>First, he took the name Turkmenbashi (Leader of All Ethnic Turkmen) and declared himself President for Life.
> The airport in the capital city of Asgabat was renamed Turkmenbashi.
? Dozens of streets and schools across the country are now called Turkmenbashi.
> In 1998 a 670-pound meteorite landed in Turkmenistan. Scientist named it Turkmenbashi.
> The name of the large port city Krasnovodsk was changed to Turkmenbashi.
> The New president also renamed the months. January is now called Turkmenbashi. April is called Gurbansoltan edzhe, after his mother. (Bread, once called chorek, is now also called gurbansoltan edzhe.)
The image of Turkmenbashis face is used as the logo of all three state-run TV stations, and is legally required to appear on every clock and watch face as well as on every bottle of Turkmenbashi brand vodka.
In 2001 Turkmenbashi wrote a book a combination of poetry, revisionist history, and moral guidelines called Ruhnama (Persian for Book of the Soul). It is now required to be prominently displayed in all bookstores and government offices, and next to the Koran in mosques. Memorization of the book is required to graduate from school and to get a state job or even a drivers license. Schoolchildren spend one entire day every week reading it. Since all Soviet-era book have been banned, most Turkmen libraries have only the Ruhnama and other books written by Turkmenbashi. In 2006 Turkmenbashi made reading the Ruhnama a requirement for entry into heaven.
Theres a 30-foot Ruhnama in Ashgabat, not far from a 50-foot solid-gold statue of Turkmenbashi.
Not surprisingly, Turkmenbashi recently won the Magtymguly International Prize, honoring the best pro-Turkmen poetry, which is awarded by Turkmenbashi himself.
In 2004 Turkmenbashi banned newscasters from wearing make-up. Why? He said he couldnt tell the male and female news readers apart and that made him uncomfortable.
After he quit smoking in 1997, he banned smoking for everybody else, too (but only in public places).
In 2006, to mark Turkmenistans independence day, Turkmenbashi gave each female resident a gift of 200,000 manat (about $38).
He banned gold tooth caps and gold teeth, and suggested that tooth preservation could be more easily accomplished by chewing on bones.
In 2000 he ordered that a giant lake be created in the desert along with a huge forest of cedar trees, which, he said, would help to moderate Turkmenistans climate.
In 2004, he ordered that a giant ice palace be build in the middle of the same desert, the Karakum the hottest location in central Asia. It will include a zoo with penguins.
>Turkmen media referred to him using the title "His Excellency Saparmurat Niyazov Türkmenba, President of Turkmenistan and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers"
>"I admit it, there are too many portraits, pictures and monuments. I don't find any pleasure in it, but the people demand it because of their mentality."
>Car radios, lip-synching, and recorded music are all prohibited.
