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62-771: Saparmyrat Nyýazow (1940–2006), known as Türkmenbaşy , lit.   ' head of the Turkmen ' , was the President of Turkmenistan from 1985 to 2006. He coined the title for himself, and subsequently either named or renamed various places to it. Türkmenbaşy may also refer to: Saparmyrat Ny%C3%BDazow President of Turkmenistan Government election Others Family [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov ( Russian : Сапармурат Атаевич Ниязов ; Turkmen : Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow ; 19 February 1940 – 21 December 2006), also known as Türkmenbaşy ,

124-555: A Republic within the USSR. In the years following independence, Turkmenistan invested heavily in plants and machinery in an attempt to convert it from being primarily a supplier of petroleum to a more advanced economy; such investments included oil refineries and a polyethylene plant. In an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper, Niyazov claimed that Turkmenistan was able to process 85% of its domestic output. Additionally, numerous petroleum transportation projects were completed such as

186-552: A division of the Turkmen Ground Forces was renamed after Atamyrat Nyýazow. Today, the 22nd Motor Rifle Division "Atamyrat Niyazov" deployed in Serdar carries his name. One of the earliest acts of Niyazov was to abolish the death penalty. He also granted official human rights to the people, though they were not respected in practice, with his government being criticized as one of the worst human rights violators in

248-419: A few weeks earlier for which the president had hand-picked all candidates. Niyazov and his wife, Muza Melnikova , who was of Russian and Jewish descent, had a son (Murat) and a daughter (Irina). Niyazov became president at the transition of Turkmenistan from a Soviet republic to an independent state. His presidency was characterised by an initial crumbling of the centralised Soviet model that in many respects

310-650: A network of highly specialized Engineering schools. On June 30 Polytechnic Institute was closed and a number of independent institutes were created instead: Soon another Institute of Military Mechanics forked from the Machine Building Institute. In April 1934, most of these institutes were merged back into the Leningrad Industrial Institute . In November 1940, the Institute almost got its original name back. Now it

372-695: A pipeline from the Korpedje field to Kort-Koi in Iran. In 1991 and 2001, Niyazov issued decrees making water, gas, electricity, and refined salt free to use for ten-year periods. In 2005, Niyazov appointed Gurbanmyrat Ataýew as Minister of Oil and Gas, succeeding Atamyrat Berdyýew . Turkmenistan's other primary resources are cotton and grain. Niyazov continued the old practice of demanding yearly quotas in agricultural output, and then blaming and/or sacking deputy ministers when quotas were not met. Nevertheless, Turkmenistan had an emergent period during which there

434-437: A specific Turkmen nature and introduced a new Latin-based Turkmen alphabet to replace Russian Cyrillic. The Latin Turkmen alphabet consists of: Aa, Bb, Çç, Dd, Ee, Ää, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Žž, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Ňň, Oo, Öö, Pp, Rr, Ss, Şş, Tt, Uu, Üü, Ww, Yy, Ýý, Zz. Despite emphasizing a need to move from central planning to a market economy and to a full democracy during his reign, neither plan progressed. Yearly plans set forth by

496-560: The CSTO . Turkmenistan has not participated in any United Nations peacekeeping missions. It has however become a member of Interpol . The full independence of Turkmenistan was recognised by a UN General Assembly resolution "The permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan" of 12 December 1995. As a result, in 2005 Turkmenistan would downgrade its links with the Commonwealth of Independent States becoming only an associate member under article 8 of

558-703: The Cabinet of Ministers . His self-given title Türkmenbaşy , meaning Head of the Turkmen , referred to his position as the founder and president of the Association of Turkmens of the World . In 1999, the Assembly of Turkmenistan declared Niyazov to be president for life . In his time, he was one of the world's most totalitarian , despotic , and repressive dictators. He promoted a cult of personality around himself and imposed his personal eccentricities upon

620-663: The Communist Party of the Turkmen SSR in 1985. He gained this post after Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev had removed his predecessor, Muhammetnazar Gapurov , following a cotton-related scandal. Under Niyazov, the Turkmen Communist Party had a reputation as one of the most hardline and unreformed party organizations in the Soviet Union. On 13 January 1990, Niyazov became Chairman of

682-634: The Leningrad Polytechnic Institute , where in 1967 he received a diploma as an electrical engineer. After graduating, Niyazov went to study in Russia, but was expelled a few years later for academic failure. In 1962, Niyazov started his political career, becoming a member of the Communist Party . He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming First Secretary of the Ashgabat City Committee, and First Secretary of

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744-627: The Ruhnama in schools, universities and governmental organizations, new governmental employees were tested on the book at job interviews and an exam on its teachings was a part of the driving test in Turkmenistan. Turkmen State University even had a "Department of the Holy Ruhnama of Türkmenbaşy, the Great", and Ruhnama Studies were pursued as a major research agenda in the country, often at

806-659: The Russian Revolution of 1905 . One student, M. Savinkov, was killed during the Bloody Sunday events of January 22 [ O.S. January 9] 1905. The reaction of the student body was so strong that classes only resumed in September 1906, almost two years later. Among the polytechnic students who participated in the Revolutionary events were the future Bolshevik leader Mikhail Frunze and

868-677: The Seljuqs to their last full flowering. The new names came into effect with the introduction of a new labor law which stated that "the dates of professional holidays are specified by decrees of the President of Turkmenistan". These names were later abolished by his successor Berdymukhamedov in April 2008. His father Atamyrat Nyýazow 's Red Army service was used to shape how the country celebrates Victory Day on 9 May. Unlike other Central Asian countries, Turkmenistan under Niyazov put emphasis on

930-575: The Turkmenistani presidential election featured Niyazov as the sole candidate, and chosen as the country's first popularly elected president. A year later he declared himself Türkmenbaşy , meaning "Leader of all Turkmen". In 1994 a plebiscite extended Niyazov's term to 2002 so he could oversee a 10-year development plan. The official results showed that 99.9% of voters approved this proposal. On 28 December 1999, Parliament declared Niyazov President for life ; parliamentary elections had been held

992-668: The Volkhov hydroelectric dam on the Volkhov River and the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station on the Dnieper River . In autumn 1920, due to the cold weather and the absence of heating some lectures were only attended by one or two students. At that difficult time Nikolay Semyonov and Pyotr Kapitsa discovered a way to measure the magnetic field of an atomic nucleus . Later the experimental setup

1054-693: The Walk of Health to improve the health of his population and forced the members of the government to travel it once a year. In May 2000, the government revoked all Internet licenses except for the state-owned Turkmen Telecom and in June 2001 shut down all Internet cafés. By 2005, there were 36,000 Internet users in Turkmenistan, representing 0.7% of the population. In March 2004, 15,000 public health workers were dismissed including nurses , midwives , school health visitors and orderlies . In February 2005, all hospitals outside Ashgabat were ordered to be closed, with

1116-482: The solid state physics. In winter of 1918/1919 there were food shortages and no heating on campus due to fuel shortages ; many students and faculty members died of starvation and freezing temperatures. In the beginning 1919 there were only around 500 students at the University. In August 1919 the new semester started but on August 24 all the students were mobilized to fight Yudenich army. The Institute itself

1178-463: The 2000 Nobel prize in physics. In September 1991 Leningrad returned its historical name Saint Petersburg and the Institute was renamed St. Petersburg State Technical University (the word "Technical" was changed to "Polytechnic" in 2002). Finally, in 2015, the institute took its current name Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University . During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine ,

1240-668: The CIS charter, as such it would not participate in any of the military structures of the CIS. In 2006 the European Commission and the international trade committee of the European Parliament voted to grant Turkmenistan " most favoured nation " trading status with the European Union , widely seen as motivated by interest in natural gas, after Niyazov announced he would enter a "human rights dialogue" with

1302-720: The EU. In January 1996, Niyazov met with Sayid Abdulloh Nuri in Tehran to inform him that the attendees of a CIS summit in Moscow had agreed to renew the mandate of CIS peacekeepers in Tajikistan, which was going through a civil war at the time. On 25 November 2002, Niyazov's motorcade was fired upon at about 7 a.m. in downtown Ashgabat as he was traveling to his office from his official residence in Arshabil. Niyazov claimed that it

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1364-615: The French École Polytechnique as an important step towards the industrialization of Russia. The first director of the institute became Prince Andrey Gagarin. Unlike the French École Polytechnique, the Saint Petersburg Polytechnic Institute was always considered to be a civilian establishment. In tsarist Russia it was subordinated to the Ministry of Finance; its students and faculty wore the uniform of

1426-523: The Institute. By the spring of 1922 there were 2800 students on the campus. In 1926, Sovnarkom re-established the title Engineer and allowed "children of working intelligentsia" to enter the tertiary schools; prior to this only workers and children of workers were allowed. The number of students enrolled at the Polytechnic Institute reached the 1914 level of 6,000. By 1928 there were 8,000 students. In 1930, Sovnarkom decided to create

1488-684: The Polytechnic Institute. The seminar prepared three Nobel Prize -winners and many other prominent Russian physicists. Eventually, this seminar became the core of the Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute . On June 5, 1918 the institute was renamed to First Polytechnic Institute (with the Second Polytechnic Institute being the former Women's Polytechnic Institute ). In November 1918 Sovnarkom abolished all forms of scientific decrees, licenses and certifications. There remained only two positions for

1550-556: The Supreme Soviet of the Turkmen SSR , the supreme legislative body in the republic. The post was equivalent to that of president. Niyazov supported the Soviet coup attempt of 1991 . However, after the coup collapsed, he set about separating Turkmenistan from the dying Soviet Union. The Turkmen Supreme Soviet declared Turkmenistan independent and appointed Niyazov as the country's first president on 27 October 1991. On 21 June 1992

1612-510: The Turkmen society. Let the entire world know that there has never been a place for evil and violence on the blessed Turkmen soil. I watched young dogs when I was young. They were given bones to gnaw to strengthen their teeth. Those of you whose teeth have fallen out did not chew on bones. This is my advice... Niyazov promoted a policy of strict neutrality in foreign affairs, refraining from seeking membership in NATO or GUAM and almost ignoring

1674-611: The US government said that by the time he died, "Niyazov's personality cult ... had reached the dimensions of a state-imposed religion." Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University Saint Petersburg Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1899 as an engineering school in Russia. The main person promoting the creation of this university was the Finance Minister Count Sergei Witte . Witte viewed establishing an engineering school loosely modeled by

1736-400: The University issued a public statement strongly supporting Russian actions, calling the assault a "denazification operation" and accusing Ukrainian leadership of endangering the security and existence of Russia and "all of humanity". According to Andrey Rudskoy, head of the university, while scientific cooperation with Western universities had been developed over decades, after the invasion it

1798-524: The capital city Ashgabat , in a country where at that time more than half the population lived in rural areas, once stating that, "If people are ill, they can come to Ashgabat." Under his rule, Turkmenistan had the lowest life expectancy in Central Asia. Global Witness , a London-based human rights organisation, reported that money under Niyazov's control and held overseas may be in excess of US$ 3 billion, of which between $ 1.8–$ 2.6 billion

1860-553: The communist system, with his image replacing those of Marx and Lenin . During his rule, Niyazov created a strong cult of personality around himself, which resembled the one around the Kim dynasty in North Korea. He renamed the town of Janga and city of Krasnovodsk after his nickname Türkmenbaşy , and renamed schools, airports, Ashgabat streets, and even a meteorite after himself and members of his family. The city of Kerki

1922-424: The cost of academic disciplines. Niyazov claimed those who read it thrice were destined for heaven. Like Kim Il Sung , there is even a creation myth surrounding him. During Niyazov's presidency there was no freedom of the press nor was there freedom of speech. This further meant that opposition to Niyazov was strictly forbidden and major opposition figures were imprisoned, institutionalized, deported, or fled

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1984-495: The country's sacrifice during the Second World War. In 2005, Niyazov flew to Moscow to celebrate the diamond jubilee of the war's end, and just days prior, he congratulated Turkmen veterans of the war as well as Russian veterans on behalf of Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian veterans on behalf of Viktor Yushchenko . Individually, Niyazov's father was awarded the honorary title of Hero of Turkmenistan in 1994 and in 2004,

2046-431: The country, and their family members were routinely harassed by the authorities. A silhouette of Niyazov was used as a logo on television broadcasts. The eccentric nature of some of his decrees, and the vast number of images of the president led to the perception, especially in western countries, of a despotic leader, rich on oil wealth glorifying himself whilst the population gained no benefit. For these, and other reasons,

2108-488: The country, such as renaming Turkmen months and days of the week to references of his autobiography the Ruhnama . He made it mandatory to read the Ruhnama in schools, universities and governmental organizations; new governmental employees were tested on the book at job interviews and an exam on its teachings was a part of the driving test in Turkmenistan. In 2005, he closed down all rural libraries and hospitals outside of

2170-470: The country. In Ashgabat, he erected a rotating, $ 12 million, golden statue of himself that always faces the sun. Niyazov gave every citizen a watch with his portrait in its dial. Niyazov simultaneously cut funding to and partially disassembled the education system in the name of "reform", while injecting ideological indoctrination into it by requiring all schools to use his own book, the Ruhnama , as their primary text. He also made it mandatory to read

2232-460: The days of the week , to Turkmen heroes, poets, historical events, family members and himself was an unexpected development. For example, September was renamed Ruhnama in honour of the book written by Niyazov (which he finished writing on 19 September 2001). Not all the changes promoted Niyazov; October was renamed Garaşsyzlyk (Independence) to mark the state's founding on 27 October 1991, and November Sanjar in honour of Sultan Sanjar who led

2294-531: The end of the siege the Polytechnic Institute evaluated 19 dissertations, many related to military defense. In 1952, Radio-physics Department was created. In 1988, the new Physics-Technical (Fiziko-Tekhnichesky) Department (faculty) of the Institute was created. The department was modeled on the Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute and headed by the director of the Ioffe Institute Zhores Ivanovich Alferov , recipient of

2356-521: The faculty: Professor (that required three years of engineering experience) and instructor (with no formal requirements at all). Departments were renamed Faculties (факультеты), and the director became rector. A Soviet (Council) of 11 professors and 15 students was given the main authority in the Institute. One of these 15 students in the Soviet was Pyotr Kapitsa , a future Nobel-prize winner in physics. The Faculty of Physics and Mechanics, headed at that time by Abram Ioffe, focused on atomic and

2418-548: The future writer Yevgeny Zamyatin . Among the deputies of the First Duma were four Polytechnic Institute's faculties: N.A. Gredeskul (Н.А. Гредескул), N.I. Kareev (Н.И. Кареев), A.S. Lomshakov (А.С. Ломшаков) and L.N. Yasnopolsky (Л.Н. Яснопольский). In 1910 the institute was named Peter the Great Polytechnic Institute after Peter I of Russia . In 1914 the number of students reached 6,000. With

2480-592: The government and a centralised economy gave little indication of moving away from state-dominated economics, and the dictatorial nature of many of his decrees and his declaring himself "President for Life" gave little hope as to much progress in these two areas. Turkmenistan has the second-largest oil reserves in the former Soviet Union, generating high revenue for the state. The government has used central planning , such as state control of production and procurement, direct bank credits with low interest rates, exchange rate restrictions, and price controls, since it existed as

2542-434: The government staged the attempt to crack down on mounting domestic and foreign political opposition. Ethnic Russians in Turkmenistan were disproportionately targeted in the aftermath. The summer of 2004 saw a leaflet campaign in the capital, Aşgabat, calling for the overthrow and trial of Niyazov. The authorities were unable to stop the campaign and the President responded by firing his Interior minister and director of

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2604-403: The ministry. The main campus was built on the rural lands beyond the dacha settlement Lesnoye . The location was intended to provide some separation between the campus and the capital city of Saint Petersburg. The institute was opened to students on October 1, 1902. Originally there were four departments: Economics, Shipbuilding, Electro-mechanics and Metallurgy. Its work was interrupted by

2666-627: The only access to the besieged city. Some faculties and students were evacuated to Tashkent in January 1943 where they were able to hold classes. In November 1943 they restarted classes in Leningrad as well. In 1943 in Leningrad there were 250 students and 90 teachers at the Institute. The Polytechnic Institute was the only school in the besieged city that had the authority to evaluate the Kandidat (Ph.D) and Doctor of Science dissertations. Before

2728-555: The onset of World War I many students found themselves in the Army and soon the number of students decreased to 3,000. Some students, like future Soviet military commander Leonid Govorov studied at the institute for one month. Part of the institute's buildings were transferred into the Maria Fyodorovna Hospital. Despite the war the institute did not stop its work. In 1916 Abram Ioffe opened his Physics Seminar at

2790-407: The police academy on national television. He accused the minister of incompetence and declared: "I cannot say that you had any great merits or did much to combat crime." Niyazov later announced that surveillance cameras were to be placed at all major streets and sites in Turkmenistan, an apparent precaution against future attempts. Niyazov became a substitute for the vacuum left by the downfall of

2852-499: The predominantly Islamic nature of Turkmen society, Niyazov granted pardons each year on the Laylat al-Qadr ( Night of Power ) in the month of Ramadan . For example, in 2005, 8,145 convicts were pardoned, including 229 foreign nationals. In 2006 Turkmenistan set free 10,056 prisoners, including 253 foreign nationals from 11 countries. Niyazov said: Let this humane act on the part of the state serve strengthening truly moral values of

2914-493: The reason being that the sick should come to the capital for treatment. All libraries outside of the capital were also closed, as Niyazov believed that the only books that most Turkmens needed to read were the Quran and his Ruhnama. In January 2006, one-third of the country's elderly had their pensions discontinued, while another 200,000 had theirs reduced. Pensions received during the prior two years were ordered to be paid back to

2976-491: The revival of Turkmen culture as one of the top priorities in Turkmenistan's development. He introduced a new Turkmen alphabet based on the Latin alphabet to replace Cyrillic . The National Revival Movement , an organisation to promote Turkmen culture (Turkmen: "Galkynish"), was also founded. In many respects, Niyazov's cultural ideas and changes were most visible to external viewers. His renaming of months, as well as most of

3038-426: The state. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan strongly denied allegations that the cut in pensions resulted in the deaths of many elderly Turkmens, accusing foreign media outlets of spreading "deliberately perverted" information on the issue. On 19 March 2007, Niyazov's successor Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow reversed his decision by restoring pensions to more than 100,000 elderly citizens. In keeping with

3100-468: The world. Press freedom under Niyazov's leadership was much criticised as it was with other post-Soviet Central Asian states. The Turkmen media constantly doted on the president and helped build his cult of personality. In 1998, Niyazov closed the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan . It was reopened in 2009 after his death by his successor Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow . In January 2000, Niyazow inaugurated

3162-519: Was a Turkmen politician who led Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006. He was the first secretary of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan from 1985 until 1991 and supported the 1991 Soviet coup attempt . He continued to rule Turkmenistan as president for 15 years after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Turkmen media referred to him using the title His Excellency Saparmurat Türkmenbaşy, President of Turkmenistan and Chairman of

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3224-831: Was allegedly situated in the Foreign Exchange Reserve Fund at Deutsche Bank in Germany. Niyazov was born on 19 February 1940 in Gypjak (or Kipchak), just outside Ashgabat in the Turkmen SSR . He was a member of the influential Teke tribe of the Turkmens . According to the official version of his biography, his father, Atamyrat Nyýazow , died in World War II fighting against Nazi Germany , while other sources contend that he dodged fighting and

3286-409: Was almost completely destroyed, with foreign universities halting their ties with the university. More than 30,000 students are enrolled in the university. International students countries of origin include US, UK, France, Germany, Finland, Sweden and most of the CIS state members. Proportion of student body enrolled in each department, where enrollment exceeds 10%: The campus consists of Today

3348-522: Was an attempt at a coup, and as a result, the Turkmen government arrested thousands of suspected conspirators and members of their families. Among the figures who were arrested/purged were former Foreign Ministers Boris Şyhmyradow and Batyr Berdiýew , as well as Major Begench Beknazarov of the Turkmen Ground Forces and Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Serdar Charyyarov. Critics claim

3410-555: Was encircled by stanchions and barbed wire and transformed into a Red Army fortification. After December 1919 the Institute was completely empty. The Institute started working again in April 1920 when it became a part of the planning team for the GOELRO plan . Professor of the Institute, A. V. Wulf was the chairman of the group working on the electrification of the Northern Region of RSFSR . The Institute developed projects of

3472-424: Was heavy investment in plant and machinery so the country could change from a producer of raw cotton to a cotton processor. During Niyazov's presidency, a textile industry was founded in Turkmenistan. Niyazov introduced the practice of " Melon Day ", a harvest festival celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of August; unlike some of his other creations, the celebration of "Melon Day" has continued after his death. Niyazov put

3534-522: Was improved by Otto Stern and Walther Gerlach and became known as Stern–Gerlach experiment . In another laboratory another student of the Institute, Léon Theremin worked on the development of electronic musical instruments . His first demonstration of the theremin was held in Polytechnic Institute in November 1920. After the end of the Russian Civil War many students returned to

3596-656: Was named the Kalinin Politechnical Institute (Leningradskij Politekhnicheskij Institut imeni Kalinina) after the President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet Mikhail Kalinin . With the onset of the eastern front of World War II , 3500 students went to the army and hundreds were involved in constructing fortifications to the university itself. The main building was transformed into a hospital and another building

3658-478: Was renamed for his father, and city of Ýylanly for his mother. The doting actions of the official Turkmen media supported his cult of personality. The national anthem of Turkmenistan referred to him. According to the newspaper Neytralny Turkmenistan physicians were ordered to swear an oath to the President, replacing the Hippocratic Oath . Statues and portraits of him were put everywhere throughout

3720-439: Was therefore sentenced by a military court. His mother and two brothers were killed in the devastating 1948 Ashgabat earthquake . His mother, Gurbansoltan Eje , was part of the cult of personality later. He grew up in a Soviet orphanage before the state put him in the custody of a distant relative. After finishing school in 1959, he worked as an instructor in the Turkmen trade-union exploratory committee. He then studied at

3782-509: Was unsuited for a transition to smaller, separate states. There was outside concern about press freedom and to a lesser extent religious rights of minority religious groups. Niyazov made a personal attempt to create a cultural background for the new state of Turkmenistan by writing and promoting the Ruhnama , an autobiography meant to guide the people of Turkmenistan with his ideas and promote native culture (and by extension prohibiting foreign culture). He also took part in creating new holidays with

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3844-535: Was used as a tank school. Institute shops filled military contracts. On September 8, 1941 the Siege of Leningrad began. Research on the strength of ice by employees S. S. Golushkevich, P. P. Kobeko, N. M. Reyman and A. R. Shulman proved the feasibility of transporting vital materials across ice. The researchers selected the safest route for the Road of Life - the transport route across the frozen Lake Ladoga , which provided

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