The glorious traditions of reverence for Akhal-Teke horses, recognized as an invaluable treasure of the nation, found expression in the motto of 2026 – “Independent, Neutral Turkmenistan – the Homeland of Purposeful Winged Horses.”
In the new historical phase of development of national fine art, there has clearly emerged a popular theme for the creative pursuits of the country’s artists. The Akhal-Teke steed occupies a central place in Turkmen fine art, serving as a national symbol of beauty, grace and grandeur. Nowadays, not only equestrian sports complexes and hippodromes but also streets, public squares, the facades of buildings in cities and villages, as well as museums are adorned with magnificent works dedicated to Akhal-Teke horses.
Indeed, it is difficult to find a more beautiful creature in the living nature, which is most likely why images of the horse have been known since the most ancient times. They are frequently found on artifacts of antiquity fashioned from gold, silver and bronze. Well-known monuments of the art of the Ancient East include reliefs that adorned royal chambers and narrated the deeds of legendary heroes who accomplished military feats on horseback.
The horse has been depicted by painters, sculptors and graphic artists on different continents, in different countries and different epochs. Great masters who left their mark on world art, as well as anonymous artists whose occupation lay in the craft of folk applied arts, turned to this image. Yet perhaps nowhere is the image of the horse as widespread as in Turkmen art, where the horse has always served as a standard of beauty and harmony. Even in ancient times, in popular creative perception, the image of the horse possessed a protective significance, occupied an important place in fertility magic and personified time, light and strength. In contemporary Turkmen art, the horse becomes a kind of national symbol of origins and roots, aspiration of the spirit capable of transcending space and time.
A fragment of a bronze sculpture from Margiana dating to the Bronze Age may be considered one of the most ancient depictions of the Akhal-Teke steed found on the territory of Turkmenistan. The image represents a fragment of a horse’s head. Even the conventional decorative techniques make it possible to discern characteristic features of the Akhal-Teke breed.
A unique wall painting discovered in the residence of the Parthian kings, depicting a multi-figure battle scene with mounted riders, once adorned one of the interiors of the structures of ancient Nisa (third century BC). The Nisaean frescoes reveal the remarkable mastery of an ancient artist who recreated the image of horses galloping at full speed and riders filled with tension and strength. A fragment of the wall painting from Nisa is currently on permanent display at the Museum of Fine Arts of Turkmenistan.
A magnificent artifact carved from bone, featuring a relief of a slender, aquiline-nosed horse, undoubtedly the Akhal-Teke one, is among the discoveries of the Turkmen–Polish expedition that worked at the Mele Heiran site (third to seventh centuries AD). This small bone relief was created by a true master of his craft. In the pensive countenance of the warrior returning from a difficult campaign, one senses hope for peaceful rest from martial labors, both for himself and for his beloved horse.
The Honoured Artist Sergei Beglyarov was one of the first Turkmen artists to paint Akhal-Teke horses. The works he created made a significant contribution to the development of national art. This is vividly demonstrated by the painting “The Equestrian Ride Across the Karakum Desert” (1937). The plot of the painting is based on the real events connected with the equestrian journey from Ashgabat to Moscow, which took place in 1935 with the participation of Turkmen steeds.
In one of the iconic canvases named “Village Horse Races” of 1954, another artist Igor Poyda conveyed the thrilling atmosphere of traditional festive races, in which Turkmen horsemen dash toward the finish line on swift Akhal-Teke horses. The author of the painting accurately captured both the sensation of rapid movement and the grace of the horses, as well as the atmosphere of admiration. The painting conveys the joy of everyday life and the deep love and interest of the people in horse racing.
Through millennia of its history, the Turkmen people have preserved the knowledge of breeding and raising horses. The cavalry of the last Seljuk ruler, Sultan Sanjar, took part in many of his campaigns, bringing him victories and the glory of a hero. The return to the homeland after one such campaign is depicted in the painting “The Entry of Sultan Sanjar into Merv” (1990) by the People’s Artist of Turkmenistan, talented painter Aman Amangeldiyev.
A prominent representative of Turkmen painting, Babageldi Ovganov, is a monumental artist whose works are grounded in the historical genre. His painting “The Solemn Reception of Toghrul Beg the Turkmen in Baghdad” is displayed at the exposition of the State Museum of Fine Arts of Turkmenistan. At the centre of the canvas is the triumphant moment of Toghrul Beg’s entry into the city on a white Akhal-Teke horse, accompanied by his retinue in the years 1055–1056. The painting is executed in light, joyful tones, and in the jubilation of the people one senses hope for a better future. The artist’s mastery is evident in the impeccable detailing. On the canvas come to life not only the finest patterns of historical costumes, but also the luxurious adornments of the horses, whose harnesses and decorative elements emphasize the solemnity of the moment.
The Akhal-Teke steed continues to remain a favoured subject in Turkmen fine art. The painting “The Pride of the Turkmen, Yanardag” (2002), which was presented to the Museum of Fine Arts on the day of its opening is one of the finest works by the People’s Artist of Turkmenistan Ishanguly Ishanguliyev. The famous Akhal-Teke is depicted against the backdrop of boundless sands, with a faint crescent visible above him. The artist skilfully recreated the image of the magnificent Yanardag, symbolizing the greatness and pride of the nation, for it is no coincidence that this Akhal-Teke steed is depicted on the State Emblem of Turkmenistan.
This theme also occupies a significant place in the works by the well-known artist and Honoured Cultural Figure Saparmammed Meredov. His painting “Turkmen Steeds” (2011) evokes joyful, bright and elevated feelings and aspirations in the viewer. By giving preference to restrained pastel tones, the artist masterfully conveyed the graceful movement of Akhal-Teke horses.
Art enthusiasts are well acquainted with the works by Vera Gyllyyeva and Vladimir Bagdasaryan dedicated to Akhal-Teke horses that have been successfully exhibited abroad. In their paintings, the artists place emphasis not so much on the physical strength of the unsurpassed Akhal-Teke steeds but on the poetic rendering of their extraordinarily expressive eyes and the graceful contours of their bodies. The smooth curve of the neck, sensitive ears, quivering nostrils and proud posture create the unique image of this remarkable creation of nature, the Akhal-Teke.
It is difficult to name a Turkmen artist who has not turned to the image of the Akhal-Teke in their works, and this is not merely a tribute to admiration of its beauty, but an expression of nationwide love passed down from generation to generation over many centuries and millennia. It is precisely with the majestic gait of the steed that the Turkmens associate the people’s entry into a new era and their aspiration toward new horizons of creativity and creation.
The canvas “In the Foothills of the Kopetdag” by the People’s Artist of Turkmenistan, Yarly Bayramov, depicts saddled Akhal-Teke horses against the backdrop of blue sky and the verdant mountains of the Kopetdag, in a field strewn with poppies. The white steed at the centre stands apart from the others, proudly stepping forward. Yarly Bayramov reproduces with great mastery bright sunrays and humid air of a spring day. The painter succeeded in accurately recreating the restrained image of Seyitnazar Seydi, the great poet and warrior. Yarly Bayramov’s artistic approach presents a fully articulated image of the courageous and resolute character of the fearless leader, who must inevitably be accompanied by his faithful horse, the swift-footed Akhal-Teke.
The museum’s storage collections contain many interesting works dedicated to Akhal-Teke horses. The enduring significance of this theme for Turkmen fine art as a whole is evidenced by the fact that Turkmenistan regularly holds an art contest for the best embodiment of the image of the Akhal-Teke in fine, decorative and applied arts, marking the annual Day of Turkmen Horse. Hundreds of splendid works compete at the contest, in which the authors find unexpected interpretations of the eternal subject and new reasons to admire the living miracle of nature –the horses of the Akhal-Teke breed.