The February issue of ‘Turkmenistan’, a monthly published in Moscow under the auspices of Turkmen authorities and containing pure propaganda, published a piece about the Turkmenbashi Museum in Ashgabat. First the author lingers over the significance of gifts in diplomacy, handed to heads of states by foreign delegations. He also quotes several interesting stories from the Turkmen history.

Then he proceeds to give a short description of gifts received by Saparmurat Niyazov and placed in the museum. Allegedly presidents of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Nursultan Nazarbayev and Islam Karimov respectively, were quite impressed while they visited the museum last year.

‘As expected, our eyes were instantly dazzled by the splendour that could only be depicted by the most talented fable tellers, like the author of “One thousand and one nights” of Arabia.’

What could have the presidents seen?

The whole exhibition is divided into thematic stands with items like silver model ships, a precise miniature copy of a Turkmen Airlines ‘Turkmenhavayollary’ plane, a golden oil derrick and a hydroelectric power station with diamond water streams flowing through.

One of Turkmenbashi Museum symbolic exhibit items is a table clock, given to the former president and placed in his private office. The clock has been stopped to show the exact time when Turkmenistan’s first president passed away.

Some fresher propaganda is also present, to avoid concentrating on history alone (Turkmenbashi, worshipped as he is in Turkmenistan, is no longer alive, while the new president cannot remain in his shadow forever):

‘However, time did not freeze at that moment. Life goes on, cities and villages change their appearance, people are born and die. New generations of Turkmen visit the museum’s halls to touch a piece of their country’s history.’

Touching, isn’t it?

It’s a pity the museum lacks an exhibition of cheques handed to Turkmenbashi by foreign businessmen who were going to start business in Turkmenistan. Or bank statements from Niyazov’s personal account in Deutsche Bank, where he had been amassing the money made on selling gas. Now, that would be an exciting museum!