At the centre of Ashgabat is the enormous Independence Square, on which sits the golden-domed Palace of Turkmenbashi (the place of work of the former president), the Ministry of Fairness , the Ministry of Defence and the Ruhyyet Palace , all of which were built by the French corporation Bouygues Construction, the one time court builder to Niyazov. Behind this is the Majlis (Turkmenistan's parliament building).
Facing what used to be the central Ashbgabat location of the Arch of Neutrality, is the Earthquake Memorial , a bombastic bronze rendering of a bull and child (the baby Niyazov), under which lurks the Earthquake Museum , which is currently being renovated. Further down this long strip of parkland is the Soviet war memorial , a pleasingly subtle structure with an eternal flame at its centre. The strip ends with Magtymguly State University , the country’s leading educational institution.
