500 Manat Emblem of Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan's early commemorative silver program was driven almost entirely by the personality cult surrounding Saparmurat Niyazov — self-styled "Türkmenbaşy," father of all Turkmens — who ruled by personal decree following independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The 2001 issues appeared as the country was deepening its policy of permanent neutrality, formally recognized by the UN in 1995, while Niyazov was simultaneously renaming months of the calendar after himself and his mother.

KM#42 was struck by a foreign mint on contract, as Turkmenistan had no domestic minting facility capable of producing .925 silver commemoratives to international standards.