Impoverished Turkmenistan Opens Arkadag, A Multibillion-Dollar City Named After Its Former President

Children wait for the arrival of Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhammedov prior to the inauguration of a children's medical center in the new city of Arkadag on June 29.

The city is named after Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, who ruled from 2006 to 2022 and is also known as Arkadag (the Protector). He handed power to his son in 2022 but retains many powers as the chairman of the People's Council.

A picture taken from a media bus shows the new city of Arkadag.

The press is tightly controlled in the Central Asian nation and access for foreign media is extremely rare. Arkadag is located 30 kilometers south of the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat.

Another picture taken from inside the media bus shows participants holding Turkmen flags along the route toward the new city.  

The elder Berdymukhammedov ran the gas-rich desert nation of 6 million for 15 years until 2022. He became the center of an elaborate -- and sometimes bizarre -- personality cult. 

Arkadag will be equipped with environmentally friendly vehicles like electric buses and cars, solar panels, and wind turbines. Officials say it will be the first “smart” city in Turkmenistan and was built for 70,000 people at an estimated cost of $3.3 billion.

People dressed in traditional attire wait for the start of the ceremony.

The vast majority of Turkmenistan's citizens live in poverty, despite the country's abundant natural gas resources.

Members of an international delegation were on hand for the lavish affair.

Women wearing national Turkmen clothes sprinkle flour on electric cars donated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The ritual is supposed to bring longevity. The vehicles were also fumigated with smoke, which, according to legend, drives away evil spirits.

Jockeys perform with a horse during the inauguration ceremony. 

 

The city features a monument dedicated to the elder Berdymukhammedov in which he is riding a horse of the Turkmen Akhal-Teke breed, his personal favorite. The horse is listed by Guinness World Records for running 10 meters on its hind legs.

Participants parade with Turkmen flags, artificial flowers, and white balloons during the ceremony. 
 

Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhammedov, 41, cuts the ceremonial ribbon inaugurating the new city of Arkadag. 

Despite the pomp in his honor, the elder Berdymukhammedov was not in attendance and was in Saudi Arabia making the hajj pilgrimage.

Aksakals -- male elders -- clap as they watch the festivities from the grandstand.

Both the elder Berdymukhammedov and his predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, developed cults of personality that included elaborate tributes and monuments.

Smartly dressed servers prepare the dinner tables for the guests.

Since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Turkmenistan has been led by authoritarian regimes that allow no significant opposition and has sharply limited access from abroad. 

 

Waiters holding trays wait to bring out the food for guests during the evening festivities. 

Artists perform during the lavish evening festivities.

Turkmenistan is one of the most secluded countries in the world and has struggled to diversify its economy.