Creation and High Culture

​Ashgabat – City of Peaceableness

On May 25, the capital of independent neutral Turkmenistan noted the Day of Ashgabat City. With declaring independence, it fell to Ashgabat to have an important and responsible mission – to become the main city of all the Turkmen of the world, a place of their unity and a stronghold of national statehood. Having gained the international status of the capital city of a sovereign state, Ashgabat is an integral symbol of the country like the State Flag, National Emblem and National Anthem.

The Day of Ashgabat City was established on the initiative of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov by Decree in 2013 in order to disseminate the world’s large-scale accomplishments gained in the capital of Turkmenistan, to further enhance the role of Ashgabat as a political, socioeconomic, scientific, educational and cultural centre of the state and to increase the international authority of the Turkmen capital. The special status of Ashgabat was enshrined in the Law “On the Status of the Capital City of Turkmenistan”. The monument “My White City of Ashgabat” became an architectural symbol.

The main goal of the conception of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on the development of Ashgabat is to make the capital of Turkmenistan one of the most beautiful and comfortable cities in the world, where everything complies with the state’s aspiration for the heights of progress and high standards of the quality of life. The scale, pace and high quality of construction work, carried out under the personal guidance of the national leader in the capital of our country, demonstrate to the entire world the creative character of the Era of Might and Happiness, the potential of the country’s economic opportunities, stability and prosperity of the Turkmen state. The expansion of the city’s borders has contributed to the increase of the socioeconomic potential of the capital and has turned Ashgabat into a world-class metropolis.

The capital city’s economy is formed by high technology and communications, the transport sector and construction. The construction of residential areas and the strengthening of the material and technical of energy enterprises are gaining priority growth rates. Particular importance is attached to the improvement of the road transport infrastructure and the construction of modern highways. The districts of the capital are connected by well-planned transport and communication systems, including automobile bridges, overpasses, interchanges and wide radial and circular avenues. One of the brightest symbols of Ashgabat as a large regional centre is Archabil Avenue – a world-class highway. An example of advanced road construction is Chandybil Avenue, awarded with the prestigious CETE APAVE Cudeurope quality certificate.

Ashgabat today is also the national centre of technological progress and innovation. Scientific and higher educational institutions are concentrated there. A powerful factor in accelerating the country’s innovative development was the establishment in the capital of the Technology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan. Particular importance is attached to the development of a medical cluster, the commissioning of modern centres for organising business international meetings in order to establish multilateral relations and economic ties.

The prestige of Ashgabat as a regional and international centre of diplomacy and neutrality is being strengthened. The headquarters of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia is located there; the first global conference on sustainable transport was held with the participation of the UN Secretary General. In December, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s permanent neutrality, Ashgabat is preparing to hold an international high-level conference “The Policy of Neutrality and Its Importance in Ensuring International Peace, Security and Sustainable Development”. The status of the capital of Turkmenistan as a new centre of business activity is also growing. From there, creative ideas and projects initiated by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, which the Community of Nations regards as an important international contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ashgabat has rightfully won the prestigious of a regional sports centre. The constructed Olympic Complex has no analogues in entire Central Asia and embodies the desire of our country for new sporting heights and world achievements, establishing Turkmenistan in the status of a world sports nation. In 2017, the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games were held on the basis of the Olympic Complex at a highly professionally organised level.

The outstanding sights of Ashgabat, symbolising the pulsation of changes and the cultural and historical traditions of the people, are inscribed on the Guinness World Records. Among them are the Ferris wheel of the Älem Cultural and Entertainment Centre and the star of Oguz Khan of the Turkmenistan Broadcasting Centre. Ashgabat was marked as a city in which the most large-scale architectural and fountain complex “Oguz Khan” is located. For the first time, the Turkmen capital appeared among the World Records in 2008 due to the highest flagpole at that time. Ashgabat was also listed among the World Records as the most white-marble city in the world. As President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasises, all this is evidence of the recognition at the world level of the great successes achieved in the development of Ashgabat.

Ashgabat is called the “Pearl of the East” by our foreign guests, noting that oriental motifs and advanced technologies are organically interwoven in the architectural look of the capital. At the same time, the capital of Turkmenistan is not only a breakthrough in the field of architecture. It is also a city comfortable for people. Elite residential complexes with a developed infrastructure, ultra-modern, high-tech houses of health, schools, kindergartens, theatres, museums and libraries have been built in Ashgabat. A favourable environment in the metropolis is supported by forest park zones, surrounding the capital, city squares and shady alleys, fountain ensembles and a man-made river.

Undoubtedly, the modern white-marble magnificent city of Ashgabat is a result of the work of many thousands of people, but it was President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov who was the inspirer and initiator of significant achievements, the “general architect” of the rapid flourishing of the Turkmen capital and the strengthening of its international status. The capital of the Turkmen state is a city that represents progressive motion. With its splendid look and large-scale accomplishments, Ashgabat declares itself as a capital of the new millennium, symbolising the high spirit of the Turkmen people, the continuity of traditions, the richness of culture and the colour of customs, industriousness, talent, peaceableness and striving for the heights of progress and prosperity.

The Day of Ashgabat City is a significant socio-political and cultural event in the life of the city and state. The holiday unites all its residents in an effort to contribute to the development of all spheres of the city’s life, to preserve its historical and cultural heritage. The people of the city are preparing to celebrate the Day of Ashgabat City with festive cultural events.