Gurban Berdymukhamedov, President of Turkmenistan, declares a new public holiday in honor of his favorite breed of Alabai dogs
The President of Turkmenistan, Gurban Berdymukhamedov, announced a new national holiday in honor of a local breed of dog he loves, praising the Alabai breed, which is the local Asian breed of shepherd dogs, so that the last Sunday of April of each year is the official holiday, according to what was published by it. Sky News Network.
The country of 6 million people is proud of its horse and dog breeds, and centuries-old pastoral traditions, and the president praises the Alabai dog breed for years, publishing a book about it, and in 2017 Russian President Vladimir Putin gifted a small puppy.
Last year, a huge statue in honor of the dog breed was announced in the main square of the country's capital, and in 2019 Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also gifted Alabai puppies, and the president's son, Serdar, who heads the International Alabai Association, said that the holiday will include beauty contests. For this type of dog has fitness competitions in between.
Regarding the statue, Turkmenistan unveiled a 15-meter-tall golden statue, last November, which embodies a dog belonging to the favorite breed of the country's president, Gurban Guli Barada Mammadov, and at that time, President Mammadov, who has ruled Turkmenistan since 2007, attended the unveiling ceremony of the statue, which is of a dynasty. Sheepdog in Central Asia.
A special ceremony was held to raise the curtain on the statue located in Haditha area in the capital Ashgabat, where the model was placed on a base displaying videos of this breed of dogs, noting that the statue was made of bronze but was painted with a layer of 24 karat gold, and a statement issued by the Turkmenistan government described the statue It embodies the values of "respect, honor, courage and a friendly heart for these wonderful animals," according to Sky News.
The statement added that the statue "sheds light on its role in the fate of the nation and the place it occupies in the life of the Turkmen." Turkmenistan is the original home of this breed of dogs, and President Mammadov considers it part of the country's national identity, and he has dedicated books and poems to it, and he previously gifted the Russian President Vladimir Putin is one of them, and it is worth noting that the dog statue is the latest memorial made at the request of President Mammadov, as he had previously unveiled in 2015 a golden statue of him riding a horse in the capital.
