ABSTRACT
Ashgabat underwent an enormous transformation in the post-independence period launched by the first president, Saparmyrat Niyazow, and was prolonged (and substantially expanded) by his successor, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov. This chapter develops a thesis about architecture in a personalist regime, such as Turkmenistan. The leaders of such regimes not only instigate the construction of new buildings and monuments to reflect their achievements proudly, but they also act as real architects. In this regard, Ashgabat has been shaped by the initiatives of both presidents, who were inspired by other European and predominantly Asian metropolises (Shanghai and Dubai or, regionally, Astana/Nur-Sultan), which they wanted to imitate. Architects and investors (ministries and other state agencies or enterprises) are often led, in their decisions, by a desire to satisfy the needs and requests of leaders. Therefore, the architecture of Ashgabat is an amalgam of presidential visions of the city and architects’ attempts to encapsulate these visions and present them to the president for the purpose of promoting business or simply obtaining the approval of the president.
