The Deadliest Dictatorship in the World: Turkmenistan’s Ashgabat and the Illusion of Perfection
The Deadliest Dictatorship in the World: Why Turkmenistan Is More Terrifying Than North Korea
Introduction: The Dictatorship the World Barely Talks About
When the word dictatorship is mentioned, one country instantly comes to mind: North Korea.
Its missile tests, military parades, and openly aggressive leadership dominate global headlines.
But while the world watches North Korea, another regime operates in near silence, far from cameras, outrage, or constant media attention.
That country is Turkmenistan.
Hidden behind neutrality, isolation, and an artificially polished image, Turkmenistan has quietly become one of the most oppressive and psychologically destructive dictatorships on Earth.
Unlike North Korea’s visible brutality, Turkmenistan practices something arguably more dangerous: total control disguised as perfection.
This is not a story of chaos.
It is a story of order taken to an inhuman extreme.
Ashgabat: A Beautiful Lie Built From White Marble
The City That Looks Perfect and Feels Empty
At first glance, Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, appears unreal.
The city looks like a futuristic utopia carved entirely from white marble. The government proudly presents it as the most beautiful capital in the world, a symbol of success, discipline, and prosperity.
Ashgabat officially holds multiple Guinness World Records, including:
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The highest concentration of white marble buildings
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Massive artificial fountains
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Gigantic monuments and architectural complexes
On paper, it looks like a miracle of modern urban planning.
But visitors and defectors report something deeply unsettling.
The streets are eerily empty.
Eight-lane highways exist with almost no traffic.
Gigantic stadiums stand unused.
Public squares stretch endlessly without people.
There are often more street cleaners than citizens visible at any given time.
The city does not feel alive.
It feels staged.
Ashgabat was not designed for citizens.
It was designed for optics, for propaganda photos, for foreign delegations, and for the ego of power.
Like a movie set, it looks perfect from a distance but collapses under scrutiny.
Source:
Guinness World Records – Ashgabat Architecture
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-white-marble-buildings
A Dangerous Illusion: When History Repeats Itself
The Chilling Parallel With Nazi Propaganda Cities
The idea of a perfectly clean, controlled, and artificial city is not new.
In 1944, Nazi Germany created Theresienstadt, a fake city in occupied Czechoslovakia.
It was designed specifically to deceive international observers, including the Red Cross.
The Nazis showcased:
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Clean streets
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Well-dressed families
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Gardens and cultural performances
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Smiling Jewish residents
In reality, the residents were forced actors, performing happiness under threat of death.
Once inspections ended, thousands were sent to extermination camps.
Ashgabat shows disturbing similarities:
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Perfect visuals with zero transparency
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Heavily controlled movement
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No independent media
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No freedom of speech
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No unscripted public life
When perfection is mandatory, truth becomes illegal.
Source:
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum – Theresienstadt
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/theresienstadt
What Happens to People Who Speak the Truth in Turkmenistan
Journalism Is Treated as a Crime
In Turkmenistan, telling the truth is considered treason.
Journalists, activists, and even government insiders who expose reality simply vanish.
Ogulsafer Muradova: A Journalist Silenced Forever
Ogulsafer Muradova was an independent journalist arrested in 2006 after reporting on human rights abuses.
She possessed audio recordings the government wanted buried.
Months later, authorities announced she had died of “natural causes” in prison.
No independent autopsy.
No transparent investigation.
Her family never received credible answers.
International human rights organizations rejected the official explanation.
Source:
Human Rights Watch – Turkmenistan Journalist Death
https://www.hrw.org/news/2006/09/19/turkmenistan-journalist-dies-custody
Boris Shikhmuradov: From Foreign Minister to Ghost
Boris Shikhmuradov was once one of the most powerful men in the country and a close ally of the president.
In 2002, he was accused of plotting a coup.
He later appeared on television delivering a clearly scripted confession, showing visible signs of physical and psychological torture.
After that broadcast, he was never seen again.
In Turkmenistan, even loyalty does not guarantee survival.
Saparmurat Niyazov: The Man Who Turned a Nation Into a Cult
From President to Self-Proclaimed Messiah
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Saparmurat Niyazov seized absolute power.
He renamed himself Turkmenbashi, meaning “Leader of All Turkmen”.
He dismantled democratic institutions and rebuilt the surveillance system under his personal control.
The secret police monitored:
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Phone calls
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Travel permissions
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Employment
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Education
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Family relationships
Citizens were encouraged to spy on one another.
Fear became a social norm.
Overdan Depe Prison: Where People Were Erased
A Desert Facility Designed to Break the Human Mind
Niyazov created Overdan Depe Prison, located deep in the desert.
It was not intended for rehabilitation or justice.
It was designed for disappearance.
Prisoners endured:
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Extreme heat and freezing nights
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Starvation
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Disease without medical care
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Total isolation
Many detainees were never officially charged.
Many were never officially acknowledged.
Families still do not know whether their loved ones are alive or dead.
Source:
Amnesty International – Turkmenistan Prisons
https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/europe-and-central-asia/turkmenistan/report-turkmenistan/
Total Control: How the System Dominates Every Aspect of Life
Physical Control: Movement as a Privilege, not a Right
Citizens cannot move freely between cities.
IDs are checked constantly.
Passports can be revoked without explanation.
Studying or working abroad often results in permanent blacklisting.
Leaving the country legally is treated as suspicious behavior.
Information Control: A Nation Cut Off From Reality
Turkmenistan has one of the most censored internet systems in the world.
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Social media platforms are blocked
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VPNs are illegal
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Foreign news outlets are inaccessible
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Only state-approved narratives are allowed
The government controls not only what people say, but what they are allowed to know.
Source:
Freedom House – Turkmenistan Internet Freedom
https://freedomhouse.org/country/turkmenistan/freedom-net
Psychological Control: Programming Loyalty Through Belief
Niyazov authored a book called Ruhnama, which he declared sacred.
It was mandatory reading in:
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Schools
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Universities
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Government offices
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Mosques
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Driving license exams
He claimed reading it guaranteed entry to heaven.
This was not education.
It was identity engineering.
The Cult of Personality: When the State Worships One Man
A Nation Renamed for Its Leader
Niyazov erected golden statues of himself across the country, including one that rotated to face the sun.
He renamed:
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Months after himself and his family
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Days after his book
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Cities after personal titles
He banned:
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Dogs in the capital
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Gold teeth for children
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Ballet and opera
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Video games
The message was clear: individuality was forbidden.
After His Death: The Illusion Continues
Niyazov died suddenly in 2006.
His successor, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, rose from within the system.
Elections continued to show results above 99 percent approval.
By 2025, Turkmenistan remains:
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One of the most closed countries on Earth
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With a freedom score of 1 out of 100
Ashgabat still stands pristine and silent.
A stage without an audience.
A city built to lie.
Source:
Freedom House – Turkmenistan Country Report
https://freedomhouse.org/country/turkmenistan/freedom-world
The Final Warning: Why This Matters to the World
Turkmenistan teaches a dangerous lesson.
Dictatorships do not always rule through chaos.
Some rule through perfection, silence, and psychological submission.
Modern control does not always require violence.
It can be achieved through:
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Algorithms
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Narratives
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Manufactured consent
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Fear of questioning
The most powerful form of freedom is not movement.
It is independent thinking.
If people stop questioning, control becomes invisible.
And invisible control is the hardest to escape.
References and Research Sources
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Freedom House
https://freedomhouse.org -
Human Rights Watch
https://www.hrw.org -
Amnesty International
https://www.amnesty.org -
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
https://www.ushmm.org -
Guinness World Records
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com
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