According to information from turkmen.news, the building has already been almost completely destroyed. Workers are engaged in dismantling the walls and clearing the area using construction equipment, and the site is fenced off. There are reports that the foundation may have begun to settle.
Initially, the building, located at the corner of Lenin Avenue (later Saparmurat Turkmenbashi Avenue) and Engels Street (Azadi), was used as a court. The exact date of its construction is not established. Engels/Lenin Avenue is an important artery of Ashgabat, where buildings were designed with special attention both in the post-war period and in the era of independence. In the Soviet era, until the 1950s, neoclassical architecture dominated with elements of national design, and then modernism became popular.
The first president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, decided to dedicate this building to Turkmen cultural heritage and his book "Rukhnama". The reconstruction was carried out by Turkish companies under the guidance of Polimeks, during which the original neoclassical style was preserved, a third floor with a characteristic dome was added, and exhibition and conference halls were organized inside. The facades were clad in white marble, requiring 12,000 square meters of material.
The Center for Cultural Heritage (Medeni Miras Merkezi) opened here in 2002, and later, after the restoration of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan, it was replaced by the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography. In 2019, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov merged it with the Institute of History, resulting in the new Institute of History and Archaeology, which is now located at 18 Saparmurat Turkmenbashi Avenue, just 100 meters from the demolished building.
The foundation of the old structure may not have been able to withstand the additional load from the new floor and heavy marble finishing. At the same time, it is possible that the central part of the city, located just three blocks from the presidential palace, may be of interest to someone. Local authorities do not inform the public about their intentions. It is unknown what will be built on the site of the institute.
It is worth noting that just three weeks ago, the "Daihan" hotel (formerly known as "Kolhozchi") was demolished in Ashgabat. Over the past few years, hotel guests complained about interruptions in water supply and electricity caused by infrastructure wear. Nevertheless, many residents of the capital appreciated the architectural elements of the building, such as columns and balconies, perceiving it as a symbol of the era and continuity of time.
