Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow
A former dentist who ruled Turkmenistan with an iron fist for 15 years, cultivating a bizarre personality cult while his nation remained isolated.
Born 1957 (age 69)·President of Turkmenistan from 2007 to 2022·Birthday: June 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow rose from the role of a state dentist and health minister to become Turkmenistan's second president in 2006, following the death of the eccentric Saparmurat Niyazov. His rule, which lasted until 2022, was marked by a continuation of extreme authoritarianism, though he slightly dialed back some of his predecessor's more peculiar decrees. He fostered his own extravagant personality cult, starring in state-produced music videos, authoring books on subjects from medicine to horse breeding, and performing stunts like weightlifting and cycling. While the country's vast natural gas wealth funded grandiose construction projects in the capital, Ashgabat, ordinary citizens faced widespread poverty and severe restrictions on freedoms. In a choreographed transition, he handed the presidency to his son, Serdar, in 2022, but retained significant power as the head of the country's upper legislative house, ensuring the family's grip on the energy-rich desert state.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Gurbanguly was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Gurbanguly Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Gurbanguly's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as President of Turkmenistan for 16 years, from 2006 to 2022, maintaining absolute control over the isolated Central Asian nation.
- Authored numerous books on Turkmen culture, medicine, and the Akhal-Teke horse, which became mandatory reading in state institutions.
- Oversaw the construction of the multi-billion dollar 'Avaza' tourist zone on the Caspian Sea coast, a flagship project of his presidency.
- Initiated a limited, symbolic reversal of some policies of his predecessor, such as reopening rural libraries and extending school years.
Did You Know?
He is a trained dentist and was once the head of Turkmenistan's dentistry center.
He is known for performing songs and music videos that are played constantly on state television.
He has a golden statue of himself on horseback that rotates to always face the sun in Ashgabat.
He promoted the breeding of the Akhal-Teke horse, a national symbol, and often appeared with them in state media.
“The health of the nation is the foundation of its future prosperity.”
