Turkmen Leader Echoes Predecessor With 'spiritual' Book

(@FahadShabbir)

Turkmen leader echoes predecessor with 'spiritual' book

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Aug 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Aug, 2020 ) :Turkmenistan's strongman president has written a book on national spiritual values, state media reported Thursday, after his eccentric predecessor made a similar self-penned tome compulsory reading.

President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, already a prolific author, appeared on state television leafing through freshly printed copies of the book called "The Spiritual World of the Turkmen." The Neutral Turkmenistan state newspaper reported that Berdymukhamedov had written about "the wise traditions of the nation (and) their worthy continuation in the modern era." Turkmenistan's first president Saparmurat Niyazov, who died in 2006, wrote a similarly titled book called The Rukhnama, or "Book of the Soul" that was a central element of his personality cult.

He renamed the month of September after the book and knowledge of the text was required to pass driving tests.

The book was even commemorated with a giant monument in the capital Ashgabat in the form of a book that opens and plays an excerpt from the text.

Niyazov's Rukhnama lost some of its cachet following the author's death.

It is no longer sold at state bookshops, but can still be bought second-hand.

It is unclear whether Berdymukhamedov's book will take on a similar significance but it joins a large collection of books already attributed to the president, including volumes on horses, tea and medicinal plants.

The autocrat, who usually wears suits or sports gear, appeared on television reading through his latest book in traditional folk clothing including a colourful skullcap.

A formal unveiling of the book appeared likely at a cabinet meeting on Friday.

After coming to power following Niyazov's death in 2006, Berdymukhamedov oversaw the gradual reversal of his former patron's personality cult, notably changing the months of the year back to their previous Names.

A gold statue of the former leader is still on display in Ashgabat but was relocated from the city centre to the suburbs and no longer rotates with the movements of the sun.

A golden monument depicting Berdymukhamedov on horseback was erected in 2015.

al-cr/am/tgb