Chapter
Building Lavish Buildings during Economic Downturns
21:34 - 27:20 (05:45)
The idea of building lavish buildings during economic downturns may not seem like a good idea, but in reality, it has been done in many places. This includes modernizing Ashgabat and building Koh Tao as a paradise island during economic downturns.
Clips
The idea of building many hotels and statues during economic downturns may appear to be a terrible idea to some, but in Turkmen Fasher and many other places, this has been the norm.
21:34 - 27:20 (05:45)
Summary
The idea of building many hotels and statues during economic downturns may appear to be a terrible idea to some, but in Turkmen Fasher and many other places, this has been the norm. According to the book Inside Central Asia by Dilip Hiro, modernizing Ashgabat meant raising many central neighborhoods to create a network of boulevards with lavish palaces of white marble and green-tinted glass dotted with massive fountains and statues of Niyazov and his parents as well as historical Turkmen personalities guarded by uniformed security men standing to attention.