If you haven’t already heard of him, you’ll love the audacity of the egotistical, gold-loving ex-President of Turkemistan, Saparmurat Niyazov. The man was a hoot. Serving from 1990 until his death in 2006, Niyazov so loved himself that he had gold statues erected in various spots around the capital city, Ashgabat, changed his name to Türkmenbasy (Turkmenbashi), meaning Leader of Turkmens, and altered the national anthem to include various references to himself. Other strange decrees saw the days of the week and months changed to famous Turkmen poets and heroes names, doctors swearing on oath to the President in place of the Hippocratic Oath and pensioners having their pensions stopped with orders to pay back the previous two years to the state. Needless to say Niyazov’s successor had his work cut out for him when he took up office.
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