In the cultural and park complex of Magtymguly Fragi, in the south of Ashgabat, in addition to the majestic monument to the Turkmen poet and thinker, sculptures of foreign writers will be installed.
Next to the 60-meter statue of Magtymguly there will be sculptures of supposedly another 25 foreign writers. This was reported by the publication “Turkmenistan: Golden Age” with reference to an interview with People’s Artist of Turkmenistan Saragt Babayev, who is working on this project.
“However, the list of writers is constantly changing,” notes the sculptor. - Our criterion is that it must be a person who has shown himself in literature and must have left a mark on the historical transformation of the world. We contact the governments of other countries and coordinate the candidacies of such individuals.”
Thus, China will be represented by the poet Du Fu, who lived in 712-770, Georgia - the 12th century poet Shota Rustaveli, Iran - Kut-ad-din Shirazi, a mathematician of the 13-14 centuries, author of a translation into Persian of Euclid’s Elements and other scientific treatises.
Among the applicants are such outstanding literary figures as: Rabindranath Tagore (India), Johann Wolfgang Goethe (Germany), Alisher Navoi (Uzbekistan), Yunus Emre (Turkey), William Shakespeare (Great Britain), Honore de Balzac (France), Fyodor Dostoevsky (Russia), Chingiz Aitmatov (Kyrgyzstan).
The sculptures of foreign writers will be made in bronze, like the Magtymguly monument, but will reach 3.5 meters in height, plus a pedestal of 2.5 meters.
11 sculptors were involved in work on this project, but S. Babayev suggested that in the course of work their number will probably increase.
Let us remind you that monuments to foreign writers will be erected on the initiative of the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The installation of the sculptures was reported by Deputy Prime Minister R. Meredov at a Government meeting in August last year.
“This will be a visible embodiment of the friendship and brotherhood of peoples, which Magtymguly Fragi called for in his immortal poems,” noted R. Meredov.
