Turkmenistan: Symbol Photo

Photographer’s Note

"Copyright © – Attila Szili.
The reproduction, publication, modification, transmission or exploitation of any work contained herein for any use, personal or commercial, without my prior written permission is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved."

Ashgabat, the capital of independent (from October 27, 1991) Turkmenistan, has borne this name since 1882. According to archaeological data, settlements belonging to the Great Silk Road have existed on the territory of the present city since at least the end of the first millennium B.C. The chronological distance between them and the present city is so great, that we are not able to speak about any townbuilding continuity. That connection traces back to the beginning of XIX century, when there was a Turkmen urban settlement here, called Ashgabat. The population of the city is about 700,000 and is situated between the Kara Kum desert and the Kopet Dag mountain range.
There are cities, known at once by a unique and symbolic building or monument, and this is the case of Ashgabat and the Arch of Neutrality. This monument was built in the centre of the Turkmen capital, in just one year. The idea behind this monument is connected with an important event in the nation's history, which took place in New York on December 12, 1995. At the meeting of the UN General Assembly, the acceptance of a special resolution was voted and was entitled «Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan».
The arch was projected by the architect, Erol Tabanja and it was consigned to the city on December 12,1998.
The inspiration for the Arch of Neutrality was the traditional Turkmen trivet — a stable tripod, used for holding a boiler, under which a fire is kindled.
In the project the trivet was transformed into three widely curved pylons connected by disks and rings of different diameters and thickness. These are the viewing sites, located on different levels, where at any time of day a perfect panorama of Ashgabat opens up. Visitors are transported to the first level by funiculars, while the third is equipped with ladders as a fire precaution measure. Here, at a height of 21.5 meters, there is a circular cafe-bar with a panoramic view. The transparent lift takes visitors to 50 meters, where the upper viewing platform is situated. At 63 meters, there is a 12-meter golden statue of Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov (also known and generally referred to as Turkmenbashi, or leader of the Turkmens). This statue rotates in order to always face the sun during daylight hours. It is said to be made of pure gold.
The Arch of Neutrality reaches a total of 75 meters, making it the highest building in Turkmenistan, above the 600 year old Kutlug-Timur minaret.

Gerrit, PixelTerror, riclopes, Buin, MikiM, deud, tobourge, vinicio, AiresSantos, sufi, syd1946, turkamerikali, Rossignol, Paolo, gilou530, Cricri, josepmarin, leo61, Mistral, papagolf21, Emile, lestans, sergio1, TeresaT, emjleclercq, Giorgio, linask, daburg, Bogdan011, paura, grantcorp, danos, Jakab trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

Gerrit (36095) 2006-07-04 4:16

Hi Attila,
Old looking at new and old passing new at the same time. Well chosen POV and wondefully captured moment.
Great Picture,
Regards, Gerrit

PixelTerror (86604) 2006-07-04 4:18

Hi Attila,
Very nice to see this rarely showed country, the least I can tell is that this architecture is... amazing, I like here the triangle disposition of the elements including the person to give scale, nice view, hope you'll show more. No problem with KGB to shoot pictures ?
Have a nice day,
Jean-Yves

riclopes (33115) 2006-07-04 4:24

Hi Attila,
How nice to see another picture of you. This is a very interesting composition, with good dephness and a nice balance betttween the statue, the woman passing by and the monument in shape of a tripod. Excellent note and superb quality of the image.
Friendly regards,
Ricardo

markstaples (15670) 2006-07-04 4:26

Hi Attila
Long time no see.
A carefully composed image, great POV. Nice work.
Best wishes
Mark

Buin (38100) 2006-07-04 4:29

Hallo Attila!
What an outstanding monument, what an impressive and at the same time interesting picture - and note as well! I like the many details to be seen in your photo! Thank you for showing this!
Greetings from unbearable hot Germany!
Frank

MikiM (1916) 2006-07-04 4:42

Szia Attila!
Tökéletes kompozíció! A három téma igen izgalmasan egészíti ki egymást. Nagyon klassz! Pontos expozíció - nem könnyű ennyi sötét és világos képelemnél!!!
Nekem a keretekkel való játék - az egyik balra a másik jobbra árnyékolva -itt inkább levesz mint hozzáad.
Turkmenbasiról már hallottam - érdekes lehet éloben megtapasztalni a személyi kultusz ilyen szintu megnyilvánulásait.
Mégegyszer gratulálok a képhez!!!
Miklós

nika (0) 2006-07-04 6:18

Szia Attila !!! Hogy Vagy ? How are you and how was your holiday time like ? La hungarita (Anette is already travelling(moving to Bunyol) from Budapest to Bunyol with my parents by car(hers) . I could not travel this time . They seem gipsies with Anette's poor car full of things and they spent the night in Verona , not far from you

Not long ago i read articles about Turkmenistán and the impression i got is that it is a closed and difficult place to travel with a lot of controls , bureaucracy . The image is quite interesting , weird although great architecture making use of iconoclasy , statues , commemorative sculptures , a human pressence that make the composition even most interesting and that beautiful combination of colours within a nice frame with a right place for the foreground ecuestrian statue that guides the eye directly to the background

szia Attila !! See you and nice to see you again ;)

deud (1841) 2006-07-04 6:19

very intresting. great constructions, colors, pov. tfs

tobourge (925) 2006-07-04 6:33

Hello Szili,

Great to see very unusual places like this.

I like the composition and your colours. I first thought it was a photo taken some years ago.

Thanks for sharing

Tony

alekpet (4659) 2006-07-04 7:44

Hi Attila.
Did you know that this is just the 8 (eight) photo from this country and so far probably the best one on TE? I'd say that is also because of the strict rules. I am glad you made it and even had so much sense to spot the triangle coming with the two monuments and a passer by. This may be a rare shot, but gives us so much information about the place. I hope you'll send more of the pictures from Ashgabat, if KGB doesn't catch you, as JY says.

take care, Aleks

vinicio (22420) 2006-07-04 8:07

Testimonianze del periodo sovietico immagino, bella foto sopratutto per i diversi livelli dei soggetti, molto ricca di elementi, complimenti, ottimi colori e la donna che cammina da il senso della proporzione ai monumenti.
Ciao
Vinicio

AiresSantos (42686) 2006-07-04 8:30

Hi Attila,
Excellent details in this great view. Very good POV, colors and note.
Thanks and greetings from Portugal,
Aires

sufi (9568) 2006-07-04 9:15

Hi Attila...
Hello again my great traveller friend... Another wonderful scene and beautiful point of view... The light, the colors and the clarity are perfect, as usual... Also perfect reflection on the bottom of the statue... Of course great detailed note...
TFS...
Stay well..
Salim.

syd1946 (17945) 2006-07-04 12:19

Hello Attila,
Excellent architecture shot.I love the nice saturated colors and of course the composition you made.The waliking old woman gives more interesting to the scene.Great work!
Best wishes,
Thomas

Graal (58479) 2006-07-04 13:37

Jó napot Attila,
interesting place and note, superb quality of photo. I like the composition, colours & sharpness. Good work.
Rgs, Aleksander

P-S-I-G (24482) 2006-07-04 14:53

Hello Attila,
Good association of the monuments.
Excellent POV. Well composed.
Best regards,
Fabrice

turkamerikali (4772) 2006-07-04 17:52

Hi Attila,
Excellent Statue and daily life shot from Turkmenistan.
Excellent pov,dof,colors,sharpness,details,walking local woman,framing and note.Well Done.TFS
Tolga

Rossignol (2289) 2006-07-04 18:47

Hi Attila
Very effective composition with the historical statue looking across the fountains to the contemporary Arch of Neutrality. The lighting and colours really sparkle and there is an excellent element of motion and human interest in the figure walking in between the two subjects.
Nice work
Peter

Budapestman (42566) 2006-07-04 19:30

Szia Attila!
Üdvözöllek itthon, jó ismét látni!
Elképesztően érdekes vidékeken jársz, biztos vagyok benne, hogy ez a kép sokaknak unikum lesz, ahogy nekem is. Igen jó képet készítettél, nemcsak az ország kultúrájából és látnivalóiból örökítettél meg sikeresen egy darabot, hanem a hely szelleméből is. Szépek a színek, kitűnő a látószög: jól sikerült kép, gratulálok! Ismét megmutattál egy szeletet a világ kevésbé reflektorfényben élő részéből.
Jó fotókat és szép napokat!
Gyuri

tjanze (5674) 2006-07-05 3:33

Hi Szili!
Beautiful postcard photo.You show excelent old and new part.For me,specialy the best here is portrait of lady.
It tells me a lot about land.Thanks for sharoing.

Angshu (33975) 2006-07-05 4:29

Hi Attila
Welcome back...First of all thanks for showing this rearely shown country. Amazing architecture here, with the statue & the human interest...Very impressive composition.
Regards
Angshu

Paolo (40751) 2006-07-05 4:58

Bentornato Attila!
e con una foto molto bella, con in primo piano e sullo sfondo dei monumenti tipicamente...folli, di quelli tanto amati dai dittatori asiatici!
ottimi colori, luce, POV and messa a fuoco!
buona giornata, ciao

gilou530 (35546) 2006-07-05 6:00

salut attila
une belle photo d'un pays mal connu qui mérite a être visité a en voir cette image, belle netteté et cadrage avec la statue en angle, bravo
amitiés
gilbert

andante (7092) 2006-07-05 8:48

Always glad to see your images, Attila. Here you are presenting another great capture. The inclussion of the human figure helps adding personality and livelyhood to the image. Cheers,
Enrique
PS, congrats on Italy's win yesterday

Cricri (43492) 2006-07-05 10:03

Bonjour Attila,
Une image parfaite; tant pour sa composition,
ses couleurs, details, excellent POV
compliment
Amitiés
cricri

josepmarin (33965) 2006-07-05 11:34

Hi Attila,
A very clean and elegant composition. Their elements are pretty and monumental like this Arch of Neutrality. He is enormous, and its top with the golden statue is spectacular.
The equestrian statue in foreground with fantastic reflections, the water of the sources, and the sky creates a very pleasant image.
The POV with this vertical frame is left muiy in this photo well.
Great shot.
Regards,
Josep

leo61 (43494) 2006-07-05 13:01

Hi Attila! Welcome back.
Good composition With the "symbol" and the nice statue in the foreground.Good to have this person to get an idea of the size.Perfect sharpness and good colors.
Regards,Leo

Fis2 (46185) 2006-07-05 13:17

Witaj Attila!
Interesting photo. Curious object. I like the frame and colors. Very impressive picture.
Greetings from Poland.
Krzysztof

Mistral (13740) 2006-07-05 15:30

Bravo Attila!
Complimenti per l'immagine e l'interessantissima nota verso questo pese poco conosciuto.
Spero che il viaggio ti sia piaciuto. Seguirò le tue foto mano a mano che le inserirai.
Buone giornate!
Luca

papagolf21 (56567) 2006-07-05 17:16

Bonsoir mon ami Attila,
Je tiens à saluer cette superbe composition. L'oeil du photographe a su saisir une scène particulièrement réussie.
Tout est bon dans cette réalisation : technique, tout est parfait.
Un mot : B R A V O
Amitiés.
Philippe

izmirli (3259) 2006-07-05 19:22

merhaba dear attila
very nice picture.very good thought and symbol.beautiful composition and note.very good turkmenistan.well done.
friendly greetinds from Istanbul/Turkey.
gürkan akçakır.

Emile (20047) 2006-07-06 19:38

Hola Szili.
Very good shot with an excellent composition, great perspective and sharpness.
Good colours contrast and POV. Impressive architecture, the statue is also very interesting, the lady walking by give a nice human touch to your picture.
Well done.

lestans (15486) 2006-07-07 2:41

Attila!! che interessante.
Avendo visto una nota così lunga mi ero riservata di leggere dopo, con più tempo, essendo io molto pigra a leggere cose lunghe in internet: ma in questo caso veramente ne è valsa la pena, perchè ci dai delle informazioni interessantissime e per me del tutto nuove.
Questa foto, ben fatta come al solito, "vive" molto di più con la sua didascaliaa.
Aspetto di vedere altro dal tuo viaggio!
Ciao, complimenti!

Livia

sergio1 (12150) 2006-07-07 4:28

Hi Attila,

I like the pov and compo. Very clear imagen and sharp. The sky is beautiful.
Thanks for share.
Sergio

TeresaT (10733) 2006-07-07 20:26

Hi Atila,
Fantastic shot with lots of intewresting elements in just one picture.
The colours and definition are fantastic.
Regards
TEresa

nanauhauer (761) 2006-07-08 21:27

Hey Szili,
With sure this isagreat photo.
I hope I can know this place someday.
Great moment, colour and view.
TFS
Nanau

emjleclercq (14424) 2006-07-09 2:49

A vvery nice contraqt between the statue and that modern tower. Regarding the monument, I had never heard about the "permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan" and this Arch to celebrate than decision. Turkmenistan is so foreign to me that this looks a bit like an alien country. Thanks for this intersting discovery. And very nice colors in your picture.

All the best,

Emmanuel

Giorgio (8762) 2006-07-11 2:45

- What monument! Really imposing and beautiful, colour and light are nice, very good POV with excellent foreground, well done!
giorgio

rbcy1974 (20746) 2006-07-23 8:43

Hello Attila
Excelent framing, nice corelation off all the vertical elements
excellent colurs and contrast, the human element definelty adds to it
Regards
Daniel

Bogdan011 (162) 2006-10-05 18:22

Hi Attila,

Thank you for sharing this photo. I love it from every aspect.

Cheers,
Bogdan

paura (38948) 2006-10-23 10:28

Attila,
Excellent composition, friend. Your POV allowed us to realise how majestic is this place. The colors are great.

Paulo

cherryripe (19097) 2006-11-15 13:07

Hi Attila
Impressive photo of these structures and the contrast between l'opulance and the lady. Last week I saw a documentary made by a French journalist who managed to film Turkmenistan using a hidden camera and the recent history of this country shocks me. Your photo shows how the president wastes money on self adoration whereas the people are generally poor.
Regards
Nikki

ElAprendiz (7370) 2007-01-31 11:51

I have always considered that photographing statues, requires of observation in choosing a perfect angle, in order to avoid that it leaves an insipid taking. In your case, you chose a suitable point of view, emphasized not only the sculpture, but its surroundings. Good work.
John

danos (32994) 2007-04-30 7:07

Hello Attila,
The whiteness of the building I think amplifies the gold statue of Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazovand. It's a wonderful graphical place,very creative composition and a well managed capture.The colours and the depth are great.Well done.
Regards,danos

Jakab (3480) 2007-10-23 15:15

Hát, ezeket a türkmenisztáni képeket nehéz lenne komoly arccal végignézni. A leírás ellenére nekem az emlékmű inkább idézi a szovjet idők szputnyikőrületét, mint a helyi teafőzőt. (Ámbár annak emléket állítani sem akármilyen ötlet. Képzeld el a Kossuth-teret a Nagy Magyar Bogrács alatt!) De a magányosan bandukoló nőről valahogy nem sugárzik a túláradó öröm.

Photo Information

Copyright: Attila Szili (atus) (15476)
Genre: Lieux
Medium: Couleur
Date Taken: 2006-06-20
Categories: Architecture
Camera: Nikon D70, Nikkor 18-70mm 1:3.5-4.5G ED DX, Hoya Super HMC PRO1 67mm Sky
Exposition: f/8, 1/1000 secondes
More Photo Info: view
Versions: version originale
Date Submitted: 2006-07-04 4:10
Favoris: 1 [voir]