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Turkmenistan to build rival to Eiffel Tower

Article published on the 2009-07-04 Latest update 2009-07-05 12:59 TU

The Eiffel Tower(Photo: Agnès Rougier/ RFI)

The Eiffel Tower
(Photo: Agnès Rougier/ RFI)

The central Asian country of Turkmenistan is to build a rival to Paris's Eiffel Tower, according to the chief architect of the capital, Ashgabat. The plan is the latest in a series of projects announced for the city.

"A competition has been announced to design a monument that will become a symbol of Ashgabat just like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Statue of Liberty in the United States," Ashgabat chief architect Bayram Shamuradov told the AFP news agency.

He said that the tower will be built in the centre of the city.

The country has revealed a number of ambitious projects for Ashgebat in recent months. They include plans for a "Palace of Happiness"; which would be a venue for weddings, and an "Olympic Village", for sporting events.

President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has demolished some of the controversial constructions erected by his predecessor, Saparmlurat Niyazov, who died in 2006.

Niyazov was often accused of building a personality cult and Berdymukhamedov is now drawing similar criticism.

"We are doing everything to realise the task set by the president - to make Ashgabat the most beautiful and comfortable city in central Asia," said Shamuradov.

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