It seems both countries tried to answer the same uquestion of how do you build a national identity from scratch and came out with two opposite answers. Karimov reached back into a mythologised past, Niyazov invented a monumental future. An interesting read on a part of the world we don't see much written about, thank you for sharing, it was a refreshing read!
What comes through strongly here is how national identity formation after the Soviet collapse was not a search for history alone, but a decision about which direction in time a state chooses to anchor itself in.
Uzbekistan leans heavily on curated pre-Soviet continuity, turning historical figures and Silk Road memory into present-day legitimacy. Turkmenistan, by contrast, appears to construct identity more through projection and symbolism of a future-oriented state, with selective reference to tradition.
Seen together, they illustrate something broader about post-imperial states: identity is often less about recovering the past as it was, and more about choosing whether legitimacy flows from inherited memory or designed futurity.
Interesting read — it shows how Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan built very different identities after the USSR by using monuments to either romanticize the past or invent the future.
A useful distinction may be between constructing national identity and reallocating historical authority.
Neither state began entirely from a blank slate. Soviet national-territorial structures had already institutionalised borders, titular identities, administrative elites, and cultural categories. What changed after independence was who controlled the past and which period of history was authorised to legitimise the present.
Uzbekistan anchored sovereignty in a curated civilisational past centred on Timur and the Silk Road. Turkmenistan did not simply reject the past in favour of the future; it fused selective heritage, presidential mythology, and monumental futurism into a ruler-centred vision of the nation.
The monuments therefore do more than represent identity. They determine where legitimacy is located in time — and who is permitted to embody the bridge between the remembered past and the promised future.
You make a good point, both definitely had a past and the Soviets had their own impact. And the point about being “selective” with its heritage is important too. In fact, I experienced a bit of that first had. In a few museums we visited in Turkmenistan they sometimes label artifact as “ancient Turkmen” even if they really aren’t…
That firsthand example is especially revealing. It shows how selective heritage is not merely commemorative, but institutional — even museums participate in defining which past becomes politically usable.
The new movie about the Emir Temur is so-so. I had hoped for a more "Mongol" by Sergei Bodrov, type movie, from 2007. But this flick had multiple factual errors I could not look past. Of course, it is all part and parcel of rehabilitating the Emir Temur.
Did you get to ride the Akhal-Teke's while you were in Ashgabat? Riding one was pretty much the highlight of Turkmenistan. Although I had to dig in archeological trenches for two weeks up at Merv for my masters. Damn it was hot.
I actually saw it too, right before my trip. I too, felt the film was lacking, but it was all shot on location and was generally an Uzbek production. Would love to have had the film have a higher budget.
We did go to the stables and my girlfriend road one of the Akhal-tekes, but I wasn’t ready for that kind of ride yet lol
Oh brother, you missed out on one of life’s true pleasures. I grew up on horses. Ridden ‘em all. Thouroughbreds, Quarter-horses, Kyrgyz ponies, Shetland Pony, but the Akhal-Teke was sublime. I was in complete control of him and I wanted to run him something fierce, ululating like the Seljuk Turks before me had, shooting a recurved bow backwards in a Parthian Shot.
What a fine steed that was. I’ll post a photo soon.
Thanks so much, what a great read. I have absolutely no historical or cultural ties to Uzbekistan. But I have been fascinated by it for the last several years. Can you recommend a couple of books about the history of the area when the Russian state was colonizing it? And anything you found that insightful about their recent history?
It seems both countries tried to answer the same uquestion of how do you build a national identity from scratch and came out with two opposite answers. Karimov reached back into a mythologised past, Niyazov invented a monumental future. An interesting read on a part of the world we don't see much written about, thank you for sharing, it was a refreshing read!
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it :)
What comes through strongly here is how national identity formation after the Soviet collapse was not a search for history alone, but a decision about which direction in time a state chooses to anchor itself in.
Uzbekistan leans heavily on curated pre-Soviet continuity, turning historical figures and Silk Road memory into present-day legitimacy. Turkmenistan, by contrast, appears to construct identity more through projection and symbolism of a future-oriented state, with selective reference to tradition.
Seen together, they illustrate something broader about post-imperial states: identity is often less about recovering the past as it was, and more about choosing whether legitimacy flows from inherited memory or designed futurity.
Appreciate the insight, and once again you totally nailed what I was trying to go for :)
Interesting read — it shows how Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan built very different identities after the USSR by using monuments to either romanticize the past or invent the future.
A useful distinction may be between constructing national identity and reallocating historical authority.
Neither state began entirely from a blank slate. Soviet national-territorial structures had already institutionalised borders, titular identities, administrative elites, and cultural categories. What changed after independence was who controlled the past and which period of history was authorised to legitimise the present.
Uzbekistan anchored sovereignty in a curated civilisational past centred on Timur and the Silk Road. Turkmenistan did not simply reject the past in favour of the future; it fused selective heritage, presidential mythology, and monumental futurism into a ruler-centred vision of the nation.
The monuments therefore do more than represent identity. They determine where legitimacy is located in time — and who is permitted to embody the bridge between the remembered past and the promised future.
You make a good point, both definitely had a past and the Soviets had their own impact. And the point about being “selective” with its heritage is important too. In fact, I experienced a bit of that first had. In a few museums we visited in Turkmenistan they sometimes label artifact as “ancient Turkmen” even if they really aren’t…
That firsthand example is especially revealing. It shows how selective heritage is not merely commemorative, but institutional — even museums participate in defining which past becomes politically usable.
The new movie about the Emir Temur is so-so. I had hoped for a more "Mongol" by Sergei Bodrov, type movie, from 2007. But this flick had multiple factual errors I could not look past. Of course, it is all part and parcel of rehabilitating the Emir Temur.
Did you get to ride the Akhal-Teke's while you were in Ashgabat? Riding one was pretty much the highlight of Turkmenistan. Although I had to dig in archeological trenches for two weeks up at Merv for my masters. Damn it was hot.
I actually saw it too, right before my trip. I too, felt the film was lacking, but it was all shot on location and was generally an Uzbek production. Would love to have had the film have a higher budget.
We did go to the stables and my girlfriend road one of the Akhal-tekes, but I wasn’t ready for that kind of ride yet lol
Oh brother, you missed out on one of life’s true pleasures. I grew up on horses. Ridden ‘em all. Thouroughbreds, Quarter-horses, Kyrgyz ponies, Shetland Pony, but the Akhal-Teke was sublime. I was in complete control of him and I wanted to run him something fierce, ululating like the Seljuk Turks before me had, shooting a recurved bow backwards in a Parthian Shot.
What a fine steed that was. I’ll post a photo soon.
Thanks so much, what a great read. I have absolutely no historical or cultural ties to Uzbekistan. But I have been fascinated by it for the last several years. Can you recommend a couple of books about the history of the area when the Russian state was colonizing it? And anything you found that insightful about their recent history?