The national pride and glory of the Turkmen people – horses
Every nation has its own unique values and national pride, shaped over a long history. Our national treasures, such as "Oguznama," "Gorkut Ata," "Geroğly," our colorful carpets and felt, our embroidery art, our dutar-bahshi art, our jewelry art, our kush-depdi dance art, our wedding traditions, our Turkmen alabai dogs... there are too many to list, created thanks to the wisdom, keen talent, and rich historical experience of our people. One of the most famous of these is our Akhal-Teke horses. Today, thanks to the great initiatives of our National Leader of the Turkmen people, Hero Arkadag, and the wise state policy pursued by our respected President, respect for our Akhal-Teke horses, which are our national pride and joy, is growing, creating favorable conditions for them to find resonance throughout the world.
The Turkmen people's love for horses has a long history. As is known from proverbs and sayings such as "Wake up in the morning — see your father, then your horse," "My horse has wings," "A horse is a young man's wing," "In racing, a man is in battle," "A horse is a young man's companion," racehorses were one of the most integral values of our people's past life. As a result of our people's sincere love and tireless devotion to these heavenly creatures, Akhal-Teke horses were bred and raised, which were praised as "heavenly horses" in the works of ancient Greek historians. Thanks to the enormous opportunities created by our Hero Arkadag and Respected President, today's breeders and horse breeders continue to create such a remarkable art as the Akhal-Teke horse, preserving its pure pedigree and perfecting it. The principles of horse breeding, which originated in ancient times, have been passed down from generation to generation over the centuries, and the glorious path of caring for the beautiful heritage that has become the pride of our people and determined its historical destiny continues.
Every cultural value that has been formed over the millennia is reflected in the national literature of our people. Our Akhal-Teke horses are one of our most outstanding national treasures. That is why, throughout all periods of Turkmen literature, the praise of our heavenly horses sounds loud and convincing. This can be seen in our vast folklore and rich classical literature. In this regard, our national leader Gahryman Arkadag writes in his book "The Akhal-Teke Horse – Our Pride and Glory": "The horse is everything to the Turkmen. This was true in the past and remains true today. Thousands of proverbs and sayings have been composed about it, and it has become the hero of all oral folk art."
Destans were composed in its honor, and Gyrogly-bek, known for his skillful riding and racing, loved his gyrat: "My trusted friend, my comrade, my companion in my difficult days!" "I will not call you an animal, I will call you a brother!" The great thinker and classic of the East, Makhtumkuli Fargi, also emphasizes the role of racehorses in the life of the Turkmen in his poems, praising their beauty, liveliness, and agility:
A young man who has earned a horse
needs a good steed.
Without a young man, there is neither weapon nor horse,
Know this, there is no bravery,
In the philosophical poetry of Makhtumkuli Fargi, imbued with deep educational significance, racehorses are always praised as examples of the best human qualities, as symbols of courage, humanity, nobility, and loyalty. Another of our classical poets, Gurbani Mahrupi, who lived in the 18th century, says in his epic poem "Dovletyar":
Indeed, people have long said:
A horse is a wonderful thing.
They say that a horse is a heavenly horse,
It is a lie that a horse is a horse,
saying this, they compare our horses to heavenly horses. In the works of outstanding representatives of 19th-century Turkmen literature, one can also find unique poems about the significance and value of our Akhal-Teke horses in the lives of Turkmen people. Our unique classical poet Annagylich Matadzhi:
At a wedding, hooves are useless, without wings,
Look, if you are not accompanied by a falcon or a dove,
I would give you to noble people without a hundred mai, without a hundred hundred nor,
If their load is not a horse or a mare,
If I gave you a horse with one soul, a horse worth a thousand tumens, he emphasizes that there is no set price for horses that are faster than birds. Indeed, in the life of the Turkmen, Akhal-Teke horses played an important role in all folk celebrations, weddings, and holidays, with horse races, equestrian games, and horse races being organized. All major events and holidays began with horse races over distances from 250 to 1000 meters.
In the era of the revival of the sovereign state, our national equestrian traditions, which date back thousands of years, continue. Every year, on the last Sunday of April, the National Day of the Turkmen People, Hero Arkadag, is celebrated with great pomp. The work begun by our national leader of the Turkmen people, Hero Arkadag, to increase the world fame of our Akhal-Teke horses and their widespread popularity is being successfully continued by our respected President, Hero Serdar Arkadagly. This truth is confirmed by the fact that the National Day of the Akhal-Teke Horse is celebrated annually at the state level with great joy, excitement, and pomp. In honor of our heavenly horses, new works of art and architecture are constantly being created in our homeland. In the recent history of our country, a giant statue of Akhan, who became our national pride and glorified the Turkmen people throughout the world, was erected in one of the most beautiful corners of the city of Arkadag. This is a sign of the high respect that the National Leader and Respected President show to our Akhal-Teke horses.
May our Hero Arkadag, our Hero Serdar Arkadag, who highly honor the national values of our people, be healthy and live long, and may their great deeds always be crowned with success.
Lachin Khalnepesova, Librarian of the Arkadag City Library named after Dovletmammad Azadi.