[1/2] People attend the opening ceremony for the new city of Arkadag, dedicated to the country's former president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, in Arkadag, Turkmenistan June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Marat GurtARKADAG, Turkmenistan, June 29 (Reuters) - Turkmenistan opened a new, futuristic "smart" city on Thursday dedicated to its former president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov. Only electric vehicles are allowed in the city, which features monuments dedicated to a horse of the Turkmen Akhal Teke breed and to Berdymukhamedov himself, and was built close to his native village in southern Turkmenistan. His son, President Serdar Berdymukhamedov, 41, oversaw the opening ceremony attended by foreign officials. He passed the leadership to his son but retains many powers as the chairman of the People's Council.

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Persons: Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Marat Gurt ARKADAG, Berdymukhamedov, Serdar Berdymukhamedov, Tayyip Erdogan, Marat Gurt, Olzhas Auyezov, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, People's Council, Thomson Locations: Arkadag, Turkmenistan, Mecca