Turkmenistan president-for-life Saparmurat Niyazov died today after 21 years of dictatorship that made his Central Asian state one of the world's most isolated countries.
Niyazov, who fostered a bizarre personality cult as absolute ruler of a country with huge natural gas reserves, died overnight of cardiac arrest, state television said. He was 66.
A soldier stands guard by a fountain topped by a golden statue of Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov in Ashgabat
His funeral was set for December 24th and the government fixed December 26 thfor the desert nation's highest representative body to meet to decide on the succession and name a date for elections.
Turkmenistan has never held an election judged fair by Western monitors.
Niyazov, who held all top posts, left no designated heir and his death raised concerns about the transfer of power in the ex-Soviet nation of five million, where foreign oil and gas companies are keen to invest. Turkmenistan is a vital link in the supply chain between former Soviet gas fields and European Union consumers since it meets the demands of the huge Ukrainian market, freeing up Russian gas for Europe.
Once a Soviet apparatchik, Niyazov took the title of "Turkmenbashi (Head of the Turkmen) the Great" and had thousands of portraits and statues of him set up throughout the country. They include a statue in gold leaf that rotates to face the sun in the capital Ashgabat.
He renamed the month of January after himself and April after his mother. A planet of the Taurus constellation, a crater on the Moon and a mountain peak were also named after him, as were the main brand of the country's sweet melons and a breed of horse.
He banned hospitals and libraries from all areas of Turkmenistan apart from Ashgabat.
He banned ballet, opera and circus as indecent. He also banned Turkmen singers from performing to recorded music and Turkmen newscasters from wearing make-up.
He also forbade gold teeth, beards and long hair in young people and set up a Ministry of Justice to punish amoral behaviour.
When foreign leaders met him, Niyazov often presented them with a horse.
Like the khans who once ruled this long-nomadic land, Niyazov ran Turkmenistan from an office draped with carpets that made it look like a nomad's tent.
He wrote a book entitled "Rukhnama" ("Book of the Spirit"), which is a collection of moral advice and history and a bestseller in Ashgabat.
Niyazov's health had long been the subject of speculation among Turkmenistan-watchers and foreign investors. After heart surgery in 1997, he quit smoking and ordered all his ministers to follow suit.
Flags flew at half-mast today from public buildings in Ashgabat, a Soviet city grandly reconstructed to showcase Niyazov's power. Workers removed all New Year decorations from the streets and television ran still images of a national flag in a black-bordered frame as an orchestra played solemn tunes.