500 Manat Ak Bugdai, round

Ak Bugdai — "white wheat" — was one of the prestige agricultural programs championed by President Saparmurat Niyazov, whose cult of personality extended to renaming months of the year after himself and his mother. The 2004 silver issues were part of a broader commemorative series produced under his government, largely for collector export rather than domestic circulation, as Turkmenistan's economy remained heavily state-controlled and coin use was limited.

Niyazov died in December 2006. Most pieces from this series never approached Turkmen hands.