There are currently at least 14 records that can be attributed to the country’s government, long considered one of the most repressive in the world
Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, holds the world record for the highest concentration of buildings clad in white marble: in 2013 (the latest year for which official data is available), there were 543 of them, covering an area of about 4.5 square kilometers . Ashgabat also has the largest number of fountains in public spaces: the Ashgabat Fountain alone on the road from the airport to the city consists of 27 synchronized fountains. Also in this city is the world’s largest indoor Ferris wheel, a nearly 50-meter-high structure that cost the equivalent of around 64 million euros, in addition to the unusual record set by the world’s largest building: it is the headquarters of Turkmen state television and is made of glass.
The reason behind all these records is that the former dictator of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, has always been obsessed with Guinness World Records, the organization that has been collecting and certifying world records since 1955 and publishing them in the well-known annual catalogue. He owns at least fifteen records, and befitting his character, they are bizarre records, often born of his personal habits or preferences, but also much criticized.
Turkmenistan has been an independent former Soviet republic since 1991. Berdymukhamedov, who is 65, was its president from 2006 to 2022, when his son Serdar succeeded him, after elections that were neither free nor transparent, which are called “dynastic succession”. Turkmenistan is one of the least free countries in the world, and the Berdymukhamedov regime is considered one of the most repressive regimes in existence, with near-total control over press and television, intimidation of foreign envoys in the country, and arbitrary removal of judges from their posts, among others
However, what has attracted attention over the years was above all the extreme personalism that characterized the regime of Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who on several occasions modeled rules, customs and even national iterations to suit his personal and bizarre personal tastes. Among other things, he instituted a national holiday dedicated to his favorite dog breed, the alabai, and banned all Turkmen from dying their hair after he stopped doing it.
Former Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov presents Russian President Vladimir Putin with an Alabai dog (EPA/ALEXEI DRUZHININ / SPUTNIK / KREMLIN POOL via ANSA)
Another love of Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov is the Guinness Book of Records. It is to this obsession of yours that we owe the architecture of the capital Ashgabat and beyond – but also to some of his predecessors, Saparmurat Niyazov, who are not very different from him.
On the Guinness Book of Records website, there are at least 14 records attributed to the government of Turkmenistan. Some of them are particularly bizarre: in addition to the star-shaped architecture, there is also “the biggest gul”, which was won by the Turkmen government in 2016. The «Gul» is a medallion-like design element that is very present in traditional textures and graphics of Turkmenistan. One reason the record is particularly unique is that it is very unlikely that there was any real competition to win it, as it is so local and quintessential to Turkmen culture.
Another particularly strange record is that of “fastest ten meters covered by a horse on its hind legs only”, won in 2018: the horse that won it in just over 4 seconds, Akhan, belonged to Berdimuhamedov himself. Another Record, the video of which circulated widely in 2015, was that of the “biggest choir in the world”: over 4,000 people gathered to sing a song written by Berdimuhamedov himself, entitled “Forward only forward, my dear country Turkmenistan”.
Apparently, Berdimuhamedov’s obsession with the Guinness Book of World Records has also drawn a lot of criticism. One of those who had more visibility was English comedian John Oliver, who in 2019 criticized the Guinness Book of Records organization’s trade ties with the former Turkmen President’s regime on the satirical show Last Week Tonight. According to Oliver, Guinness had started selling these titles without too much seriousness in selecting the highest bidder and actually took the opportunity to earn a lot thanks to dictators wanting to give their regimes visibility and thus contribute to their propaganda.
– Also read: The Guinness Book of World Records refuses to recognize the world’s largest digital image
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