BBC News:
Turkmenistan's authoritarian president Saparmurat Niyazov, who ruled the Central Asian country for 21 years, has died aged 66, state TV has reported.
Mr Niyazov, who named cities and airports after himself in a personality cult, left no designated successor.
Turkmenistan, which has large gas reserves, now faces an uncertain future with rival groups and outside powers scrambling for influence, analysts say.
Mr Niyazov died at 0110 local time (2010 GMT Wednesday) of a heart attack.
Last month, the president publicly acknowledged he had heart disease.
His funeral is set to take place on 24 December in the capital, Ashgabat.
Niyazov was an unbalanced tyrant. "His laws became increasingly personal," the BBC reports, "It was forbidden to listen to car radios or smoke in public, or for young men to wear beards." He also banned ballet and opera, suggested young people chew on bones for healthy teeth, and changed the turkmen word for bread and the name of the month of April to his late mother's name.
Niyazov's other accomplishments included:
-Declared the second sunday of August Turkmen Melon Day.
-Forbade jokes about turkmen.
-Created the Neutrality Arch, the tallest structure in the capital Asgabat. It's topped by a gold statue of Niyazov that rotates 360 degrees once every twenty-four hours, so as to always face the sun.
With the death of Saparmurat Niyazov, the world's craziest leader may now be Kim Jong Il.
Tags: news | politics | obits | Turkmenistan | Saparmurat Niyazov
