President Serdar Berdimuhamedov Participates in the Grand Opening of the Monument to Magtymguly Pyragy and the Magtymguly Pyragy Cultural and Park Complex

On the evening of May 17, in the southern part of the Turkmen capital, with the participation of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the opening of the monument to Magtymguly Pyragy and the new Magtymguly Pyragy cultural and park complex took place.

This significant event served as a kind of prologue to the celebrations of 2024, which both in Turkmenistan and throughout the international community are taking place in the context of events to mark the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great philosopher and poet Magtymguly, who, with his immortal works and name, has already been glorifying the Turkmen people for three hundred years.

The initiator of the creation of the cultural and park complex at the picturesque foothills of the Kopetdag Mountains, in the centre of which a majestic monument to the outstanding classic of national and world literature was erected, was Hero-Arkadag Gurbanguly

Berdimuhamedov, paying tribute to the significant role of the poet in the historical, socio-political and cultural life of the nation. For Magtymguly established himself in the soul of the people with the highest advocating eternal spiritual and moral values, firmly entered their consciousness as a guideline that unmistakably determines what is good and evil in life and became an unquenchable light in the eyes of the Turkmen.

The great poet, who dreamed of his people living a peaceful and happy life, left a wonderful poetic legacy filled with wisdom and the warmest feelings. The amazingly clear and deep thoughts in his wonderful poems, aimed at the future, meet the spiritual needs of not only the Turkmen people, but also all of humanity. In this context, the significance of Magtymguly’s creative heritage, going beyond national boundaries, has become an integral part of world literature and a worthy contribution to the intellectual treasury of humankind.

Pyragy’s greatest service to the Turkmen people is his struggle for unity and condemnation of discord. Time has proven the veracity of the bright ideas of the poet, who dreamed of a sovereign state. At the present time, the happy future that Magtymguly dreamed of has become a reality. Today, independent and neutral Turkmenistan is known throughout the world as a country of peace and harmony. Our people, who believe that unity is a great miracle, will always be grateful to Magtymguly.

The wise instructions and lessons of the master of artistic expression will always be important for the further strengthening of the power and prosperity of our Motherland. In the period of the Revival of the New Era of the Powerful State, the authority of Magtymguly and the demand for his far-sighted thoughts and philosophical views, which have rightfully become a universal human value and the spiritual foundation of our modern society, are increasing...

The large-scale urban planning policy currently being implemented under the leadership of the head of state is a vivid confirmation of the successful implementation of the progressive transformation programmes launched by the Hero-Arkadag. As a result, in recent years, in the south of the capital, against the background of the picturesque foothills of the Kopetdag Mountains, a unique urban landscape has been formed, organically combining high-rise buildings, erected according to original designs, a modern road and transport infrastructure and massive forested park areas.

At the same time, the renewed look of Ashgabat, recognised as a pearl of Central Asia, clearly reflects the progressive dynamics of the socioeconomic progress of the Motherland, its multifaceted potential, rich history and national cultural traditions. The white-marble capital is constantly replenished with new architectural ensembles and comfortable residential areas.

The main city of the country expands its borders year after year, striking with its splendour and unique beauty, for which it has been awarded many international certificates. A vivid confirmation of the recognition of the high quality of buildings and structures erected here is the inclusion of a number of them in the Guinness World Records. Of course, the list of attractions of the Turkmen capital, which is strengthening its position as one of the most beautiful and comfortable cities on the planet, was also supplemented by the new facility opening that day.

The car of the President of the country approached the Magtymguly Pyragy cultural and park complex. Participants in the celebration warmly welcomed the Head of Turkmenistan.

The event was given special solemnity by the performance of a song “Pähim-paýhas ummany Magtymguly Pyragy”, the author of the lyrics is the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

It should be noted that for the first time this poem was recited by the Hero-Arkadag during a working trip around the capital on August 17 last year. As part of it, the National Leader of the Turkmen people acquainted himself with the work ongoing at that time on the territory of the Magtymguly Pyragy cultural and park complex and with a number of projects for the development of the main city of the country. Being a great lover of artistic creativity, Hero-Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov wrote these wonderful lines, reflecting on the poet’s anniversary...

After thanking the artists for their excellent performances, the head of state went to a specially designated place and addressed those gathered with a welcoming speech.

As President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasised, that day the Turkmen people were celebrating a great holiday. “In a beautiful part of our capital Ashgabat, at the foothills of the Kopetdag Mountains, we are taking part in the opening ceremony of the monument to the great son of the Turkmen people, the outstanding thinker of the East Magtymguly Pyragy and the cultural and park complex named after the classical poet,” the Head of Turkmenistan said, cordially congratulating everyone on the occasion of the 300th birth anniversary of the classical poet, held internationally in the year “Fount of Wisdom Magtymguly Pyragy”.

In our country, 2024 was declared the year “Fount of Wisdom Magtymguly Pyragy”. On the initiative of the National Leader of the Turkmen people Hero-Arkadag, the 300th birth anniversary of the great thinker Magtymguly Pyragy is being celebrated at a high level, and the works of the poet, which became a universal value, are being popularised around the world.

In his poem “Fount of Wisdom Magtymguly Pyragy,” Arkadag praised the rich creativity of the poet-thinker and further extolled his honour and authority. Every word, every line of this poem had a very deep meaning, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov stressed, reciting an excerpt from the work of the National Leader of the Turkmen people:

The path of the poet is initially both mysterious and simple,
He solemnly takes up his permanent post.
At the Kopetdag foothills stood today at full height
His Highness Magtymguly Pyragy.

As it was noted, those lines by the Hero-Arkadag were a symbol of special veneration of the literary heritage of Magtymguly Pyragy.

The construction of the Magtymguly Pyragy cultural and park complex is inextricably linked with the wise ideas of the National Leader of the Turkmen people. The poet-thinker’s dreams of statehood, independence and unity have come true in the current happy era, which is clearly reflected in Magtymguly Pyragy’s poem “The Future of Turkmenistan,” the head of state continued, reciting the following lines:

Tribes live as one family,
There is a common tablecloth laid out for them,
A high destiny is granted to the Motherland,
And the granite melts before the troops of Turkmenistan.

The works of the great thinker awaken in every citizen of the country love for their people and of the beloved Motherland and powerful state. They contribute to the cultivation of high morality in our generations so that young Turkmen people grow up as educated people and professionals in their field, worthy of doing good deeds for the country, people and all humanity.

Famous Turkmen and foreign poets and prose writers, scientists, literary critics, artists, masters of decorative and applied arts and musicians had created exemplary works devoted to the great master, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov said, noting those works had gained great importance in the study and widespread popularisation of the rich literary heritage of the wise poet among the people.

In order to reward citizens of our country and foreign citizens for great achievements in the careful preservation, study and popularisation of the rich and priceless literary heritage of the great master of words, the anniversary medal of Turkmenistan “Magtymguly Pyragynyň 300 ýyllygyna” was established. This medal and the International Magtymguly Prize, will be awarded to numerous compatriots and foreign citizens.

The Turkmen people were a people who, over thousands of years of their history, had created spiritual and cultural values that had had a huge impact on the development of humankind, the head of state continued, emphasising the poet’s works had forever entered the universal treasury of world literature.

People knew the outstanding works of the master of words by heart. Our bagshies-musicians had created songs, based on his deeply meaningful poems, and brought them to the our times, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov said, noting that was why the holiday, devoted to the Turkmen classical poet, was widely being celebrated throughout the Earth.

In the period of the Revival of the New Era of the Powerful State, large-scale work is being carried out for the sake of further improving the standard of living of the people and the socioeconomic development of the Motherland. Large-scale construction of modern buildings, facilities and roads continues in the capital and regions of the country.

Focusing on the historical significance of the opening of the Magtymguly Pyragy cultural and park complex, built on the initiative of the Hero-Arkadag in the unique part of the beautiful capital, the Head of Turkmenistan emphasised the sculptures of foreign writers and poets installed there were another bright symbol of the triumph of friendship and brotherhood in a sovereign state, which the poet had dreamed of.

Expressing confidence that the Magtymguly Pyragy cultural and park complex would become the most visited place for citizens of our country and foreign guests, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted poetry evenings, creative meetings and singing and musical performances would regularly be held there. At the same time, the importance of this complex in raising the country’s creative potential to new heights was highlighted.

The head of state continued, monuments to Magtymguly Pyragy had been and were being erected in a number of foreign countries. Such good deeds further strengthen the bridges of friendship and brotherhood between peoples.

The activities carried out in the country to deeply study the life and work of the poet and thinker have received great support from authoritative international organisations and countries of the world. The International Organisation of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) declared 2024 “The Year of the Great Poet and Thinker of the Turkic World – Magtymguly Pyragy”. The collection of manuscripts of Magtymguly Pyragy is included in the Memory of the World Register of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The 300th anniversary of the poet’s birth is included in the UNESCO List of significant dates for the joint celebration. All that was a tribute of high respect to the great master of words of the Turkmen people, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted.

Once again, the Head of Turkmenistan warmly congratulated those gathered on the opening of the magnificent monument to the great son of the Turkmen people, the poet of all times Magtymguly Pyragy and the cultural and park complex and wished everyone good health, longevity, a happy life and every success.

To the thunderous applause of the celebration participants, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov cut the symbolic ribbon – the cultural and park complex, located at the foothills of the Kopetdag Mountains and surrounded by greenery, was open! At that moment, colourful balloons soared into the sky.

The complex is a reflection of universal love and veneration for the outstanding genius and famous son of the Turkmen people, whose works, three centuries later, are known and appreciated at the international community level. It should also be noted that all cultural humanity, in the year of celebrating the anniversary of the great master of artistic expression, pays tribute to the memory and respect for the great humanist, who made a great contribution not only to world literature, but in general to the development of the civilisation of the East and the entire world.

Then the head of state and the event participants headed towards the monument to Magtymguly Pyragy.

A unique component of the complex’s architecture is an alley of famous classical poets and world-famous thinkers representing different countries and continents. The monuments erected in their honour symbolise the friendship, brotherhood and good neighbourliness of peoples, which Magtymguly Pyragy called for in his immortal works.

Thus, monuments to such famous prose writers, poets and philosophers as Sayat-Nova, Yanka Kupala, Du Fu, Honoré de Balzac, Shota Rustaveli, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Sándor Petőfi, Rabindranath Tagore, Hafez Shirazi, Dante Alighieri, Yasunari Kawabata, Kurmangazy Sagyrbaev, Chingiz Aitmatov, Raja Ali Haji, Adam Mickiewicz, Mihai Eminescu, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Juan Jiménez, Sayido Nasafiy, Yunus Emre, Grigory Skovoroda, William Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, Ali-Shir Nava’i were erected there. Each of the works reflects the characteristic features of the images, and ambiguous details reveal the features of their activity.

Literary and musical compositions were performed next to the statues, introducing the works of outstanding masters of words, whose books have become an integral part of the treasury of world culture.

At the fountain complex, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and guests of the celebration watched a performance of famous pop singers of Turkmenistan, singing a song “Türkmenistan – dost-doganlyk mekany”.

There, on a bench in the park, one could see representatives of the older generation reading books to their grandchildren that had come from the pen of the National Leader of the Turkmen people and Arkadagly Hero Serdar. Nearby, students look through newspapers and magazines, young people spent their leisure time usefully, photographers took pictures of vacationers in the park, and artists with paints and easels tried to capture the splendour of nature...

On both sides of the alley, there was an exhibition of artistic paintings, sculptures, ceramics and carpets.

In the square at the end of the park complex, a song “Toý mekany” was performed by popular singers of the country.

Then the President of Turkmenistan and the participants of the celebration proceeded to the square near the monument to Magtymguly Pyragy.

Along the route, a literary, musical and artistic composition, glorifying the Motherland, unfolded.

Next, Head of State Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the participants in the event climbed up the steps leading to the majestic sculpture of the great son of the Turkmen people, outstanding thinker of the East, classical poet Magtymguly Pyragy.

The height of the monument, installed on a natural hill, is 60 metres, and the pedestal, on which winged lines from the poem of the great humanist and thinker of the East “The Future of Turkmenistan” and lines from the poem by the Hero-Arkadag “Fount of Wisdom Magtymguly Pyragy” are carved, is 25 metres high.

It should be noted that innovative technologies were used in the design of the cultural and park complex, and modern lighting devices and laser beams brightly illuminate the sculpture of Magtymguly Pyragy and the words of the National Leader of the Turkmen people about the master of artistic expression from the book The Unquenchable Light in the Crown of the Soul, carved in marble:

“Magtymguly Pyragy, who with his remarkable creativity illuminated the path of the Turkmen people to freedom and independence, calling for spiritual kindness, became one of the most revered poets for them.”

On each flight of stairs, there are special stage platforms, designed in the form of five national carpet gels, symbolising the velayats of the country. There, theatre artists in the guise of famous Turkmen poets, Seyitnazar Seydi, Nurmuhammed Andalib, Mollanepes, Gurbandurdy Zelili and Myataji, recited poems, devoted to Magtymguly Pyragy, and singers performed songs based on the poems of the great master of artistic expression – “Gidiji bolma”, “Näme sen?”, “Mert bolmaz”, “Bady-sabany görsem” and “Bu gün”.

Then the head of state and guests of the celebration laid flowers at the foot of the monument to the great son of the Turkmen people Magtymguly Pyragy.

The rich literary heritage, left by the outstanding poet to future generations, is today a universal human value, inherited by its true heirs – the current happy generations. Currently, his works have been translated into dozens of languages of the world and published in the form of separate publications, which is vivid evidence that the ocean of thoughts, the poetic world of Magtymguly Pyragy is the property not only of the Turkmen people, but of all humanity.

Today all the dreams of the great thinker about a free and independent state have come true. In the modern era, the Turkmen people, having acquired sovereignty, live and create in their free and prosperous state. Turkmenistan, gaining strength and power day by day, has turned into one of the authoritative states in the world...

The subsequent drone show marked the unforgettable moments of the opening ceremony of the Magtymguly Pyragy cultural and park complex and the monument to the outstanding son of the Turkmen people, the great thinker of the East, the classical poet Magtymguly Pyragy. The performance, accompanied by lighting and visual effects and music, created an unforgettable spectacle and impressive moments.

In recent years, advanced technologies have been actively penetrating into all spheres of the country’s life, including the areas of culture and art. All this is a vivid demonstration of the innovative approach to the level of the organisation of celebrations using innovative methods that are held in the country in the modern era with the participation of the Head of Turkmenistan.

The grandiose fireworks, organised to mark the celebration, which became one of the significant events in the history of the period of the Revival of the New Era of the Powerful Turkmen State, coloured the evening sky with bright flashes of fantastic constellations, becoming a wonderful dedication to that day’s celebration.

Then President Serdar Berdimuhamedov warmly said goodbye to those gathered and left the venue.