The Neutrality Arch is a monument located in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...

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The arch is 75 metres (246.1 ft) tall and was built in 1998 on the orders of Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov

Saparmurat Niyazov

Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov; , was a Turkmen politician who served as President of Turkmenistan from 2 November 1990 until his death in 2006...

 to commemorate the country's official position of neutrality

Neutral country

A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...

. It cost $12 million to construct. The three-legged arch was topped by a 12 metres (39.4 ft) tall gold-plated statue of Niyazov which rotates to always face the sun. The arch is located in central Ashgabat where it dominates the skyline, being taller than the nearby Presidential Palace. The statue is lit at night. The arch features a panoramic viewing platform which has become a popular visitors attraction. The landmark is known locally as "The Tripod".

Removal

On 18 January 2010 Niyazov's successor as president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, signed a decree to begin work on dismantling and moving the arch. There were reports that the arch would be dismantled as early as 2008, but the president 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 traces of the personality cult that Niyazov had created in his two decades at the head of one of the world's most authoritarian regimes. Niyazov also named cities and airports after himself, ordered the building of an ice palace

Ice palace

An ice palace or ice castle is a castle-like structure made of blocks of ice. These blocks are usually harvested from nearby rivers or lakes when they become frozen in winter. The first known ice palace appeared in St...

 and a 40 metres (131.2 ft) tall pyramid but the gold-plated statue has been described as the most notorious symbol of his legacy.

Berdimuhamedow replace the arch with a 95 metres (311.7 ft) tall "Monument to Neutrality" which is located in the suburbs. The president has appointed Turkish

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 construction firm Polimeks to carry out the demolition of the arch and the construction of the new monument. The removal of Niyazov's golden statue was completed on 26 August, 2010. However, the statue was merely moved to the new Monument of Neutrality.