Ashgabat’s oldest monuments to Lenin, Pushkin and Shevchenko

The monument visited by almost all tourists who always take photos is located in a cosy small park in the historical centre of Ashgabat. This is the only monument to Lenin remaining in the capitals of the former Soviet Central Asian republics. Moreover, according to a British newspaper (The Telegraph), published a few years ago, the monument enters the top 12 mighty objects of the Soviet period, which are still accessible to tourists in the now independent states.

Recognized as a cultural monument of Turkmenistan, it has survived due to its uniqueness and historical value. A cube-shaped building forms the base of the monument with a pedestal for the bronze statue to the ‘leader of the world proletariat’. Both the base and the pedestal are faced with bright coloured glaze – majolica, skilfully reproducing the patterns of the Turkmen carpets.

The foundation of the monument was laid on the day of Lenin's funeral on January 27, 1924, and the monument was built three years later, on the 10th anniversary of the October Revolution on November 7, 1927. The monument was opened for public viewing on May 1, 1929. The inscription on the carpet pedestal says, ‘To the leader from workers and peasants of Turkmenistan’.

The statue was cast by hand from the bronze cannons brought to Ashgabat from the former royal estate in Bayramaly, where the sanatorium of the same name is now located.

The monument to Lenin is one of several buildings in Ashgabat that survived after the 1948 earthquake, which mostly destroyed the city.

When visiting Leninsky Square, strolling along its shady alleys or enjoying the music of fountains on the benches in the park, people have an opportunity to watch several landmarks of the Turkmen capital, located around the corner. These landmarks include the monuments to Taras Shevchenko and Alexander Pushkin. Both of them are among the oldest monuments in Ashgabat. The monument to Taras Shevchenko is located on the street named after the Ukrainian poet. It was opened in 1926 and was destroyed during the earthquake in 1948. On March 24, 1972, a new monument to Taras Shevchenko was unveiled. It was reconstructed and moved to a new, more convenient location in September 2009.

The monument to Alexander Pushkin, located in a park named after the great Russian poet, is the oldest monument in the city. It was unveiled on the 100th anniversary of Pushkin in 1911. The monument survived the civil war and the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake. Literary meetings with recitations are annually held at the monument on the poet's birthday. The monument was restored on the eve of the 200th anniversary of the poet.

Another attraction is the monumental concrete relief of the Mekan Palace, created by the famous Russian sculptor Ernst Neizvestny in 1974. The building is located opposite the Leninsky Square, therefore its visitors have an opportunity to sit on a bench in the park and to admire the work of the outstanding sculptor.