Akhal-Teke Golden Horse & Ashgabat Hippodrome Racecourse and Turkmenbashy 50 Manat Authentic Banknote for Jewelry and Collage

Akhal-Teke Golden Horse & Ashgabat Hippodrome Racecourse and Turkmenbashy 50 Manat Authentic Banknote for Jewelry and Collage

Reverse Ahal-Teke Golden Horse, and Ashgabat Hippodrome (racecourse)
Lettering: TÜRKMENISTANYŇ MERKEZI BANKY
XXI ASYR – TÜRKMENIŇ ALTYN ASYRY
ELLI MANAT
Translation: Central Bank of Turkmenistan.
The 21st century is the golden age of the Turkmen
Fifty Manat

Obverse: Former President and Dictator Saparmyrat Nyýazow (a.k.a "Türkmenbaşhy"), and State Emblem

Lettering: TÜRKMENISTANYŇ MERKEZI BANKY
ŞU BANKNOT TÖLEGLERIŇ ÄHLI
GÖRNÜŞLERI ÜÇIN ÝÖREÝÄR
ELLI MANAT
Translation: Central Bank of Turkmenistan,
This banknote is valid for all types of payments,
Fifty Manat

Watermark: Saparmyrat Nyýazow (Türkmenbaşhy)

Features
Issuer Turkmenistan
Issuing bank Central Bank of Turkmenistan
Period Republic (1991-date)
Type Standard banknote
Year 2005
Value 50 Manat (50 TMM)
Currency Manat (1993-2009)
Composition Paper
Size 156 × 78 mm
Shape Rectangular
Demonetized Yes
Number N# 204721
References P# 17

Wikipedia:
The Akhal-Teke (/ˌækəlˈtɛk/ or /ˌækəlˈtɛki/; from Turkmen Ahalteke, [axalˈteke]) is a Turkmen horse breed. They have a reputation for speed and endurance, intelligence, and a distinctive metallic sheen. The shiny coat of the breed led to their nickname, "Golden Horses". These horses are adapted to severe climatic conditions and are thought to be one of the oldest existing horse breeds. There are currently about 6,600 Akhal-Tekes in the world, mostly in Turkmenistan, although they are also found throughout Europe and North America. Akhal is the name of the line of oases along the north slope of the Kopet Dag mountains in Turkmenistan. It has been inhabited by the Tekke tribe of Turkmens.

There are several theories regarding the original ancestry of the Akhal-Teke, some dating back thousands of years. The Akhal Teke is probably a descendant of an older breed known as the Turkoman horse, and some claim it is the same breed. The tribes of Turkmenistan selectively bred the horses, recording their pedigrees orally and using them for raiding. The breed was used in the losing fight against the Russian Empire and was subsumed into the Empire along with its country. The Turkoman has influenced many other breeds, including modern warmbloods, and recent research confirms that Turkoman stallions made significant contributions to the development of the Thoroughbred. However, there also exists the possibility that all Akhal-Tekes today have a Thoroughbred sire line. The studbook was closed in 1932. The Soviet Union printed the first breed registry in 1941, including over 700 horses.

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A day at the races in horse-mad Turkmenistan
In a country where the president has declared himself ‘the people’s horse breeder’, equestrian events are a family affair. Eurasianet goes along for the ride

Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska for Eurasianet.org, part of the New East network
Sun 22 Nov 2015 04.00 EST

Each weekend crowds gather in the Turkmen capital’s opulent hippodrome to enjoy the nation’s favourite sport: horse-racing.

The venue is impressive. Completed in 2011 at a cost of $100m to showcase the country’s venerated breed, the Akhal-Teke, spectators must walk through an entrance adorned with a large portrait of strongman president Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov astride a horse.

The eccentric leader’s love for the animals has been widely trumpeted by state media. In April, the leader awarded himself the honorific title of “People’s Horse Breeder”, and he’s also the author of a popular tribute to the breed, Akhal-Teke: Our Pride and Glory.

Each Sunday afternoon the grandstand fills up fast. Horse-racing is an important family event in the country – an opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds to come together, a rare luxury in a country where few mass gatherings are permitted, unless they are being held in celebration of the state and its leaders.

The country is frequently ranked among the worst offenders in the world for abusing human rights, and although the freedom of peaceful assembly and association is enshrined in the constitution, the authoritarian government severely restricts the movement of its citizens.

But at the races, none of this is evident. Students wearing identical tracksuits dominate the front rows. The back seats are occupied by older viewers, nervously exchanging information about the jockeys. Girls in red dresses and twin braids, a hairstyle typically worn by unmarried young women, are also out in force.

Leaflets containing information about the riders circulate widely among the spectators and although gambling is prohibited, none of the young men in the stands make any secret of their betting, and the police officers standing watch pay little heed to the experienced betters calling out numbers, sums and names.

The Akhal-Teke is believed to be one of the oldest domesticated breeds of horse, whose name derives from the Akhal oasis – a former Turkmen fortress – and the Teke, one of the country’s five major tribes. For thousands of years the animals have been prized for their beauty, speed and stamina. Alexander the Great’s favourite horse – Bucephalus – was said to have been an Akhal-Teke.

When the horses move off from the track’s start line a hush descends over the crowd. Some observers start cheering passionately, egging on their favourites, while other gaze on in rapt attention.

Their muscular bodies topped by jockeys in bright, colourful jerseys are a majestic sight as they move over the 1,000m course. Once they cross the finish line, the tension eases, the winners collect their money, and the cycle of betting begins all over again.

In traditional Turkmen culture the Akhal-Teke are mentioned in countless songs and proverbs, and are thought to symbolise the country’s national spirit. When a horse dies it receives a formal funeral, and mistreating them is considered a sin.

Though the breed was driven to the verge of extinction amid Soviet-era collectivisation and a communist ban on private horse ownership, the horses are now enjoying a resurgence. Former president Saparmurat Niyazov – as the head of what was then the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic – permitted the resumption of private breeding in the 1980s, and there are thought to be some 6,000 Akhal-Tekes in the world today.

As the country gained its independence in 1991, the horse was raised to the status of a national symbol and was incorporated into the state coat of arms. In 2013, Berdymukhamedov said: “Our country is moving forward with the speed of an Akhal-Teke stallion and I call on you all to move forward and only forward.”

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/22/turkmenistan-horses-akhal-teke-breed-races

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Wikipedia:
Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov, 19 February 1940 – 21 December 2006), also known as Turkmenbashy (Turkmen: Türkmenbaşy), was a Turkmen politician who ruled Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006. He was First Secretary of the Turkmen Communist Party from 1985 until 1991 and supported the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt. He continued to rule Turkmenistan for 15 years after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Turkmen media referred to him using the title His "Excellency Saparmurat Turkmenbashy, President of Turkmenistan and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers". His self-given title Turkmenbashy, meaning Head of the Turkmen, referred to his position as the founder and president of the Association of Turkmens of the World. In 1999, the Assembly of Turkmenistan declared Niyazov President for Life of Turkmenistan.

In his time, he was one of the world's most totalitarian, despotic and repressive dictators. He promoted a cult of personality around himself and imposed his personal eccentricities upon the country, such as renaming Turkmen months and days of the week to references of his autobiography the Ruhnama. He made it mandatory to read the Ruhnama in schools, universities and governmental organizations, new governmental employees were tested on the book at job interviews and an exam on its teachings was a part of the driving test in Turkmenistan. In 2005, he closed down all rural libraries and hospitals outside of the capital city Ashgabat, in a country where at that time more than half the population lived in rural areas, once stating that, "If people are ill, they can come to Ashgabat." Under his rule, Turkmenistan had the lowest life expectancy in Central Asia. Global Witness, a London-based human rights organisation, reported that money under Niyazov's control and held overseas may be in excess of US$3 billion, of which between $1.8–$2.6 billion was allegedly situated in the Foreign Exchange Reserve Fund at Deutsche Bank in Germany.