The Sacred Oath

I was an English teacher and Turkmenistan and before every class I heard the sacred oath chanted by students. Starting from the very lowest grades they new it by heart. It was kind of like the pledge of allegiance, only…

Turkmenistan,

My beloved motherland,

My beloved homeland,

You are always with me

In my thoughts and in my heart.

For the slightest evil against you

Let my hand be lost.

For the slightest slander about you

Let my tongue be lost.

At the moment of my betrayal

To my motherland,

To her sacred banner,

To Saparmurat Turkmenbashy the Great

Let my breath stop.

… it’s a little bit more grim than the pledge of allegiance.

Check out Joe and Azat for more about Turkmenistan.

And check out these photos of the pit of hell (one of Turkmenistan’s most bizarre tourist attractions) by John Bradley.