Locals have nicknamed the park's main monument "the Octopus" — for the unusual shape of its supporting legs. It is the tallest structure in the country: the base takes the form of a hemisphere symbolising a traditional Turkmen yurt, while the column is crowned with a golden spire bearing a crescent moon and five stars — a symbol of the unity of the Turkmen clans.
The park covers 140 hectares in the southern part of Ashgabat and provides the capital with half of the city's entire green space. The Independence Monument reaches a height of 118 metres, a figure chosen deliberately, as it carries a symbolic connection to the year the country gained its independence.
Around the monument stand statues of great rulers, military leaders, artists and thinkers of Turkmenistan, with a grand avenue leading directly to the foot of the column. Inside the base is a small museum dedicated to the history of the country's independence. This is Ashgabat's central public space — a place where people come to walk, take photographs, or simply enjoy the greenery amid the white marble of the capital.
