Neutrality Monument
monument originally located in Ashgabat
The Monument of Neutrality (Turkmen: Bitaraplyk binasy) is a monument and observation tower located in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The three-legged arch, which became known locally as "The Tripod", was 75 metres (246 ft) tall and was built in 1998 on the orders of President Saparmurat Niyazov to commemorate the country's official position of neutrality. It was constructed by Turkish construction firm Polimeks at a cost of $12 million.
Originally located in central Ashgabat, the monument was one of the tallest buildings in the city, being taller than the nearby Presidential Palace. It was topped by an illuminated 12-metre (39 ft) tall gold-plated statue of Niyazov which rotated to always face the sun. The monument features a panoramic viewing platform for visitors, accessible by inclined elevators built into the arch's legs.
In 2010, the monument was dismantled and moved to the suburbs in the city's southern end, where it was reassembled and still stands.
Removal
On 18 January 2010, Niyazov's successor, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, signed a decree to dismantle and move the monument out of central Ashgabat. There were reports that it would be dismantled as early as 2008, but Berdimuhamedow did not approve the move until 2010. The dismantling was officially said to be a move to improve urban design in Ashgabat, but is seen as part of Berdimuhamedow's campaign to remove the excesses of the personality cult that Niyazov had created during his two decades of totalitarian rule.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Neutrality Monument” as monument originally located in Ashgabat. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as monument originally located in Ashgabat. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2564552. Authority coordinates are 37.882, 58.333. 1 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1998, 2010 and 2008.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Neutrality Monument” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.