Turkmenistan introduces a national holiday dedicated to the Alabai, one of the world's largest dogs

The national holiday was marked for the first time on April 25

Musicians perform during celebrations for the national Turkmen Horse Day and the Turkmen Shepherd Dog Day near Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Reuters

Turkmenistan's Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Berdymukhamedov, son of President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, takes part in celebrations for the national Turkmen Horse Day and the Turkmen Shepherd Dog Day, near Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Reuters

A man dressed in a national costume runs with his border guard shepherd dog Alabai during the dog day celebration in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan has celebrated its new state holiday honouring the native dog breed. AP Photo

A man dressed in a national costume, centre, pets his border guard shepherd dog. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov established the holiday to be observed on the same day that Turkmenistan lauds its Akhla-Teke horse, a breed known for its speed and endurance. AP Photo

President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has written a book about the Alabai, Turkmenistan's national dog breed. AP Photo

Turkmenistan's Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Berdymukhamedov, son of President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, holds a puppy of a Turkmen shepherd dog, locally known as Alabai. Reuters

Spectators are seen in the stands during celebrations for the national Turkmen Horse Day and the Turkmen Shepherd Dog Day near Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Reuters

A decoration depicting a Turkmen shepherd dog is seen on a fence. Reuters

A handler pets a Turkmen shepherd dog. Reuters

Turkmenistan marked a new holiday on Sunday dedicated to its national Alabai dog breed, to which its longtime leader has already erected a gilded monument and written an ode.

The new holiday is on the same day as a festival celebrating the Akhal-Teke horse breed, which Turkmenistan also considers part of its national heritage.

The Alabai day included a contest to find the best of the large shepherd dogs. President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who has run the isolated desert nation of six million since 2007, awarded the top prize for courage to a border guard service dog.

The president's son, deputy prime minister Serdar Berdymukhamedov, presented the award, which included a medal for the dog and a car for its handler.

The authorities also organised a race for Akhal-Teke purebreds, horses known for their elegant stature and metallic sheen.

Dogs and horses are sources of national pride in the former Soviet republic bordering Afghanistan, as there they are widely used by many traditional herders.

Last year, the government erected a gilded Alabai statue on a busy traffic circle in the capital, Ashgabat. Another street junction features a statue, also coated in gold, of President Berdymukhamedov himself, seated on a horse.

The president also wrote a 272-page book (one of more than 50 he has authored during his reign) in 2019 called Turkmen Alabay about the dog breed, exploring its historical and spiritual connections to his country. The tome also includes drawings of traditional Turkmen life, as well as images of Alabai in nature and with the president himself.

In 2017, he also famously gifted an Alabai puppy to Russian president Vladimir Putin.