Leader’s giant gold statue of local dog
Turkmenistan’s president has bestowed his favourite dog breed with the highest honour — a giant golden statue.
Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov unveiled the six-metre statue of the Alabay dog in the capital Ashgabat on Tuesday.
The Alabay is a home-bred Turkmen variety of the Central Asian shepherd dog and is listed under the country’s national heritage.
It isn’t the first time the breed has been honoured by the president - last year he devoted a book to the Alabay.
Despite the grandeur of the statue, much of Turkmenistan’s population is impoverished.
The country is rated as the least free in the world by press freedom organisation RSF, below that of even North Korea.
The statue is located in a residential area designed for civil servants, according to Eurasianet.
It features an LED screen with video footage of the breed in various situations. It’s unclear how much the statue cost to construct.
State media says the statue reflects the breed’s “pride and self-confidence”. During the unveiling, a young boy was handed an Alabay dog, which is officially listed as an asset of the country’s national heritage, along with the handmade carpets and the ancient Ahal Teke breed of race horse.
Berdymukhamedov has spoken of his love for local Ahal Teke horses, known for their beauty and stamina. In 2015, a golden statue of the president riding a horse was unveiled. — BBC
