Even though he died in 2006 I am back on a bizarre Turkmenistan kick. Its capital looks like the architectural concepts of a 1960's World's Fair used to construct everything.
The Land of Batshit. This dude was fucking nuts. Saparmurat Niyazov
Here are the most noteworthy and hilarious things he did:
• Wrote a book in 2001 called the Ruhnama (The Book of the Soul). Made it mandatory in schools, governments, and mosques. He even made it part of the driving test.
Of course it was immortalized with a statue that would light up and play music at night:
• Built a 23 mile trail over a mountain called "the walk of health" he forced everyone to do once a year when he felt they were getting fat.
• Renamed months of year after himself and family.
• Renamed bread after his mom
• Built The Arch of Neutrality adorned with a rotating gold statue of himself that always faced the sun.
• This was built for weddings.
• Banned video games
• Banned black and dirty cars from capital
• Banned car radios
• Banned ballet and circuses
• Banned Artists lip syncing at live performances
• Banned makeup for people on TV
• Banned beards for men under 70.
• Banned dogs from the capital
• Banned smoking in capital
• Established "Ministry of Carpets" and "Carpet Day". Built carpet museum with worlds largest carpet. Put carpet on flag.
• Built giant thermometer and ice skating rink near desert so people in the desert could learn to ice skate.
And so much more...
So what you would you do, what would your marble covered world be like if you were this dude? I tried but my answers were not as authentically weird.