Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov (1940- 2006) was a Turkmen politician who served as the leader of Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006. He was First Secretary of the Turkmen Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov (1940- 2006) was a Turkmen politician who served as the leader of Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006. His self-given title Türkmenbaşy, meaning Head of the Turkmen, referred to his position as the founder and president of the Association of Turkmens of the World. In his time, he was one of the world's most totalitarian, despotic and repressive dictators.