Episode · Behind the Bastards · 2019-03-26
Books mentioned on Part One: Turkmenbashi: The Dictator Who Declared Himself Jesus
In Episode 53, Robert is joined by David Bell to discuss a man who was, at one point, the most powerful lunatic on planet earth and absolute ruler of a nation of five million people, Saparmurat Niyazov who was the dictator of Turkmenistan. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.
Robert Evans discussed Inside Central Asia by Dilip Hiro.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Inside Central Asia
Inside Central Asia by Dilip Hiro is a comprehensive geopolitical history tracing the modern development, political transitions, and distinct cultures of the region's nations.
Discussed“According to the book inside central Asia by Dilipiro, quote, "Modernizing Ashkabbat meant raising many central neighborhoods to create a network of boulevards with lavish palaces of white marble and green tinted glass dotted with ma massive fountains and statues of Nazov and his parents”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (6) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Passing Quran
“His opus, the Runama, was buil by him as the most important book since the Quran. Part history text, part guide to life, part religious book, and all crazy.”
“In other words, Saparat Nazov wrote an explicitly Turkman themed Bible with himself as Jesus and mixed it with a self-help book and like one of those history books below Riley writes like that's that's kind of the Runama in a nutshell.”
Passing The Book of Mormon
“He described it as a confused mixture of memoir, Turkman lore, potted history, dietary suggestions, Soviet bashing, boasting, wild promises, and Turkman bashi's poems. He seemed to regard it as both a sort of Quran and as a how-to guide for the Turkman people, a jingoistic pep talk.”
Passing Bible
“The Turkman government ordered a prominent display of the Runama, not only in bookshops and official buildings, but also in mosques and churches, sharing its place with the Quran or the Bible.”
Passing Quran
“According to the book inside central Asia Nazav erected a commemorative complex in his home village of Gipjack conceived as a symbol of the rebirth of the Turkman nation which included a mosque whose walls carry quotations from the Quran as well as the Runama.”
Plugged A (brief) history of vice
“After writing a book, I was I'm pretty proud of it. Uh, right. But I don't think I would build a a giant statue of my book, A Brief History of Ice. I would build a statue of your book, but See, if you build it, it's fine.”