On December 1, 2025, the Central Bank of Turkmenistan issued four new polymer banknotes in the denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 200 manats in honor of the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's obtaining the status of permanent neutrality.
The denominations of 200 manats is new for the country. Each banknote contains a logo featuring an outline map of Turkmenistan on a globe with the flags of Turkmenistan and the United Nations separated by a tree above a dove in flight, surrounded by the motto HALKARA PARAHATÇYLYK WE YNANYŞMAK ÝYLY (The International Year of Peace and Trust).
The main distinguishing characteristics of the banknotes are their low likelihood of being counterfeited and their high resistance to external factors such as contamination, wear and damage. The colors and designs of the 1-, 5-, and 10-manat banknotes have been generally preserved to match the paper banknotes currently in circulation.
The 1-manat banknote features Toğrul Beg Türkmen (ca. 990 - 1063) on the front and the Türkmenbaşy International Seaport on the reverse. Toğrul Beg was the second ruler of the Seljuk dynasty. Tuğrul united the Turkomen warriors of the Great Eurasian Steppes into a confederacy of tribes, who traced their ancestry to a single ancestor named Seljuk, and led them in conquest of eastern Iran. He would later establish the Seljuk Sultanate after conquering Persia and retaking the Abbasid Capital of Baghdad from the Buyid Dynasty in 1055. Tuğrul relegated the Abbassid Caliphs to state figureheads and took command of the caliphate's armies in military offensives against the Byzantine Empire and the Fatimid Caliphate in an effort to expand his empire's borders and unite the Islamic world.
The 5-manat banknote features Soltan Sansar Türkmen (1086 - 1157) on the front and the Independence Monument and Neutrality Arch in Ashgabat on the reverse. Soltan Sansar Türkmen was a Seljuk prince of Khorāsān from c. 1096 to 1157, whose fame almost eclipses that of the Great Seljuks because of the length of his reign, his power and victories in its first half, his disasters in the second, and the fact that he was the last real Seljuk sultan in Iran.
The 10-manat banknote features Magtymguly Pyragy (1724-1807) on the front and the Turkmenistan Central Bank headquarters building on the reverse. Magtymguly Pyragy was an Iranian-Turkmen spiritual leader, philosophical poet, Sufi and traveler, who is considered the most famous figure in Turkmen literary history. He is credited with the creation of the Turkmen written literature, and whose literary form became a powerful symbol of the historical and the incipient national consciousness of the Turkmen people. He is part of a unique period in the cultural history of Central Asia, with his exceptional talent projecting his personal poetic synthesis onto the next generation of poets of the region.
The obverse of the new 200-manat banknote depicts the Arkadag Monument in Ashgabat. The height of the monument is 21 meters, out of which 15 meters is marble pedestal. The monument is made of bronze and covered in 24-carat gold leaf. The head of the country is depicted in traditional Turkmen clothing with hand raised high on an Akhaltek horse. Part of the sculpture is a dove that symbolizes an aspiration for peace. The reverse of the banknote shows the administrative building of the city of Arkadag city hyakimlik (a form of local government or administration in Turkmenistan).
Security features include transparent windows on the lower denominations and on all denominations, tactile marks for the visually impaired as well as registration devices using the denomination numerals. On the 200-manat banknote, an optical security stripe is visible on both sides, allowing dual-sided authentication. At the top of the stripe, the SPOTLIGHT® feature displays two stars that float in opposite directions when tilted. The center of the stripe highlights the Arkadag Monument, surrounded by dynamic PUREIMAGE™ animated color effects. At the bottom, the crescent and stars exhibit an achromatic color shift between silver and black when moved, delivering a visually captivating and highly secure experience.
The banknotes were designed and printed by De La Rue on its Safeguard® polymer substrate.
All Central Bank banknotes of the 2009, 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2020 series will continue to remain legal tender within Turkmenistan.
Donald Ludwig, December 2, 2025
