Turkmenistan: The World's Strangest Dictatorship

Behind the white marble facades of Ashgabat lies one of the world’s most eccentric and brutal dictatorships. This documentary takes you inside Turkmenistan, a reclusive nation ruled by the absolute power of the Berdymukhamedov family, where bizarre mandates - from banning non-white cars to a national 11 PM curfew - clash with extreme poverty and mass unemployment. Explore the "City of the Dead," a capital of record-breaking gold monuments and megalomania, as we go undercover to expose the human rights abuses, systemic corruption, and ruthless suppression hidden behind the regime’s opulent propaganda. Directors: Ali Watani & Alexis Noé 00:00 Inside the World’s Most Secretive Dictatorship 00:11 The "White Car Only" Law: A City of Pure Marble 02:35 The 11 PM Curfew: Living in a Permanent Lockdown 04:58 Records of Megalomania: The World’s Largest Star and Horse 08:21 Meet the "Protector": A Dentist Turned Absolute Ruler 12:29 Public Humiliation: The Dictator Punishes His Own Ministers 16:47 The National Museum: A Gold-Plated Cult of Personality 21:12 $100,000 Horses: The President’s Obsession with Akhal-Teke 25:52 Behind the Mask: Decaying Soviet Ruins and Mass Poverty 30:56 Undercover Clash: Caught by the Regime's Fake "Blogger" 35:18 The Price of Dissent: Threats and Fear in Exile 42:54 The Gateway to Hell: A 50-Year Burning Gas Disaster 48:00 Secret Investments: Why the West Still Deals with Dictators 53:54 Arkadak: The New $5 Billion City Built for One Man