[kazthorn]

Turkmen authorities opened a book-shaped school on Tuesday to mark the birthday of Saparmurat Niyazov, their late leader who cultivated a personality cult.


The school was named after his "Rukhnama", a tome that the man who took the title of Turkmenbashi (Head of the Turkmen) demanded the population of 5 million learn by heart.
Niyazov, an autocrat who banned gold teeth and renamed the month of April after his mother, ruled from independence in 1991 until his sudden death in 2006.


The Rukhnama, also called The Book of the Soul, is still a must-read for schoolchildren and part of the national driving exam. The book is a collection of moral advice and history.

Niyazov's birthday, February 19, remains an official holiday, though it now operates under the name "the Day of the Flag".

Niyazov's successor Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has vowed to open up the isolated state and carry out liberal reforms.

He has lifted some restrictions on travel, taken steps to reform legislation, ended a seven-year ban on opera and circus performances, and visited Europe, Russia and the United States to promote his homeland as a good place to invest.
In a sign of change, the school Berdymukhamedov opened on Tuesday will focus on sciences and not the spiritual guide it was named after.