encouraged by literature. After graduating from a technical school with honors, Atamurat worked in the financial authorities of Kerki, Tashauz (now Dashoguz), Bakharden, Geoktepe, Ashgabat. And he left his mark everywhere. Being a highly educated and cultured man, distinguished by a broad outlook, flexibility of mind and outstanding organizational skills, he worked with skill and full dedication of his strength, generously shared his professional experience with his colleagues, prepared and gave a start to the working life of many young specialists.

It is known from the sacred Rukhnama that Atamurat Niyazov in general had a very difficult and difficult life. Many difficulties fell to his lot, and he steadfastly and boldly overcame them. In the memory of people who knew him well, the image of this extremely honest, deeply decent, modest and noble person was preserved. Remembering him with a kind word, they said that Atamurat aga “was a courageous and sympathetic person, helped everyone he could. But even if he couldn’t, he still tried to somehow alleviate the plight of people. For everyone, he knew how to find words that warm the soul.

The leadership could not fail to notice the exceptionally conscientious, creative and responsible approach of Atamurat Niyazov to any assigned task, his honest, irreproachable fulfillment of his civic duty. And as an experienced teacher, a competent financier, a skilled organizer, he was repeatedly promoted, appointed head of the paramedic school. He had big plans, he was going to go to college. But the war prevented him from continuing his education.

War is the most serious test of strength of spirit, will and patriotism. For Atamurat Niyazov, there has never been a more sacred concept than the Motherland, and to defend it at a difficult moment for the whole people, when mortal danger hung over it, was the natural command of his soul. And therefore, as soon as the Great Patriotic War began, Atamurad applied to the military registration and enlistment office with a request to be sent to the army and in the month of Alp Arslan (August) 1941, as a volunteer, along with thousands of Turkmen citizens, went to the front, where he showed heroism and courage. For the courage shown in battles and the ability to quickly understand the situation, he was appointed commander of the squad of the 875th Guards Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division. In 1943, Atamurat Niyazov, risking his life, took part in heavy battles for the Caucasus. During the liberation of the village of Chikola with a group of soldiers, he was surrounded and was shot by the fascist invaders. He was buried in a mass grave in the village of Chikola, Irafsky district of North Ossetia."

Saparmurat Turkmenbashi in his memoirs describes the heroic death of his father as follows: “According to the meager fragmentary information of the surviving fellow soldiers, the unit in which the father served was surrounded. The soldiers, breaking into small groups, decided to make their way to their own under the cover of the dark Caucasian night. one of them was my father. I don’t know what thoughts disturbed him that night: about the Motherland, about his native village or about his family. But he was ready to give his life for any of these concepts sacred to every person. to protect, therefore he was not afraid of death. The most important thing for these fighters was the expulsion of the Nazis from their native land, on which their ancestors lived for many centuries, to protect their native land. And what could be higher and purer than sacred love for the Fatherland!

United in the decision it is better to die with honor than to surrender to the mercy of the enemy, courageous and desperate daredevils with heavy battles moved forward. It was a long night raid. It seemed that the desired freedom was already close, it was a stone's throw from them, that a little more, and they would come out to their own people, unite with them in order to beat the hated enemy again. Suddenly voices, steps, the familiar sounds of front-line life were heard. "Well, finally, ours, we have reached!" – flashed encouraging joyful thought.

Tired, exhausted and hungry, the soldiers did not suspect that they had reached the German camp. When they understood, they tried to disperse, retreat, desperately firing back. But it was already too late: the enemy outnumbered a handful of brave fighters both in number and in fire... A step into immortality... A mass grave in the foothills of the Caucasus and a few lines in the book "Memory"!.." (See: Khatyra, t.Z. Lists of Turkmen soldiers who died in battles, died of wounds and diseases in evacuation hospitals and disappeared without a trace during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), called to the front from Akhal velayat and Ashgabat city - Ashgabat, 1995, p. 295.)

In the sacred Rukhnama, the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi spoke in detail about the fearlessness, steadfastness and boundless courage of his father, based on the testimonies of his fighting brother-soldiers. The book cites the words of one of them, Ivan Semenovich, full of admiration and pride for his fellow soldier: “And what a reckless daredevil he was! I was older, I used to tell him: "Atamurat, take care of yourself, you have small children at home", so he answered: "If I take care of myself, who will protect my children?" death of Atamurat Niyazov, Ivan Semenovich recalled that "he met death courageously, without flinching. This exciting story makes a strong impression on readers, awakening in them noble feelings, love for the Motherland, devotion to the native hearth.

Like millions of brave and courageous front-line soldiers, Atamurat Niyazov bravely fought for the honor and freedom of the Fatherland, his native land, for the happiness of his families and future generations, defended justice in the world at the cost of his own life. Thus, he made an immeasurable personal contribution to the achievement and strengthening of the independence of the Turkmen state. For the special merits of Atamurat Niyazov to the Turkmen people, shown by him during the Great Patriotic War, unbending spirit, military prowess and courage, taking into account the numerous appeals and wishes of citizens, on the 4th day of the month of Makhtumkuli (May), 2000. By the decree of the President of Turkmenistan, Atamurat Niyazov was awarded the high title of Hero of Turkmenistan.

Mother S.A. Niyazova Gurbansoltan Atamuradova (According to the Turkmen tradition, the name of the husband becomes the surname of the wife when registering a marriage. - Note ed.) born in 1915 in the village of Kipchak, Askhabad district, in a family of hereditary farmers and cattle breeders. According to the stories of Yashuli and older women, she was a beautiful, literate (by the way, she was one of the first to study at a secular women's school opened in the late 1920s in the village of Kipchak) and a modest worker. Throughout the district, she was famous as a wonderful carpet weaver, whose art was known and highly appreciated by the most experienced craftsmen, and as an excellent storyteller, who kept in her memory many works of oral folk art, poems of Turkmen classical poets. And in his memoirs, the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi emphasizes this: “My only joy, my only happiness was my mother. I am deeply grateful to her for knowing my native language, our sonorous songs and enchanting melodies, amazing fairy tales and legends, traditions, customs and rituals of my people. I am grateful to her for instilling in me a love for literature and art, and for much, much more. Everyone said about her that she had golden hands. With her milk, the need to do kindness to people, diligence, honesty, justice, respect for elders and other best features of the people. But the family happiness of Gurbansoltan eje and Atamurat aga did not last long. For the rest of his life, the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi remembered the words of his mother, with which she admonished his father, seeing him off to the front: “Don’t worry about us - one misfortune has come for everyone, which means that it will be easier to survive it with the whole world ... Know that We love and wait for you." Gurbansoltan eje asked her husband to take care of herself and not spare her enemies, she promised him to be persistent, to pass on to her sons all the best from their father - modesty, diligence, craving for knowledge, respect for people, love for her Motherland ... And she fulfilled this promise with honor .

During the terrible years of the war, Gurbansoltan eje endured all the hardships of the military hard times on her shoulders. Together with other women, she, not sparing herself, worked day and night for the sake of approaching Victory, handed over her family jewelry to the defense fund, knitted warm woolen socks for front-line soldiers and sent them parcels. Thus, she showed an excellent example of patriotism, diligence and selflessness. And when "black funerals" came from the hated war, Gurbansoltan eje visited families where grief had happened, reassured people as much as she could and, if necessary, provided them with all possible assistance.

The Turkmens have a saying "There is holy bread". And, figuratively speaking, this holy bread was eaten by Gurbansoltan eje. She was a noble, just person, had a pure heart. The great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi writes in the sacred Rukhnama that "people who knew my mother told me: "...your mother Gurbansoltan was a human soul, soft and kind." She not only responded vividly to someone else's pain, but also instilled compassion, mercy to her sons, laying this noble quality in their hearts and souls. Russian, Tatar, Turkmen, Armenian families lived in the neighborhood of Gurbansoltan eje. And she treated everyone with deep respect. Sometimes, the villagers sent her grapes, fruits. She she immediately filled the bowls with them and sent Niyazmurat and Saparmurat to her neighbors, whom she often treated to fresh churek baked with her own hands.

Gurbansoltan eje was a woman of unbending will. Neither the death of her beloved husband at the front, nor the post-war hardships and hardships, which she bravely overcame with heroic, selfless labor, could not break her. Carrying on her shoulders the whole burden of caring for the family and raising children, she not only worked as a highly qualified carpet weaver in the Ashgabat art and experimental workshop at the State Carpet Fund of the Turkmenkoversoyuz (This workshop carried out orders for the production of the finest high-quality classical, portrait and plot-themed carpets according to the sketches of professional artists. Moreover, such orders came not only from Turkmenistan, but also from museums, theaters, palaces of culture in Moscow, Leningrad and other central cities of the country , as well as from abroad.Therefore, the best carpet weavers of the republic worked in the workshop), but also earned money at home by sewing, knitting, embroidery, carpet weaving. In the sacred Rukhnama, the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi gratefully recalls his mother, who had a great influence on his life principles, notes her skillful, tireless hands, knitting knots on the carpet from dawn to late at night: “Mom spent all day sitting at the carpet loom. the sound of darak was constantly heard at home, similar to the clatter of horse hooves. Out of habit, waking up early in the morning, I went to the room where my mother was weaving a carpet, and she was already sitting at the loom, working. She worked at night, putting us to bed ... Already left without a mother, much later I realized that with her work she not only tried to take away the need from us, but also drowned out heartache and longing. sometimes I asked her:

Mommy, mommy, take a break, look how tired your hands are!

She was touched by my attention, she left work, took me in her arms and rocked me like a baby. Then a magical smile appeared on her face, which I cannot forget to this day ... "

Little Saparmurat was lucky. His first childhood years, or to be more precise, eight years, passed in the purest atmosphere of friendship, love and happiness. A tender, caring mother, brothers, friendly with each other, ready to help each other, protect in trouble - all this has accumulated in the soul a huge supply of moral health. Happiness that cannot be replaced by anything!

The mother did not spoil the children, on the contrary, she taught them to order and obedience, domestic work and self-service, but they were surrounded by such sincere love, such genuine participation, common family joys, fun and small celebrations that they did not feel the severity of the harsh war years. Many years later, the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi recalled: "Although it was a difficult time, the years of war hard times, hunger and deprivation, for me these years seem to be the happiest, brightest. And you understand that it was the best time of your life."

And one more place from the memoirs of S.A. Niyazova: "It seems to me that my mother knew how to do everything well: to calm down when trouble happened, to relieve pain and suffering, to protect from the consequences of children's pranks. And how tasty she could cook from the meager products of the hungry wartime! (garden spinach, a herbaceous plant whose young succulent leaves are eaten), swans (herbaceous plant), young clover, crunchy and melt-in-your-mouth writing (small diamond-shaped cakes fried in oil), I still remember the unforgettable aroma of the finest homemade noodles.

I was under the wing of my mother for eight years, only eight years. And those were the happiest and most unforgettable, the best years of my life."

Childhood S.A. Niyazov passed in an atmosphere of maternal love and a sense of happiness, and this became his best children's university. It was in childhood that the positive foundations of the character of the future statesman and the Great Serdar were laid.

In the month of Rukhnama (September) 1947, Saparmurat Niyazov entered the first grade of the incomplete secondary school No. 11 in Ashgabat, in the third grade of which his elder brother Niyazmurat studied. The children were disciplined, inquisitive and quick-witted, willingly, independently and doing their homework well, successfully mastered the curriculum and, therefore, did not bother their mother with calls to school, as was the case with some of their peers.

Gurbansoltan eje could not help but rejoice and be proud of her sons. They grew up healthy, strong, obedient and independent, accustomed to any household chores. Niyazmurat and Saparmurat, as elders, tried to help their mother in everything, protected her in every possible way.

Post-war life gradually improved. True, bread was still given out on cards, but commercial stores had already appeared where, after standing in long lines, one could buy an extra loaf or two of bread, some products at prices higher than state ones, but lower than market ones. There was a real holiday in the house, a small family celebration, when gourma (lamb meat fried on fat tail fat), gurt (dried sour milk), like (dried melon), kishmish, vegetables and fruits appeared at the dinner sachak.

In a word, the Niyazov family lived together, in peace and harmony, steadfastly enduring the hardships of the post-war period. Nothing seemed to portend significant changes, irreparable disaster. However, on the night of the 6th day of the month Garashsyzlyk (October), 1948. an earthquake of monstrous force in a matter of seconds turned Ashgabat into ruins. Thousands of people remained under the rubble of buildings. The violence of the elements of nature did not bypass the Niyazov family either: ten-year-old Niyazmurat, six-year-old Muhammetmurat and thirty-three-year-old Gurbansoltan eje died. Wounded by brick fragments, only eight-year-old Saparmurat miraculously escaped. He spent six days alone among the ruins of his native home. And during all this time, none of the relatives remembered or took care of him. In those days, the boy, from whom the hated war and the blind element took away the people closest to him, was deprived of parental affection early, said goodbye to his childhood forever, the tears in his eyes dried up forever. Thus began a new round of his independent life, full of uncertainty, and at the same time difficulties, hardships and suffering, which the future Great Serdar, relying on the genes received from his parents, education, learned to overcome and which forged in him patience, endurance and will, without losing while self-control and dignity. These difficult life trials tempered his character, strengthened his spirit and faith in the higher powers and human mind.

The lines about the earthquake written in the sacred Rukhnama excite and disturb the soul of everyone: “Having looked at the ruins of the house for the last time, hiding the people dearest to me, I quietly vowed: “My beloved, until the last day, your and the dead father’s souls will live in my heart, they will give me the strength to fulfill your unfulfilled dreams. Allah will help me, and I will definitely achieve my goal!" The great Serdar fulfilled his oath. He not only achieved a lofty goal, but also helped the entire Turkmen people to achieve it in a short time, to carry out such colossal achievements that the nation has never known in its entire history. .

In the sacred Rukhnama, which literally breathes love and tenderness for Gurbansoltan eje, the grateful son wrote about her short, but bright and glorious earthly journey. Returning through the memory of generations, she shone as a wonderful symbol of fidelity to the hearth and native land, became a truly national shrine, absorbing the best features of a Turkmen woman - endless kindness, generosity and purity of soul, diligence, selfless motherly love. Gurbansoltan eje gave life, nourished and educated, at the cost of her own life she protected and saved the greatest man of our time for the people. In the days of military hard times and terrible disasters, she gave her son good and humane lessons, laid in his soul faith, unbending will and resistance to any adversity, loyalty to her principles. The remarkable character traits of the Great Serdar are the fruit of the tireless work of his mother. With the milk of Gurbansoltan eje, he absorbed wisdom, high morality and patriotism. It was thanks to her maternal feat that the Golden era of the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi was established in our independent neutral country.

For especially outstanding merits of Gurbansoltan eje in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. and the post-war period, her selflessness in work and other excellent human qualities, taking into account the numerous requests and wishes of citizens, by the Resolution of the Mejlis of the country of the 5th day of the month of Gorkut (July), 2002, Gurbansoltan eje was awarded the high title of Hero of Turkmenistan. And on the 30th of the month of Bitaraplyk (December) of the same year, the Parliament adopted a Resolution, which, in order to perpetuate the holy image and blessed memory of the mother of the first and indefinite President of Turkmenistan, the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi, noting the significant role of her short, but meaningful, courageous life path Gurbansoltan eje declared 2003 the Year of the Hero of Turkmenistan in raising a new generation of girls, women and mothers with spiritual purity, high morality and devoted to the Motherland in the Golden Age of the Turkmen people. Our people accepted these decisions with a feeling of universal approval and great joy.

The orphaned Saparmurat had to live with relatives in the village of Kipchak, where he continued his studies at the local seven-year school No. 5. But here, too, he more and more began to feel lonely and useless, as he was constantly burdened with hard, overwork, in extreme cold and hot heat they were mercilessly forced to work in the field and graze cattle. And then he irrevocably decided to leave his relatives and go to an orphanage. It was under the influence of these hardships that he wrote the first children's poems:

So Saparmurat ends up in the Ashgabat Orphanage No. 1, in a group of children left without parents as a result of the earthquake. And a new, interesting and eventful life of the future founder, the first and permanent President of the Turkmen state began. The boy quickly entered the family of his peers. Sociable, multi-talented, able to attract the attention of the guys and captivate them with an interesting idea, after a while he became their leader. Saparmurat actively participated in the social life of the orphanage, played the oboe in an amateur orchestra, loved dutar, wrote poems about the world around him and school life for a wall newspaper. Several of his poems were published in the republican children's newspaper "Mydam Tayyar" ("Always ready"). (The great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi gravitated toward patriotic and lyrical poetry from school time all his conscious life. In the sacred Rukhnama, he writes: "I have long been addicted to poetic creativity, since my youth I have been writing poetry in my diary." However, an entirely unusual poetic gift in the soul of a leader The nation opened up with the independence of Turkmenistan - in the era of daring plans and grandiose successes. This is clearly evidenced by the collections of poems "May my Turkmen people prosper" and "Five epochs of the spirituality of the Turkmen people" that appeared after the sacred Rukhnama (In total, S.A. Niyazov is the author of 5 poetry collections - note by the authors of the site). They are a logical continuation of this immortal book, an artistic and creative development of the ideas set forth in it. These literary masterpieces of our time convey to the mind and heart of every reader the humane thoughts of the father and spiritual mentor of the Turkmen nation), and some unpublished wonderful poems, a school essay praising the work of the great Magtymguly, were found by archivists (For example, the above poem "Eje", in which the future Great Serdar expressed all his love and pain for his dead mother, is written so heartfelt that it is breathtaking, and it is simply impossible to read it without excitement and tears)

Saparmurat enjoyed authority and respect among his peers. But the kids were especially fond of him. They called him their elder brother, they ran after him in a crowd, and he treated them kindly, defended them from the attacks of older children, tried to help them with their homework, read children's books to them. The teachers loved him. Knowing his organizational skills, they entrusted him with the performance of responsible tasks related to the household needs of the orphanage, the organization of leisure.

At school, Saparmurat mastered all subjects equally well, he was easily given disciplines both humanitarian and natural. He loved his native literature and history, was fluent in Russian, was distinguished by a penchant for mathematical thinking and the exact sciences, successfully overcame mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and drawing. After graduating from the 7th grade, he was sent among the excellent students to the Ashgabat secondary school No. 20, which was prestigious at that time, where he studied from 1954 to 1957. (Schools like Ashgabat No. 20 were special educational institutions. They were located in the cities of Ashgabat, Chardzhou (now Turkmenabat, Lebap velayat), Kerki, Tashauz, Krasnovodsk (now Turkmenbashi, Balkan velayat), they had boarding schools where the most gifted teenagers from rural locality, graduates of rural 7-year schools studied and lived on full state support for three years (grades 8-10).Their main goal was to prepare graduates for admission to higher educational institutions of the republic, but to a greater extent - to universities in Moscow, Leningrad (now Petersburg), Voronezh, Baku, Kyiv, Kharkov, Riga and other central cities of the USSR, where highly qualified personnel were trained for various sectors of the national economy, science and culture. frames.

These schools were on a special account of the Ministry of Public Education, reinforced by the most experienced teaching staff, had a good material and technical base. Ashgabat secondary school No. 20 was a kind of educational and methodological center for other schools of this type. The teaching staff was highly qualified. The teachers were Ch.Annayarov, I.I. work with students was carried out by student trainees of the Turkmen State University. Naturally, the graduates of this school had solid and deep knowledge and were best prepared for successfully passing competitive tests and entering the country's universities. Many of them subsequently became known throughout the republic).

Saparmurat stood out among his fellow students for his greater seriousness and thoroughness of his judgments, high efficiency and diligence in studies. Possessing good abilities and a sharp memory, he read a lot in addition to the curriculum (This is confirmed, in particular, by an essay found by archivists on the topic "Makhtumkuli - the great poet of Turkmen literature of the 18th century", written by a 9th grade student Saparmurat Niyazov in the 1955/56 academic year. In preparing the essay, he used the works of prominent scientists A. Vamberi , E.E. Bertels, B.A. Karryev, M. Kosaev, A.N. Samoylovich and others, going beyond the school curriculum, and also successfully applied the methods of scientific analysis and generalization) actively participated in all school activities. At the final state exams, he showed brilliant knowledge, receiving the highest scores in all disciplines. In the month of Oguz (June), 1957, he was awarded a certificate with honors (gold and silver medals had been canceled by that time), which gave the right to out-of-competition admission to any higher educational institution. Before the Turkmen youth, wide paths in life opened up.

After graduating from school No. 20, Saparmurat decided to work and got a job as an instructor of the Turkmen Territorial Committee of the Trade Union of Exploration Workers. He quickly got up to speed, thoroughly studied the trade union instructions and documents, mastered the specifics, methodology and scope of his duties. This was largely facilitated by the passage of short-term courses of trade union activists in Tashkent. By the nature of his service, he often had to go on business trips, go directly to expeditions, field parties, drilling rigs, fields, be interested in working conditions, life and life, leisure of oil, gas workers, geophysicists. The certificates prepared by him, memorandums became the subject of serious discussion at production meetings and meetings, at meetings of trade union committees. Based on them, specific decisions were made, organizational conclusions were made, and measures were developed to eliminate the identified shortcomings.

The Central State Archives of Turkmenistan preserved memos compiled by the instructor of the Turkmen committee S.A. Niyazov based on the results of business trips and scheduled inspections. They were written over 40 years ago, but have not lost their value to this day. These archival documents are interesting and valuable primarily because they provide an opportunity to get acquainted with the nature and content of the activities of the future first and permanent President of Turkmenistan during the period of embarking on the path of independent work, with his deeply responsible attitude to the task entrusted to him, his official duties. Being the result of direct contact of a young man who has just begun his working career with everyday life and the affairs of production teams, these documents reveal the social observation, seriousness, honesty, integrity and high humanity of their author. They feel deep sincerity, truth and authenticity. In addition, they allow us to trace the dynamics of moral maturation and spiritual enrichment of the individual, the formation of business qualities and organizational skills of the future national leader.

Reading the lines of handwritten documents, you are involuntarily amazed at how detailed they are in content, deep in thought, although their author at that time was only 19 years old. These are not soulless formal replies from a trade union worker, but analytical material rich in facts, sharp, objective, calling for action.

It is noteworthy that S.A. Niyazov deeply professionally delves into the essence of the issues raised, carefully selects, analyzes and fixes their most significant aspects. Important details and details of the work, life and life of a simple worker do not escape his sharp gaze. He notices shortcomings in labor protection and safety, violations of labor laws: the use of teenagers for heavy physical work, the lack of elementary living conditions, the neglect of the leaders of expeditions, field parties and other units to provide workers with overalls and shoes, to organize their reasonable cultural recreation to promote a healthy lifestyle. In this one cannot but see the high moral quality of S.A. Niyazov - sincere concern for ordinary people, ordinary workers, their social security, a quality that will be especially bright and convincingly manifested in the activities of the future national leader and head of an independent state.

Tireless concern for the welfare of ordinary people, the people, for its revival, a happy full-blooded life, which is the essence of the policy of the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi, a wonderful trait of his character, inherited from his parents, coming from spiritual wealth, the mentality of the nation, which clearly made itself felt already in the first year independent work.

For almost two years, until the month of Ruhnama (September) 1960, S.A. Niyazov as an instructor of the Turkmen Territorial Committee of the Trade Union of Exploration Workers. But it was a very useful and memorable time for the young man. Here, for the first time, he had the opportunity not speculatively, but really to feel the vast expanses of his native land, its natural wealth and beauty. In a short time, he managed to visit the foothills of Kugitang and Ustyurt, Barsagelmes, Gaz-Achak, Nebitdag (now the city of Balkanabat, Balkan velayat), Cheleken (now the city of Khazar, Balkan velayat) and many other places, sometimes difficult to access, where one could get there only by helicopters, on powerful all-terrain vehicles, where only people of a special warehouse can work - strong, hardened, accustomed to lack of water, impassability, to the scorching heat of the Karakum Desert.

Especially memorable were meetings with people of different ages, different human destinies and characters. He had to meet experienced veterans of labor and war, with romantic teenagers and boys, with former prisoners and losers who decided to hide away from the human eye, with those who were attracted by high wages, the desire to make quick money in order to improve the family budget. There were also obvious crooks and grabbers who wanted to profit at someone else's expense, to use complex and difficult working and living conditions for selfish purposes.

Subsequently, the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi, talking about his meetings with veterans and their role in improving the moral climate in society, wrote: “When I first started working as an instructor of the trade union of geologists as a boy of nineteen, I often had to visit the most remote corners of our country, the vast steppes of the Karakum where parties of geologists, gas workers, drillers, seismologists worked. And there I had to meet, talk with old people, war and labor veterans, true craftsmen, professionals in their field. They were people of different nationalities: Turkmens, Russians, Ukrainians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Kazakhs, Tatars, Dagestanis, but all of them were distinguished by devotion to their profession, responsible attitude to work, were in love with the Turkmen land that became their native land, were an example for young people both in work and in everyday life.They helped me a lot in establishing cultural - educational work, life, leisure, safety and security ud in geological and geophysical parties and expeditions. Their advice, recommendations, criticisms became the basis of my memorandums, speeches at trade union meetings (only in the month of Sanjar (November) 1959, S.A. Niyazov spoke at meetings in three organizations: the Bakhardok geophysical expedition No. 2, the geophysical repair and assembly office and the Central Complex Thematic Expedition. Protocol records of these speeches have been preserved) and conferences."

Work as an instructor of the Turkmen Territorial Committee of the Trade Union of Exploration Workers gave a lot to S.A. Niyazov to understand the important role of the oil and gas complex in the overall structure of the national economy of the republic. Even then, he began to realize what colossal wealth his native land had and how this wealth floated away to the Center for nothing, for a meager fee under the guise of an illusory all-Union national economic complex. Therefore, having become the head of the Turkmen SSR, S.A. Niyazov began to persistently seek from the leadership of the USSR an increase in prices for hydrocarbon and mineral raw materials supplied to the Center in order to replenish the budget of the republic and use these funds for the social needs of the population

The idea of ​​continuing his studies at the university constantly worried about S.A. Niyazov. And so he sent documents to the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute (now the State Polytechnic University of St. Petersburg). Having successfully passed the competitive exams, Saparmurat in the month of Ruhnama (September) 1960 became a student of this prestigious university in a rare and scarce at that time specialty "Automatic control systems". Busy student days have begun. New friends have appeared. Accustomed to independent decisions, the way of thinking, behavior and actions, S.A. Niyazov quickly adapted to the conditions of his new life, everyday life, study regime and schedule.

He took an active part in the social life of not only his course, the Faculty of Physics and Mechanics, but also the university as a whole. Cheerful, sociable, able to attract attention with a lively figurative word with calm oriental prudence, S.A. Niyazov quickly became the soul, the leader of the study group, and then of the entire course. He was elected trade union organizer of the student course. Almost two years of experience as an instructor of the Turkmen Territorial Committee of the Trade Union of Geological Exploration Workers was not in vain, it allowed him to clearly define the scope of his rights and obligations to consistently exercise them. The task of the trade union union was to increase discipline, attendance by students of lectures, seminars and laboratory classes. He monitored the sanitary and hygienic condition of classrooms, laboratories and workshops, the strict observance of the safety rules for students during work practice, delved into the essence of disputes, misunderstandings, conflicts between teachers and students, tried to prevent them, took care of normal housing and communal conditions of fellow students, sought to provide material assistance to those in dire need, low-income ...

Objectively evaluating the situation, endearing, principled and fair, Saparmurat won the authority and respect of not only fellow students, but also teachers. The range of his public duties and interests is expanding year by year. He is elected a member of the university committee of the Komsomol and a member of the council of student hostels. The trade union committee of the institute entrusts it with the work of the socio-cultural sector of the committee. Now, one of the leaders of the trade union organization is focusing on the issues of social, cultural, mass, and educational work of the entire institute. He paid great attention to improving the conditions in student dormitories, bringing cleanliness and order to them, organized raids to check the quality of food in student canteens and canteens, participated in organizing the work of students in harvesting potatoes, beets, etc., contributed to the creation of amateur art circles , spending evenings of rest.

The active public activity of Saparmurat Niyazov is appreciated and encouraged. He is awarded the Honorary Diploma of the Leningrad City Committee of the Komsomol. He is invited to join the party. At that time, it was considered a matter of honor, giving special confidence on the part of the administration, the party committee, the trade union committee of the institute, recognition of great merits in the socio-political life of students, given that admission to the party of the intelligentsia was strictly limited and many teachers even of the socio-political cycle were refused in that.

In the month of Baydak (February) 1962, the Bureau of the Vyborg District Party Committee in Leningrad accepted Saparmurat Ataevich Niyazov as a member of the CPSU. After some time, he was elected secretary of the primary party organization of the Faculty of Physics and Mechanics. In the conditions of the university, this was a big and responsible public assignment, in the life of S.A. Niyazov is the first step in the future work of a party and statesman. This public work in the days of the dominance of the party dictatorship gave broad powers. As secretary of the primary party organization, S.A. Niyazov was aware of all the affairs and events at the faculty, was a member of the Academic Council of the faculty with the right to vote.

Together with the dean's office and the departments, the party organization was essentially a mobilizing, directing, leading force for the faculty staff, teaching and educational, research and socio-political work, led the Komsomol, trade union and student organizations. At meetings of the party bureau and open party meetings, the dean, his deputies, heads of departments often reported on their work, the characteristics of students and teachers were approved, and much more. To this it must be added that serious social work demanded from S.A. Niyazov of special composure and organization, full return in studies. He had to attend lectures, seminars and laboratory classes, colloquia, take exams, tests, course projects. Therefore, he had to build his routine and daily routine in such a way that there would be enough time not only for study and social work, but also for visiting libraries, museums, theaters.

S.A. Niyazov studied well, with deep knowledge and impeccably fulfilled all student duties and public assignments. The fact that he was able to fruitfully engage in scientific work is eloquently evidenced by his reports and reports at the annual student scientific and technical conferences of the Institute on the topical issue of "Energy Systems and Ecology". These speeches attracted the attention of teachers and students with the acute concern of the young researcher about the wasteful attitude of people to natural resources in the construction of nuclear, thermal and hydroelectric power stations, power lines. They testified to the analytical mindset, brilliant mental abilities of the student, which would subsequently be widely, brightly and convincingly revealed in the articles and books of the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi.

Despite his young age, S.A. Niyazov already at that time was a mature person with his own well-established views and judgments. He was well aware that the main wealth inherited by the Turkmen people from their great ancestors is the spiritual heritage, traditions and customs of the original national culture. And already at that time, his attention was attracted by the ancient past of his people. “Since my student years, I have been fond of the history of Turkmens,” wrote the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi. “My diaries and notebooks contain a lot of historical information about the path traveled by my people since the time of Adam and Eve.” The future President of Turkmenistan studied in the best libraries of the city on the Neva, where he deeply, creatively studied the scientific works of brilliant historians and orientalists of world renown.

And it was not for nothing that in the sacred Ruhnama the Great Serdar called the library "his home", "his shelter", in the reading room of which he was fascinated by the silence filled with rustling pages. Surrounding himself with history books, he greedily searched for everything related to Turkmenistan. And on unforgettable evenings, when famous scientists, artists came to the hostel and talked about their lives, about their worldview, student S.A. Niyazov memorized and absorbed wise thoughts from everything he heard. He always looked forward to such meetings with interesting people. His attention was especially attracted by the conversations of teachers who, returning from some scientific symposium, generously shared with students their impressions of his work, enthusiastically talked about new discoveries and trends in science. So the sacred Rukhnama, which in decades the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi will give to his people and the whole world, is the result of his in-depth studies of national history, which from a young age passed through his heart. This immortal book absorbed the highest universal and national spiritual values, traditions and customs of the original culture of the Turkmen people.

Student life was not limited only to academic activities: lectures, seminars, laboratory and practical work. Youth took over. In his free time, Saparmurat got acquainted with the city, with its sights. He liked Leningrad. The city of European culture, which was felt in architecture, in the planning of avenues, streets, in the construction of famous bridges, it attracted the Turkmen youth with its museums and historical monuments. Saparmurat liked to wander along Nevsky Prospekt, the Summer Garden, Palace Square, visit the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Hermitage, go to the theaters: the Mariinsky, the Bolshoi Drama ... How all this was unlike his native Ashgabat. Maybe it was then that he had a daring dream, if opportunities arise, to help the Turkmen capital become the same beautiful city: covered with straight and wide avenues, green boulevards and squares, beautiful buildings, fountains sparkling in the sun. Only many years later, having become the first secretary of the Ashgabat city party committee, and then the President of Turkmenistan, he began to fulfill his dream, energetically take care of the reconstruction of the capital, of improving its appearance. Now everyone who comes to the white marble Ashgabat never ceases to be surprised at how quickly it is getting prettier and improving.

Intense studies, versatile social work, it would seem, completely absorbed Saparmurat Niyazov, but he did not stop thinking about the Motherland for a minute. He recalled the words of the great Magtymguly: "Separated from his beloved cries for seven years, separated from his homeland - all his life." On cloudy autumn days, when heavy lead clouds hung low over Leningrad, fine cold rain drizzled all day and night, he dreamed of a clear blue sky, of a gentle warm sun. He missed his native speech, the sounds of dutar and gidjak, the smell of tamdyr churek, the taste of rich shurpa, the aroma of Turkmen melon, juicy grapes, camel chalu, all that was familiar and dear to him since childhood.

The only consolation, a breath of fresh air for Saparmurat were meetings with fellow countrymen who studied, like him, in Leningrad universities and technical schools. Thanks to the initiative and organizational skills of S.A. Niyazov, the Turkmen student community was created. Young guys, as a rule, gathered on the birthday of the republic, on the New Year and on other holidays. They shared news from their homeland, sang Turkmen songs, cooked national dishes. When Sapar-jan, as S.A. Niyazov, country students, recited Makhtumkuli's sad and lofty poems as a memento, painfully reminiscent of the Motherland, and the quiet melodic sounds of the dutar accompanied this inspirational reading, friends froze with admiration. Saparmurat was the soul and leader of these gatherings. He notified everyone, planned each meeting, came up with a scenario for its holding. The fellow countrymen supported each other morally and financially, sincerely rejoiced at the successes, experienced, sympathized with the failures. Everyone had one desire - to finish their studies faster, find a profession, return to Turkmenistan, and start a new independent life. In the Leningrad period, a very important, significant event took place in the personal life of S.A. Niyazov. He met and became friends with fellow student Muza Alekseevna Orlova. Young people fell in love with each other, decided to get married, in 1965 they got married. Family life required new expenses. Saparmurat took an academic leave and got a job as a 2nd category moulder at one of the large heavy industry plants, and then as a foreman of the turbine shop at the Lenenergoremont enterprise. Shortly before graduation, the first-born Murad appeared in the Niyazov family. Soon the state exams began, the defense of graduation projects. Young people successfully passed the test. Finally, many years of study behind. After receiving the diploma, the leadership of the prestigious institute officially invited S.A. Niyazov to stay in Leningrad, become a teacher, enroll in graduate school. But he, with a spiritual impulse, resolutely refused such a tempting offer. The separation from the Motherland was too long, the patriotic feeling was too strong, the indomitable desire to return home at all costs, to use all one's strength and knowledge for the benefit of the people. Muza Alekseevna, perfectly understanding the nobility of her husband's spiritual impulse, agreed with his irrevocable decision.

Thus, it turned out that the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi became one of the most famous graduates of this authoritative, world-famous technical university, and later its Honorary Doctor. For him, the institute became his home, where in an atmosphere of purity and sincerity he was being formed as a person, citizen and professional. After all, here he was brought up on the examples and advice of the best teachers - simple and kind people, deeply decent, who conveyed to him the warmth of their souls and partly helped to make up for the lack of parental love and care. According to him, frank communication with them brought him a lot of benefits and true happiness, helped him take the first and confident steps in achieving his goals. “My formation as a person is connected with Leningrad, my independent life began here,” says Veliky Serdar. “After all, I came here as a very young boy... no matter how difficult it was to study at this university, ... the consciousness that you are involved in the special Leningrad spirit, which here, within these walls, was born by Mendeleev, Kurchatov, and other outstanding figures of world science - this consciousness inspired, helped to live, dream and strive for perfection ... Everything that I was taught, I perceived not only with my mind, but with my soul and heart, comprehending and knowing life.

In the city on the Neva, S.A. Niyazov not only studied, but also worked, received a real professional and spiritual hardening, a ticket to a great life. His memories connected with Leningrad and forever remaining in his soul are vividly imprinted on the poignant and exciting pages of the sacred Ruhnama. From this main book of the Turkmen people, it became known that it was in the city of his student youth that the future Great Serdar first learned about the military and human feat of his father, the Hero of Turkmenistan, Atamurat aga, who died a heroic death on the battlefield of the Great Patriotic War.

Having visited his Alma mater - St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University on the 31st of the month of Makhtumkuli (May) 2003, the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi met with the leadership and faculty of this oldest and famous higher educational institution. He expressed his deepest gratitude to his teachers and mentors, who, in addition to knowledge, gave him an understanding of the meaning of life and his place in it, which largely predetermined the further high fate of the future President of Turkmenistan. And a check for 100 thousand US dollars, donated to the university by the Great Serdar from his personal savings, is not just a generous and disinterested gift of a famous person as a token of sincere gratitude, but also a higher understanding of his civic duty. That is how this noble gesture, which caused a huge reciprocal gratitude, was regarded.

President of Turkmenistan

President of Turkmenistan. Since 1997 he has headed the Ministry of Health. In 2001, he became Deputy Prime Minister in charge of healthcare, education and science, and since 2004 - culture and the media. In December 2006, he became the interim president of Turkmenistan, in February 2007 he was elected president of the country, in February 2012 he was re-elected for a second term. Head of the government. Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan, General of the Army, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Doctor of Economics, Academician of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan.

In 1995, Berdimuhamedov became the director of the dental center of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan. On May 28, 1997, he was appointed Minister of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan,,. In addition, in 1998, Berdimuhamedov became the head of the Saparmurat Niyazov International Medical Center,,. On April 3, 2001, in addition to his ministerial position, Berdimuhamedov became Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Turkmenistan, responsible for health, education and science,,,, and from August 2004 he also began to oversee culture and the media.

Berdymukhammedov's activities as minister and vice-president received virtually no media coverage, as did the work of other high-ranking Turkmen officials. It is known that in November 2002 he ordered to expand the experiment of renaming the days of the week and months of the year, as well as replacing the traditional greeting "Salam Aleykum" in favor of Niyazov's "Rukhnama" and "Shamchirag". In July 2003, Berdymukhammedov headed the state commission for admission to higher educational institutions, which became possible to enter only after two years of work in the chosen specialty, and not immediately after graduation. From July 9 to August 9, 2003, it was planned to enroll 3,920 students in 16 Turkmen universities. In November 2003, Berdimuhamedov was reprimanded by Turkmen President Niyazov for the low level of qualifications of Turkmen doctors, but retained his post,. In April 2004, Niyazov fined Berdymukhammedov the amount of his three-month salary for the fact that about half of the wage arrears in Turkmenistan were in education and health care,. According to some reports, Berdymukhammedov at one time was Niyazov's personal doctor.

On the one hand, Berdymukhammedov owed his government posts to the President of Turkmenistan, who personally dismissed high-ranking officials from time to time, preventing them from gaining connections and gaining a foothold in power. On the other hand, some experts named Berdimuhamedov among those officials who influenced Niyazov's similar decisions, thereby eliminating competitors. So, in November 2002, Berdimuhamedov and Deputy Prime Minister, who oversaw the oil and gas industry, Elly Gurbanmuradov, allegedly managed to dismiss Rejep Saparov, who was appointed manager of the presidential administration of Turkmenistan, from the post of Deputy Prime Minister. Experts then talked about the inevitable clash of interests between Berdimuhamedov and Gurbanmuradov and relied on the latter. On May 20, 2005, Gurbanmuradov was arrested on charges of corruption and cooperation with foreign intelligence agencies in order to politically destabilize the country,. On July 2, 2005, Saparov, elected in August 2003 as deputy chairman of the People's Council (Halk Maslakhaty), was arrested for bribery, illegal acquisition and possession of weapons, abuse and abuse of office,. At the end of July 2005, Saparov and Gurbanmuradov were sentenced to 20 and 25 years in prison, respectively. Unofficial reports soon surfaced that the latter had committed suicide.

According to some reports, in September 2004, Berdymukhammedov took part in a closed meeting of the President of Turkmenistan, held in a narrow circle. Niyazov was allegedly greatly frightened by the speech of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who announced on September 13, 2004 (after the Beslan events) that the heads of regions and republics would henceforth be appointed by the president of the country. According to experts, it seemed to Niyazov that the question of the leader of Turkmenistan would soon be decided again in Moscow. To discuss the expediency of holding an all-Turkmen referendum on "reunification with Russia," he called an emergency meeting, which, to the surprise of experts, was attended by the head of the presidential administration Saparov, his deputy Alexander Zhadan and Berdimuhamedov. It is reliably known that from September 13 to 15, 2004, the German cardiac surgeon Hans Meissner conducted another examination of Niyazov,.

On November 28, 2006, instead of Niyazov, Berdimuhamedov took part in a meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State,. A year earlier, Niyazov turned to the leaders of the CIS with a request to consider Turkmenistan not as a permanent, but as an associated member of this organization,. In the fall of 2006, Berdymukhammedov, who allegedly was Niyazov's illegitimate son, was called a possible successor to the president. True, according to experts, the same rumors circulated about the former head of the National Security Committee, Muhammad Nazarov, who was sentenced to 25 years in April 2004,.

On the night of December 20-21, 2006, Niyazov died of sudden cardiac arrest. On December 21, 2006, Berdymukhammedov became the interim president of Turkmenistan. In accordance with the constitution of Turkmenistan, the powers of the president of the country were to go to the chairman of the parliament (Mejlis), and he did not have the right to participate in new elections, which were to be held no later than two months later. However, the chairman of the parliament, Ovezgeldy Ataev, was taken into custody, and the Security Council of Turkmenistan appointed Berdimuhamedov, who was also appointed head of the commission for organizing the funeral of Niyazov, as acting president. According to some experts, a coup has actually taken place in the country. On December 23, 2006, Berdimuhamedov relieved himself of the post of Minister of Health and Medical Industry, appointing Byashim Sopyev as Acting Minister. On December 24, 2006, Niyazov was buried, and an emergency congress of the People's Council was scheduled for December 26, 2006 to determine his likely successors.

On December 26, 2006, Berdymukhammedov was elected chairman of the Congress of the People's Council, which on that day changed the constitution of Turkmenistan, adopted a law on presidential elections, set the date for the presidential election, and approved six candidates. The congress delegates, at the suggestion of the second secretary of the ruling Democratic Party, Ondjik Musaev, who allegedly remembered Niyazov's posthumous will, amended the country's fundamental law, allowing the vice-premier to act as president of the republic. The head of the Central Election Commission of Turkmenistan announced that elections would be held on February 11, 2007. Then representatives of all five velayats (regions) and the capital of Turkmenistan, which has the status of a region, nominated ten candidates. The last - eleventh - was Berdimuhamedov, whose candidacy was proposed by Musaev. Each of the nominated candidates had to be approved as a presidential candidate by two-thirds of the members of the People's Council: only five out of ten passed this selection, while Berdimuhamedov was voted unanimously,.

On February 11, 2007, Berdimuhamedov was elected president of Turkmenistan. More than 2.677 million residents of the country (98.65 percent of voters) took part in the elections, of which 89.23 percent voted for Berdimuhamedov. Already on the day of voting, the date of the inauguration of the new president was announced, despite the theoretical possibility of a second round of elections. On February 14, 2007, at a meeting of the People's Council, the final results of the vote were announced, Berdimuhamedov took an oath on the constitution of Turkmenistan and received a presidential certificate from the hands of the chairman of the CEC. In accordance with the constitution of Turkmenistan, the president of the country is the head of the government - the cabinet of ministers.

On May 4, 2007, the Mejlis of Turkmenistan awarded President Berdymukhammedov, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Republic, the rank of Army General. Before him, only Niyazov and two defense ministers, the former Danatar Kopekov and the current Agageldy Mamedgeldiyev, wore this military rank in Turkmenistan.

In the summer of 2007, President Berdymukhammedov received the degree of Doctor of Medical Sciences and the title of Professor in the specialty "Social Hygiene and Health Organization". This decision was made by the expert commission on medical sciences of the Supreme Council for Science and Technology of Turkmenistan on the basis of many years of scientific and practical work of Berdimuhamedov. In August 2007, Berdimuhamedov was elected chairman of the Galkynysh ("Revival") National Movement and the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan.

In September 2007, during a visit to the United States, timed to coincide with a meeting of the UN General Assembly, Berdimuhamedov announced the upcoming reform of the economy and democratization of the country,. Shortly thereafter, Berdymukhammedov set about renewing his administration. Already in October, he made a number of reshuffles in law enforcement agencies, replacing the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of National Security. In March 2008, Berdymukhammedov also replaced the Prosecutor General and the leadership of the Supreme Court, and in April, the leadership of the Central Bank.

At the same time, in the second half of 2007, on the initiative of Berdimuhamedov, Turkmenistan began to abandon a number of restrictions imposed during the reign of Niyazov. In December 2007, the ban on foreign periodicals was lifted, and in January 2008, on opera and the circus. On July 1, 2008, Turkmenistan returned to the Gregorian calendar, canceled by Niyazov back in 2002.

Berdymukhammedov's economic policy of that time was characterized by a desire to get closer to the West. Thus, according to some information, one of the topics of negotiations held by Berdimuhamedov in the United States with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was to be the opening of the gas sector of Turkmenistan for American investors. In October 2007, Turkmenistan, together with Georgia, refused to sign the CIS Development Concept, which included, in particular, the formation of an "integrated economic and political association of interested states",. In November, it was reported that Berdymukhammedov supported the idea of ​​building a Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, which would allow Europe to receive Turkmen gas bypassing Russia. Along with this, in December of the same year, a final agreement was reached between Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Russia on the start of construction of the Caspian gas pipeline, which should increase the volume of Turkmen gas supplies to Russia.

On April 18, 2008, Berdimuhamedov announced the creation of a special commission whose task was to create a new version of the Turkmen constitution. Her draft, published in July 2008, implied, in particular, the abolition of the highest body of state power - the People's Council, whose powers were divided between the president and parliament. On September 26, 2008, at the last meeting of the People's Council, a new version of the constitution was adopted, according to some experts, it significantly increased the powers of the president.

In October 2008, the Izvestiya newspaper reported on the published book "Teacher, Warrior, Citizen. Berdimuhamed Annaev's Life-Feat", dedicated to the story of Berdimuhamedov's paternal grandfather's life path. The genealogy of the head of state and the history of his ancestral village Yzgant were also given there. "It seems that the republic is smoothly entering the new era of Turkmenbashi-2," the article noted. In the same month, the World Karate Federation awarded President Berdymukhammedov with a 6th dan black belt "for his outstanding contribution to the development of the national sport." According to Turkmen television, the president of Turkmenistan received a black belt in karate in connection with the 17th anniversary of the country's independence.

In January 2009, Berdimuhamedov announced the need for new reforms related to "the creation of a new base of political, economic, social and cultural legislation",. Shortly thereafter, Berdimuhamedov reorganized the composition of the Turkmen government: Defense Minister Mamedgeldiyev, Deputy Prime Minister Khodjamyrad Geldymyradov, who oversaw the economy, as well as the Minister of Social Security, the Minister of Communications, the Minister of Energy and Industry and a number of other top officials, were dismissed. , . At the same time, Berdimuhamedov approved the new military doctrine of Turkmenistan, which maintained its neutral status and provided for the gradual transition of the army to a contract basis and the modernization of weapons,,. Later, at the end of May 2009, Berdimuhamedov also replaced the Minister of Internal Affairs, and in July he removed another Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Railway Transport and the Minister of Education, who was in charge of the economy,.

In March 2009, Berdymukhamedov visited Moscow and held talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Meanwhile, among the signed documents there was no agreement on the construction of the East-West gas pipeline, which was supposed to supply the Caspian gas pipeline under construction. Experts explained this by the fact that Turkmenistan continues to consider options for building gas pipelines to Europe bypassing Russia,. In July 2009, after Gazprom refused to buy the previously agreed volumes of Turkmen gas, Turkmenistan announced an increase in gas supplies to Iran and the construction of a new Turkmen-Iranian gas pipeline. In addition, Berdimuhamedov announced his country's readiness to participate in the Nabucco gas pipeline project, which was supposed to bypass Russia. In December of the same year, in the presence of Berdimuhamedov, as well as the leaders of China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Hu Jintao, Nursultan Nazarbayev and Islam Karimov, the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline was opened, which, according to experts, significantly reduced the economic dependence of the Central Asian republics on Russia. A week later, during Medvedev's visit to Turkmenistan, it was announced that gas supplies to Russia would be resumed from 2010 at a price in line with European gas market conditions.

Although Berdymukhammedov stopped practicing medicine, at the end of July 2009, during the opening of a new oncology center, timed to coincide with the day of health workers and the medical industry of Turkmenistan, the president personally performed an operation to remove a benign tumor. In the same month, Berdymukhammedov was elected an academician of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan. In July 2010, Berdimuhamedov was also awarded the degree of Doctor of Economics "on the basis of the totality of fundamental scientific works".

On July 7, 2011, a series of explosions took place in the Turkmen city of Abadan. While the country's official media reported on the ignition of pyrotechnics intended for fireworks, which killed fifteen people, non-state sources claimed explosions at an ammunition depot, resulting in the deaths of almost fourteen hundred people. Berdimuhamedov himself indicated that "virtually a new city" would be built on the site of the old Abadan,,,.

In October 2011, during the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of Turkmenistan's independence, Berdymukhammedov was awarded the title of Hero of the country and the accompanying gold medal "Altyn Ai" ("golden month"). Noting the merits of the president, speakers at the Council of Elders called him "Arkadag" ("patron") - Berdimuhamedov has been called that regularly since 2010 and, as reported in the press, this could become his official title, like Niyazov's "Turkmenbashi",,.

In mid-December 2011, on the eve of the next presidential election, at a joint meeting of representatives of the Democratic Party and a number of public organizations, Berdimuhamedov was nominated as a candidate for the post of head of state. In the elections held on February 12, 2012, Berdimuhamedov was formally opposed by seven candidates, but according to the official results of the vote, the incumbent was re-elected for a second term: 97.14 percent of voters voted for him with a turnout of over 96 percent,. On February 17, 2012, Berdymukhammedov officially entered his second presidential term.

Berdimuhamedov is the author of two books published in 2007 - a collection of articles "Scientific foundations for the development of health care in Turkmenistan" and "Turkmenistan - a country of healthy and highly spiritual people" . In October 2008, Ashgabat hosted the presentation of another book by the Turkmen president, which was dedicated to horses and is called "Akhal-Teke - our pride and glory". In December of the same year, the first volume of Berdimuhamedov's selected works entitled "Towards New Heights of Progress" was published, in June 2009 - the second volume of the same publication. In July 2009, the first volume of Berdimuhamedov's fundamental work "Medicinal Plants of Turkmenistan" was published in Turkmen, English and Russian versions, in June 2010 the second volume of this publication was published, in March 2012 it became known about the appearance of the third volume. In October 2011, the presentation of two more works by Berdimuhamedov took place - the book "Living Legend", dedicated to Turkmen carpet weaving, and the novel "A good name is imperishable", published in Turkmen and Russian, which described the life of "teacher and warrior" Berdimuhamed Annaev, the president's grandfather,.

In August 2010, Berdymukhammedov became president of the International Akhal-Teke Horse Breeding Association.

In June 2009, the Berdimuhamedov Museum opened in Ashgabat. In February 2011, the King of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, awarded Berdymukhammedov with the kingdom's highest award, the First Class Order of Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

According to some reports, Berdymukhammedov was married twice: his first wife was a Turkmen, and the second was a Russian. He has one son, three daughters and four grandchildren.

Used materials

The third volume of the book "Medicinal Plants of Turkmenistan" has been published. - TURKMENinform, 05.03.2012

Anna Kurbanova. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was awarded the certificate of the head of state for the second time. - ITAR-TASS, 17.02.2012

Berdymukhammedov won. - Interfax, 13.02.2012

CEC: The President of Turkmenistan was re-elected for a second term with a result of 97.14%. - NEWSru.com, 13.02.2012

Public organizations nominated Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov as a candidate for the post of President of Turkmenistan. - Turkmenistan.ru, 16.12.2011

The President of Turkmenistan was made a hero of the country. - Sight, 25.10.2011

Berdymukhammedov was awarded the title of Hero of Turkmenistan for the first time, Niyazov had six such awards. - Newspaper.Ru, 25.10.2011

Representatives of domestic science got acquainted with the new books of the head of state. - TURKMENinform, 24.10.2011

From the pen of the President of Turkmenistan came out a documentary novel. - Turkmenistan.ru, 24.10.2011

Marcus Bensmann. Turkmenischer Sommer. - Die Tageszeitung, 15.07.2011

Human rights activists: a secret tragedy near Ashgabat claimed 1382 lives, rockets hit a maternity hospital. - NEWSru.com, 14.07.2011

Human rights activists: 1382 people were killed in the explosion in Abadan. - BBC News, Russian Service, 14.07.2011

In Abadan, the consequences of explosions at a military arsenal are being eliminated. - IA Rosbalt, 09.07.2011

Extraordinary joint meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan and the Security Council of Turkmenistan. - State News Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH), 07.07.2011

The King of Bahrain presented the President of Turkmenistan Berdimuhamedov with the highest order of his country. - ITAR-TASS, 09.02.2011

Zhasulan Kukzhekov. The second president of Turkmenistan was given the title "Arkadag". - Radio Azattyk, 31.01.2011

The International Association of Akhal-Teke Horse Breeding has been established. - Turkmenistan.ru, 16.08.2010

The President of Turkmenistan was awarded the degree of Doctor of Economic Sciences. - Gundogar, 10.07.2010

Turkmenistan will resume gas supplies to Russia in January. - RIA News, 22.12.2009

Alexander Gabuev, Natalia Grib. The subject of multi-gas consumption. - Kommersant, 15.12.2009. - №234 (4289)

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was elected an academician of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan. - Turkmenistan.ru, 25.07.2009

The President of Turkmenistan operated on a patient. - Turkmenistan.ru, 22.07.2009

Mikhail Sergeev. Turkmenistan has found a replacement for Russia. - Independent newspaper, 14.07.2009

The President of Turkmenistan carried out high-profile resignations. - Moscow's comsomolets, 11.07.2009

Minister of Education of Turkmenistan dismissed for corruption in universities. - IA Trend, 04.07.2009

Museum of Berdymukhammedov opened in Ashgabat. - Gundogar, 30.06.2009

Anna Kurbanova. The second volume of selected works by President Berdimuhamedov has been published in Turkmenistan. - ITAR-TASS, 26.06.2009

Anna Kurbanova. On Police Day in Turkmenistan, the Minister of Internal Affairs was fired. - ITAR-TASS, 29.05.2009

The presidents of the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan tightened the pipes. - Kommersant, 26.03.2009. - №53 (4108)

Maria Tsvetkova, Denis Malkov. The pipe is on fire. - Vedomosti, 26.03.2009. - №53 (2323)

Vladimir Solovyov. Homeland Changer. - Kommersant, 23.01.2009. - №11(4066)

Victoria Panfilova. Turkmenistan is arming. - Independent newspaper, 23.01.2009

A new military doctrine of independent, permanently neutral Turkmenistan has been approved. - Turkmenistan.ru, 21.01.2009

The President of Turkmenistan approved a new military doctrine and replaced the Minister of Defense. - ITAR-TASS, 21.01.2009

The President of Turkmenistan has replaced the Minister of Defense and the head of the border service. - Reuters, 21.01.2009

The President of Turkmenistan made a number of personnel appointments in state structures. - Turkmenistan.ru, 16.01.2009

The President of Turkmenistan fired a number of leaders. - IA Trend, 16.01.2009

Tuvakmammad Dzhaparov has been appointed Deputy Chairman of the Government of Turkmenistan. - Turkmenistan.ru, 16.01.2009

The President of Turkmenistan has replaced the head of the Ministry of Communications. - Turkmenistan.ru, 16.01.2009

The Minister of Energy and Industry of Turkmenistan has been dismissed. - Turkmenistan.ru, 16.01.2009