500 Manat 1995, Turkmenistan
| in Krause book | Number: 7b |
| Years of issue: | 1995 |
| Edition: | |
| Signatures: | Chairman of the Central Bank of Turkmenistan: Orazow Hudaýberdy Artykowiç (1993 - 2000) |
| Serie: | 1993 Issue |
| Specimen of: | 1993 |
| Material: | Cotton fiber |
| Size (mm): | 156 x 76 |
| Printer: | TDLR (Thomas de la Rue & Company), London |
* All pictures marked 
are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.
** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.
Description
Watermark:
Akhal-Teke horse.
Depiction of former President Saparmurat Niyazov's pet, Akhal-Teke horse, Yanardag, a source of pride for the Turkmen people and the national emblem.
The Akhal-Teke is a horse breed from Turkmenistan, where they are a national emblem. They have a reputation for speed and endurance, intelligence, and a distinctive metallic sheen. The shiny coat of palominos and buckskins 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 and Russia, although they are also found throughout Europe and North America.
There are several theories regarding the original ancestry of the Akhal-Teke, some dating back thousands of years. 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 Akhal-Teke has influenced many other breeds, including several Russian breeds. There has been extensive crossbreeding with the Thoroughbred to create a fast, long-distance racehorse and as a result all Akhal-Tekes have a Thoroughbred ancestor. The studbook was closed in 1932. The Russians printed the first stud book for the breed in 1941, including over 700 horses. 
Avers:
The engraving on banknote is based, presumably, after this photo of former Turkmen president Niyazov.
Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov (Saparmurat Atayewiç Nyýazow, 19 February 1940 - 21 December 2006) was a Turkmen politician who served as the leader of Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006. He was First Secretary of the Turkmen Communist Party from 1985 until 1991 and continued to lead Turkmenistan for 15 years after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Ashgabat. The Turkmen Opera and Ballet Theater.
The Turkmen Opera and Ballet Theater is the state opera and ballet theater in Ashgabat, founded in 1941. Since 1956, it has been named after the Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly. It was located at the crossroads of Engels (Azadi) and Karl Liebhnet streets, near the Russian Bazaar.
In 2001, it was liquidated on the initiative of the President of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Niyazov, the building was demolished. Instead, the Magtymguly National Music and Drama Theater was created.
Revers:
The central part of the state emblem is depicted on the banknote.
The State Emblem of Turkmenistan was created after Turkmenistan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The eight-point green starburst (known as the Rub El Hizb), a symbol of Islam, to which a majority of Turkmen profess) with golden edges features in its center a red circular disc which carries sheaves of wheat, five carpet guls, and centered upon that a smaller blue circle with a lifelike (rather than heraldized) depiction of former President Saparmurat Niyazov's pet Akhal-Teke horse Yanardag, a source of pride for the Turkmen people. A round variant of the emblem was used from 1992 until 2003.
The five traditional carpet motifs on the red disc represent the five major tribes or houses, and stand for the traditional and religious values of the country. These Turkmen tribes in traditional order are Teke (Tekke), Yomut (Yomud), Arsary (Ersary), Chowdur (Choudur), and Saryk (Saryq). The Salyr (Salor), a tribe that declined as a result of military defeat before the modern period, are not represented, nor are several smaller tribes or subtribes.
The green and red colors appear in this shield because they have been venerated historically by the Turkmen. The central elements are surrounded by sheaves of wheat that allude to the custom to welcome to guests with salt and bread. Atop the wheat and the red circle appear a waxing crescent moon of white, typical of Turkic symbology, and five five-pointed stars also of white. The waxing crescent moon symbolizes the hope of the country for a shining future and the stars represent the five provinces (Welayatlar) of Turkmenistan-Ahal, Balkan, Dashhowuz, Lebap, and Mary. Most of the elements of the coat of arms are present in the national flag.
Tyurabek-Khanym Mausoleum (also: Torebeg-Khanym Mausoleum; Turkm. Törebeg hanym kümmeti) is a medieval mausoleum located on the territory of the Kunya-Urgench National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve in Kunya-Urgench, Turkmenistan. The mausoleum was built in honor of Tyurabek-khanym, who was the daughter of the Golden Horde Khan Uzbek Khan and the wife of his Khorezm governor from the Kungrat clan Kutlug-Timur, who later became the burial place of the Sufi dynasty - the Kungrats (1359-1388).
Tyurabek-khanym is a real historical figure, the daughter of the ruler of the Golden Horde - Uzbek Khan and the wife of his governor in Khorezm Kutlug-Timur. Tyurabek-khanym was the patroness of women. Over time, she was canonized and declared a saint. She died young and, at the behest of the inconsolable ruler, a palace worthy of her charm was built over her grave by the best masters of Khorezm. The mausoleum is the tomb of the Sufi dynasty and was built in the XIV century.
The inner side of the dome is covered with a mosaic panel of the finest work with an ornament of stars and flowers. The panel is a masterpiece of Khorezmian art, which has no analogues in all medieval architecture. A blue glazed tent towered above the building on a high drum with twelve openings. Tyurabek-Khanym Mausoleum marks a new architectural style of the Middle East, which later became the basis for the construction of buildings in Maverannahr under Tamerlane and the Timurids.
Today the mausoleum is a local landmark visited by many tourists.
The Kutlug-Timur minaret (Turkm. Gutlug Temiriň minarasy) is a minaret of the XIV century, located in the north of Turkmenistan, on the territory of the ancient settlement, which is part of the city of Kunya-Urgench in the Dashoguz velayat.
In the XIII-XIV centuries. the northern part of modern Turkmenistan was part of the Golden Horde. The minaret was built in 1320-1330 by Kutlug-Timur, governor of the Golden Rodyn Khan, from the Kungrat clan. According to some information, Kutlug-Timur only rebuilt or increased the height of the minaret, which existed earlier, and which was built in 1011, during the reign of the State of Khorezmshahs.
The height of the minaret reaches 60 meters, according to other sources - 62 meters, and is the highest minaret and architectural monument in all of Central Asia. For comparison, the height of the second highest minaret in the region - the Islam-Khoja minaret in Khiva is 56.6 meters, and the third highest is the minaret of the Khast-Imam mosque in Tashkent, reaching 53 meters.
The minaret of Kutlug-Timur, along with other architectural, archaeological, religious and cultural sites of the city of Kunya-Urgench, is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Turkmenistan under the name "Kunya-Urgench".
It is located on the territory of the Kunya-Urgench National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve. Near the minaret is the ancient mausoleum of Sultan-Tekesh. During the construction of this minaret, Kutlug-Timur was the ruler of Kunya-Urgench and its environs.
The minaret is built of ceramic bricks. The diameter at the base is 12 meters, at the very top - about two meters, inside there is a spiral staircase with 145 steps. The architecture of the minaret is a vivid example of the school of Khorezm master architects. Some inclination of the minaret is especially noticeable in its upper part. It is assumed that the reason for this was earthquakes or a fire that caused uneven heating of the masonry. The minaret has preserved inscriptions in Kufic Arabic script, on which the name of Kutlug-Timur, as well as the name of Uzbek Khan, the Khan of the Golden Horde in 1313-1341, are written. This is probably due to the fact that Kutlug Timur was a cousin in the female line of the Khan of the Golden Horde, Uzbek Khan.
In ancient times, a mosque was adjacent to the minaret, and the entrance to the minaret was inside the mosque. This minaret belongs to a group of about 60 minarets and towers built between the 11th and 14th centuries in Central Asia, Iran and Afghanistan. A striking example of the similarity and time of construction can be considered the Jam minaret on the territory of present-day Afghanistan.
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