Niyazov was born on 19 February 1940 in Gypjak ( or Kipchak ) , just outside Ashgabat in the Turkmen SSR . He was a member of the influential Tekke tribe . According to the official version of his biography , his father Atamyrat Niyazov died in World War II fighting against Nazi Germany , while other sources contend that he dodged fighting and was therefore sentenced by a military court . The other members of his family were killed in the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake that caused extreme damage and a high number of casualties in the city . His mother Gurbansoltan Eje was part of the cult of personality later . He grew up in a Soviet orphanage before the state put him in the custody of a distant relative
1948 Ashgabat earthquake
1948 Ashgabat earthquake
Saparmurat Niyazov