Just like the potentates of old, no doubt Turkey’s Erdogan is jealous.
Turkmenistan unveils massive gold-leaf statue of president
People gather for the monument unveiling ceremony in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan Monday, May 25, 2015. (AP Photo/Alexander Vershinin)
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — Turkmenistan has unveiled a grandiose gold-leafed statue of the president carrying a dove and riding atop a horse — a move aimed at burnishing the leader’s burgeoning personality cult.
The 21-meter (69-foot) monument presented to the public Monday in the energy-rich but isolated Central Asian nation includes a statue of President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov mounted on a towering pile of marble.
Turkmenistan is dotted with gold-leaf statues to Berdymukhamedov’s eccentric predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, who died in 2006, but this is the first such monument to the current leader.
Read more: H/T: Fjordman