Locals call it "the Tripod" — for its three massive legs splaying outward at an angle. On 12 December 1995, Turkmenistan officially became the first country in the world to hold the status of permanent neutrality, formalised through a resolution of the UN General Assembly, and the monument was built to mark exactly this event.
Construction began in 1996, and the monument was originally known as the Arch of Neutrality, standing 75 metres tall right in the centre of Ashgabat. Between 2010 and 2011 the structure was relocated to the southern outskirts of the capital and made even taller. Today it reaches a height of 95 metres. Crowning the construction is a 12-metre golden statue fitted with a rotating mechanism — its face always turned toward the sun.
Inside are three exhibition halls showcasing the country's achievements, with two observation decks connected by a panoramic lift. Five bronze cylinders on the structure symbolise the five Turkmen tribes, and from the top, a panorama unfolds over the white marble city of Ashgabat, set against the backdrop of the Köpetdag Mountains.
