The Arch of Neutrality
. Talk about news that can ruin your day. AFP is reporting that Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has signed a decree ordering Ashgabat's infamous rotating golden statue of former president/cult leader/all-around-crazy Saparmurat Niyazov (aka Turkmenbashi) be razed by March of this year.
The "Arch of Neutrality," which was originally built as an homage to Niyazov's official foreign policy, will be sourly missed. In honor of this sad day a poem by Turkmenbashi the Great:
Let's, O my heart, walk my heart. Let's look around our land.
With lions in its fields, the beautiful land of Türkmen,
Now the day has come for the poor, sad, brave, men,
You are the Türkmen, with such heroes like Jelaleddin.
Let's select a thousand-winged horse
And travel praying over her plains and mountains
And seek for the ancestors who became part of them,
And You are the Türkmen which hosts 360 saints
The old people are as wise as Gorkut
The mothers are as merciful as Ýunus
If you feel lonely and sigh, you see compassion
You are the Türkmen with beautiful houri-like girls like Agaýunus
You are braver than the brave, just find an opponent as you are
You are a lion more than a lion, just find a battle field for you
Let your cream boil over always, never feel the lack of it,
You are the Türkmen, with Garagum, so many minerals in its core
History is your ancestors and grand children
And grandfathers, father, children and nation.
Entering the most fortified palaces with your horse,
You are the Türkmen with strong and agile arms.
The rich and noble are godly like saints
Your horsetail-standard is always hoisted brightly,
You words are fine, pleasing, and heart is illuminated
You are the Türkmen, with his face and heart smiling
Oguz is your forefather, and Gorkut is your master,
Your memory is the history of the sixty ages.
Your Garagum is your table and treasure,
Your provision is blessed, you are the prosperous Türkmen.
And I thought we had it bad with Orrin Hatch.
Update: Good news! Rumors of the Arch of Neutrality's demise have been greatly overstated. It turns out the the Turkmen are actually planning to relocate the behemoth to a choice plot outside of Ashgabat. Full report from RFE/RL here.
The "Arch of Neutrality," which was originally built as an homage to Niyazov's official foreign policy, will be sourly missed. In honor of this sad day a poem by Turkmenbashi the Great:
Let's, O my heart, walk my heart. Let's look around our land.
With lions in its fields, the beautiful land of Türkmen,
Now the day has come for the poor, sad, brave, men,
You are the Türkmen, with such heroes like Jelaleddin.
Let's select a thousand-winged horse
And travel praying over her plains and mountains
And seek for the ancestors who became part of them,
And You are the Türkmen which hosts 360 saints
The old people are as wise as Gorkut
The mothers are as merciful as Ýunus
If you feel lonely and sigh, you see compassion
You are the Türkmen with beautiful houri-like girls like Agaýunus
You are braver than the brave, just find an opponent as you are
You are a lion more than a lion, just find a battle field for you
Let your cream boil over always, never feel the lack of it,
You are the Türkmen, with Garagum, so many minerals in its core
History is your ancestors and grand children
And grandfathers, father, children and nation.
Entering the most fortified palaces with your horse,
You are the Türkmen with strong and agile arms.
The rich and noble are godly like saints
Your horsetail-standard is always hoisted brightly,
You words are fine, pleasing, and heart is illuminated
You are the Türkmen, with his face and heart smiling
Oguz is your forefather, and Gorkut is your master,
Your memory is the history of the sixty ages.
Your Garagum is your table and treasure,
Your provision is blessed, you are the prosperous Türkmen.
And I thought we had it bad with Orrin Hatch.
Update: Good news! Rumors of the Arch of Neutrality's demise have been greatly overstated. It turns out the the Turkmen are actually planning to relocate the behemoth to a choice plot outside of Ashgabat. Full report from RFE/RL here.
