News | The Independent UK - Turkmenistan: Stranger in a very ...

He made his book, the Ruhnama, compulsory reading for all schoolchildren, and everyone needs to sit an exam on it to get a driving licence. On a first walkabout, the city more than lived up to its bizarro billing. Turkmens are an eye- catching bunch, .... The shiny white marble and vast gold dome meant that, like all the new buildings in Turkmenistan, it was somewhat tacky, resembling what Hotel Mecca, Las Vegas, might look like if such a thing was ever built. ...