The Altyn Asyr Shopping Centre , the curious pyramidical shopping centre at the northern end of Independence Park, is reputedly the biggest fountain in the world. Inside it’s rather less than impressive – an all but empty two-floor shopping centre, although there’s a restaurant on the 6th floor, and it's possible to take the lift up there for great city views.
The Monument to the Independence of Turkmenistan , known universally to the foreign community as ‘the plunger’ (for reasons obvious as soon as you see it), is another monument in the same park. This is a popular spot for wedding groups to take photographs with a golden statue of Turkmenbashi. Nearby is a trippy giant copy of Niyazov's once ubiquitous Ruhnama ('book of the soul').
