When you hear the word “dictatorship,” it instantly conjures images of oppression, curtailed freedoms, and a government that treats every minute of a citizen’s life as a line on a ruler. The notion of a state that micromanages the most trivial details can be both terrifying and, from an outsider’s perspective, oddly comical. Turkmenistan, a nation tucked away in Central Asia, offers a stark illustration of how far a single leader’s whims can stretch, turning ordinary activities into extraordinary absurdities. Below, we explore ten truly unbelievable facts that reveal just how bizarre the rule of power can become when it is concentrated in the hands of one person.

10 Unbelievable Facts About Turkmenistan’s Bizarre Dictatorship

10 Colored Cars Were Banned in the Capital City

Serdar Berdimuhamedow, who stepped into the presidential seat in 2022 after his father’s fifteen‑year reign, has continued the iron‑fisted governance that characterises Turkmenistan. While his administration has not introduced any sweeping reforms to improve civil liberties, it has perpetuated a series of idiosyncratic decrees that affect daily life in bewildering ways. One such decree, first announced in 2018, mandated that only white‑painted vehicles could be seen on the streets of Ashgabat, the nation’s glittering capital.

The origin of this rule traces back to an earlier 2015 edict that prohibited the importation of any coloured cars into the country. The rationale, as bizarre as it sounds, rested on the belief of former President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow that white was a lucky hue and that the capital should be awash only in vehicles of that shade. Enforcement quickly turned draconian: police units began seizing black automobiles, and reports emerged of authorities forcibly repainting seized cars white before billing the owners for the service.

Local auto workshops seized the opportunity to profit from the decree, inflating the cost of a simple repaint by as much as 100 percent. For an average citizen, whose income is modest at best, such an expense is a heavy burden, turning the act of simply driving a car into a costly, state‑mandated makeover.

9 A Previous Dictator Made a Rotating Gold Statue of Himself

Before Serdar’s tenure, Turkmenistan was ruled by his father, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, who himself succeeded Saparmurat Niyazov, a man whose rule from 1985 to 2006 was marked by larger‑than‑life self‑glorification. Niyazov, who styled himself “Turkmenbashi” – meaning “Father of All Turkmen” – commissioned a massive golden statue of his own likeness. The monument, known as the Neutrality Monument, stood on a towering podium and was engineered to rotate continually so that it always faced the sun, a costly spectacle that reportedly consumed twelve million US dollars.

When Niyazov died, his successor – the very same Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow – decided to relocate the 40‑foot statue in 2010, moving it to a less conspicuous part of the city to reduce its visual dominance. Observers described the statue’s outstretched arms catching the light in a way that made it appear to hover like a gothic figure over the capital.

Ironically, despite his efforts to dismantle some of his predecessor’s eccentricities, Gurbanguly later erected his own golden equestrian statue, further cementing the tradition of self‑commemoration in Turkmenistan’s political culture.

8 Their Leader Renamed Months of the Year and Days of the Week

During Niyazov’s reign, the calendar itself became a canvas for his personal narrative. Dissatisfied with the conventional names for months and days, he issued a decree that replaced them with titles drawn from his family, admired figures, and whimsical inventions of his own. January was rechristened “Turkmenbashi” after his own moniker, while April became “Gurbansoltan,” honoring his mother’s name.

In addition to these renamings, Niyazov even abolished the native word for bread, substituting it with his mother’s name, creating a linguistic jumble where a single term could refer simultaneously to a person, a month, or a sandwich. May was renamed after a celebrated poet, September after a book he authored, and the weekdays were transformed – Wednesday became “Favorable Day” and Tuesday “Youth Day” – leaving no traditional name untouched.

Following Niyazov’s death, his successor, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, reinstated the traditional calendar, allowing citizens to return to familiar month and day names after years of navigating the state‑imposed nomenclature.

7 Turkmenistan Banned Covid

When the global coronavirus pandemic surged in 2020, Turkmenistan took an approach that was as controversial as it was puzzling: the government prohibited the very word “coronavirus” from public discourse and instructed citizens not to wear masks in public spaces. Official statements declared that the disease simply did not exist within the country’s borders, effectively erasing it from the national consciousness.

At the same time, the authorities promoted mask‑wearing, not as a health precaution against a virus, but as a measure to protect against the pervasive desert dust that blankets the region. The contradictory messaging – denying the pandemic while urging protective measures for unrelated environmental reasons – underscored the regime’s unique method of controlling information and public perception.

6 Ballet and Opera Had Been Outlawed

Under Niyazov’s rule, the performing arts suffered a severe crackdown. The president deemed activities such as lip‑syncing, ballet, and opera to be incompatible with the Turkmen spirit, labeling them as celebrations of foreign cultures rather than authentic national expression. Even the circus, a traditional source of public entertainment, was removed from the cultural landscape.

The ban on opera, instituted in the year 2000, persisted for nearly two decades. It was not until 2019 that the nation witnessed its first staged opera in years, marking a tentative revival of high art after a prolonged period of suppression.

5 They Declared War on Stray Animals

The campaign against stray animals spanned the administrations of both Niyazov and his son, Gurbanguly. Niyazov initially banned dogs and other pets from the capital, fearing that their scent would clash with the fragrant flowers he had named after himself. This aversion to canines persisted, with Berdimuhamedow later continuing the harsh stance.

City officials resorted to extreme measures, dispersing poisoned food throughout the streets to curb the stray population. The lethal concoctions ranged from insecticide‑laden sausages to food items riddled with sharp objects designed to cause internal injuries. These tactics were indiscriminate, affecting both feral animals and domestic pets caught in the crossfire.

The regime’s disdain for animals was further illustrated when a cat crossing the president’s vehicle led to the dismissal of his security chief, and a man was forced to choose between having his dog shot or serving a fifteen‑day jail sentence – a choice he ultimately made, highlighting the severe penalties imposed for pet ownership.

4 The President Tried to Build a Lake in the Desert

In an ambitious yet arguably misguided venture, Niyazov envisioned transforming a swath of the Karakum Desert into a sprawling artificial lake, dubbed the “Golden Age Lake.” The project’s budget ballooned from an initial estimate of $4.5 billion to over $6 billion, a staggering sum for a nation whose total gross domestic product hovers around $45 billion.

The plan involved diverting water through an extensive network of canals into a central depression, creating a massive reservoir that would ostensibly turn the barren landscape into a verdant oasis. After Niyazov’s death, his successor pressed on with the construction, hopeful that the lake would eventually materialize.

However, experts warned that the water would simply evaporate under the desert’s relentless heat, and the diverted streams, already tainted with agricultural pesticides and fertilizers, would likely render the lake’s contents unsuitable for any ecological or recreational use. By 2020, the site consisted of little more than scattered puddles, a testament to the project’s impracticality.

3 The President Banned Gold Teeth

While Niyazov was enamored with gold – evident in his towering statue – he harbored a stark aversion to gold dental work. At one point, the regime issued a blanket prohibition on gold teeth, deeming them an ostentatious display inconsistent with the nation’s values. Citizens who previously adopted gold dental implants for fashion or status were forced to abandon the practice.

In lieu of gold, Niyazov advocated for more modest dental solutions, such as porcelain veneers that mimic natural teeth. He even suggested that people adopt the canine habit of chewing on bones to maintain dental health, citing his observation of dogs’ strong teeth as evidence of the method’s efficacy.

2 People Have to Recite an Oath to the President

In Turkmenistan, public gatherings traditionally began with an oath of loyalty to the president, mirroring how other nations might start with a national anthem or a pledge of allegiance. The oath, recited verbatim at the start of every official event, broadcast, and even school assembly, pledged unwavering devotion to the leader and warned of dire personal consequences for any act of betrayal or slander.

Following Niyazov’s death, his successor, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, altered the oath slightly: the original version explicitly named “Turkmenbashi,” whereas the revised version merely referred to the “president” in the final line, reflecting a subtle shift in the cult of personality while preserving the ritual’s core purpose.

1 To Prove He Was Still Alive, The President Raced Around a Flaming Gas Hole

In 2019, rumors swirled that President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow might have vanished after a period of public silence. Rather than addressing the nation via a conventional televised statement, he chose a dramatically theatrical method to dispel the speculation: a high‑speed rally car circuit around the infamous “Hell’s Gate” – a massive, continuously burning gas crater that has been alight since the early 1970s.

The “Hell’s Gate” crater, a 230‑foot‑wide fissure formed when a Soviet drilling rig punctured a subterranean gas pocket, has been kept aflame to prevent a catastrophic release of toxic gases. By racing circles around this fiery abyss, the president aimed to demonstrate his vitality in a spectacle that combined political theater with the nation’s most iconic natural curiosity.