Saparmurat Niyazov

Saparmurat Niyazov in 1998

Saparmurat Niyazov (February 19, 1940 - December 21, 2006) was the first President of Turkmenistan. He served from October 27, 1991 to December 21, 2006. Saparmurat Niyazov also called himself Türkmenbaşy, which means leader of the Turkmen people. He tried to make a cult of personality, which means that he put many pictures and statues of himself around his country to make himself seem important. While he was president, Niyazov made doing many things against the law, such as growing a beard or ballet dancing. He died from a heart attack on December 21, 2006, and Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow became the new president of Turkmenistan.

Saparmurat Niyazov Media

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  Askar Akayev, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Niyazov, Islam Karimov, Rahmon Nabiyev during the CIS meeting c. 1991

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  Saparmurat Niyazov is depicted on the 10,000 manat Banknote from 1996

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  Niyazov with European Commissioner Hans van den Broek in Brussels, 24 February 1998

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  Postage stamp of Niyazov and US president Bill Clinton, 1993

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  Niyazov with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Moscow Kremlin, June 2000

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  Uzbek president Islam Karimov, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Niyazov and Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan in 2002

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  The rotating statue of Niyazov

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  Niyazov in profile on Turkmenistan army flag

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  Tomb of Niyazov (center) and his parents in Ashgabat