The president’s family mausoleum

A short distance from the beautiful mosque is the mausoleum where the first president, Turkmenbasy, and his family are buried. We were accompanied by the mosque’s head imam and our guide.

The building shares the mosque’s style: a white marble palace topped with a golden dome. Inside is the tomb of President Turkmenbasy, surrounded by those of his relatives.

Next to the tombs, along the wall, is another monument commemorating the Ashgabat earthquake, in which the president’s mother and much of his family died (which is why three of the five tombs have 1948 as the date of death).

Upon leaving, we took a photo of the honor guards, something strictly forbidden (the law prohibits photographing military personnel, police, and public buildings).Read more