This is the Independence Monument. We stopped here after going to the Turkmenbashi Mosque. We were told that the monument’s design was inspired by traditional Turkmen tents and the traditional headgear worn by Turkmen girls. I suppose that the base section looks like a yurt and the section above it could be a girls headgear but on first sight, it sure looked like a fancy “plunger” to me.

This monument is to commemorate 20 years of independence for Turkmenistan. If you remember the monument behind our hotel with the ten Akhal-Teke horses, that was for ten years of independence. Claiming independence from the USSR did not seem too important at that time as they only declared their independence right before the final collapse of the USSR, but it seems to have been important ever since that time.

The total monument is 387 feet tall, but the significance lies in parts of it. For instance, the main tower is 91 meters tall (299 feet) because they declared their independence in 1991. The whole monument is on about 21 acres of land, so very large. There is lots of other significance to parts of the monument. For instance, the base is a pentagon and there are five entrances to the monument, one for each province in Turkmenistan. A province is like one of our states. Turkmen statues guard each entrance.

The first photo was from where we parked the bus. After visiting the monument, I determined that this was not the main entrance but this was where we started. See if on first view, you don’t see a fancy “plunger” like I did. Maybe I’ve just been in the sewer business too long.

The next photo is just much closer and you can get a closer look at a couple of the statues of Turkmen warrior heroes that guard each entrance.

I was near the monument and looking out in the third photo. You can see some of the intense landscaping with water features, paths and benches, and fancy light standards. The buildings in back are not part of the monument, just part of central Ashgabat.

The fourth photo is similar to the third. You can see the intricate the landscaping around the statues, a huge water fountain feature (though water turned off on this day), and more of Ashgabat in the background.

Our guide told us a long story about the guy (statue) in the last photo. It had to do with having his sons shoot arrows and where the arrows landed was where their land or home or something would be, to extend the family’s territory. It was a long but interesting story. You can also see a couple of guards on the right side of the photo. We were the only people at this monument with the exception of the guards and garden workers.