Production

Niyazov apparently received a prophetic vision where Turkmen ancestors of eminence urged him to lead Turkmens to the "golden path of life".^[2] The first version was released in the 1990s but soon withdrawn because it did not fulfill Niyazov's expectations.^[3] Preparations for the revised book were underway as early as April 1999, when Niyazov declared that Mukkadesh Ruhnama would be the second landmark text of Turkmens, after the Quran.^[2][4]

The first volume was finally published in December 2001.^[5][6] On 18 February 2001, it was accepted at the 10th joint meeting of the State Assembly of Elders of Turkmenistan, and National Assembly.^[7] In September 2004, Niyazov issued a second volume.^{[2][8][lower-alpha 2]} An edited volume on the Ruhnama, published a year later, quotes his overall purpose to have lain in highlighting the nation's significant contributions to fields of art and science.^[10]

Victoria Clement and Riccardo Nicolosi suspect that the work was ghost-written.^[6][9]

Volume 1

Stories and proverbs are borrowed from existing Turkmen epics – Oğuzname, Book of Dede Korkut, and Epic of Koroghlu – in preaching of morals and promotion of a model code of conduct.^[2] These are often supplemented with Niyazov's explanatory annotations.^{[2][lower-alpha 3]} Virtues like generosity, unity, humility, hospitality, patience, honesty, defence of fatherland, protection of female dignity, and caring for horses (something that is placed into utmost importance by Niyazov's successor) are emphasised upon.^[2] Some of his own poems singing paeans of the Turkmen are present, too.^[2]

The Shajara-i Tarākima (unattributed) and writings of Ahmad ibn Fadlan are relied upon for a reconstruction of national history.^[14] Some seventy states are alleged to have been established by them – the Anau culture, Parthian Empire, Achaemenid Empire, Seljuk Empire, and Ottoman Empire among others – till the eighteenth century; this entire span was simultaneously periodised into four epic-epochs.^{[2][14][lower-alpha 4]} Distinct since the inception of humans,^{[lower-alpha 5]} the Turkmen were the same as the Turks and descended from the venerable Noah via Oghuz Khagan, who had set up the first polity c. 5000 years ago.^{[2][14][15][lower-alpha 6][lower-alpha 7]} Warfare was apparently rare, and the state always preferred peace. Despite vague references to achaeo-historical evidence to support this range of pioneer assertions, there is a total lack of source materials, as understood in an academic sense.^[2]

The Persian sphere of influence on Turkmen polity across medieval era was neatly purged; though, Zoroaster was appropriated as a Turkmen hero who had advised people to not abide by Mazdak's path of fire-worship.^[14] Both 18th and 19th century – integral to the foundation of modern Turkmenistan – are skipped except for the mention of Magtymguly Pyragy and the Battle of Geok Tepe.^[2][3][15] Soviet Turkmenistan is described in a single page, where it is blamed for colonisation.^[16][17] The narrative resumes with Niyazov ushering in independence of the state. Several of his specific policies find a mention.^[2]

Niyazov's life is described to great details throughout the text – loss of parents in childhood, attachment to land, and his patriotic zeal for attaining sovereignty from Soviet imperialism. These descriptions form an embedded strata of the volume.^[2]

Volume 2

Drafted with explicit parallels to the Quran, this volume asked that the Ruhnama be recited as regular prayer after purifying oneself; it was also to never lie in an improper place.^[2]

Thematically, the volume is concerned with morals and ethics. A total of 21 chapters deal with optimum manners and decorum for different situations and target audience.^[2] Niyazov's own narration gains a position of authority; he does not always seek support from the epics to support his positions.^[2][9]

Niyazov

Niccolosi notes Ruhnama to have transformed Turkmenistan into an "epideictic space", which was in "permanent, unanimous exultation of the person of Niyazov".^[9] Bouma found the Ruhnama to rebirth Turkmenistan under Niyazov's responsible leadership.^[2] The most significant component of ideological propaganda during the later phase of Niyazov's personality cult, the text was a marker of politico-cultural literacy and key to survival in post-Soviet Turkmenistan.^{[18][2][19][20][21][22][6]} Niyazov claimed those who read it thrice were destined for heaven.^{[3][11][23][24][lower-alpha 8]}

After the publication of the second volume, Niyazov had mosques and churches display the Ruhnama as prominently as the Quran and Bible, and cite its passages during sermons.^[2][3][19] The Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Mosque, which was commissioned in 2002 at his birthplace, is the largest mosque in Central Asia and features engravings from the Ruhnama as well as the Quran across its wall and minarets.^{[2][9][26][lower-alpha 9]} A twenty foot tall neon Ruhnama was erected at an Ashgabat park in 2003.^{[27][19][lower-alpha 10]} A mural of Niyazov drafting the Ruhnama has been put in place, too.^[28] In August 2005, the first volume was launched into orbit so that it could "conquer space".^[29]

A photo-journalistic essay in 2006 noted the nation to be filled with advertisements of Ruhnama – each at a cost of two dollars.^[30][6] Government offices featured the Ruhnama prominently on their desk (often devoting a separate room), and state media regularly broadcast their content, with religious reverence.^{[19][18][31][6][lower-alpha 11]} Official ceremonies featured hundreds of Turkmens singing from the book.^[32] 12 September was declared a national holiday.^[3]

Berdimuhamedow

In his early days, Ruhnama was led away from its earlier spot-of-prominence though it continued to be a part of educational curricula.^[2][41] In Spring of 2007, official references to Ruhnama were trimmed and around 2009-10, television broadcasts of Ruhnama stopped.^[41] Scholars have noted these incremental changes to fit Berdimuhamedow's posturing as a would-be harbinger of Turkmen renaissance, which necessitated partial critique of his predecessor's tenure.^[2][41]

In 2011, the requirement to pass a secondary-school examination on the Ruhnama was rescinded.^[42] And in 2014, it was finally declared that Turkmen universities would no longer test applicants on their knowledge of the book, in what Slavomir Horak interpreted as the total purge of Ruhnama from Turkmen educational curricula.^[43][44]

It has been noted that books written by Berdimuhamedow, Niyazov's successor, had begun to be included in coursework following his inauguration as leader. Luca Anceschi, an expert on the region and University of Glasgow professor, saw this as a transfer of Niyazov's cult of personality to Berdimuhamedow.^[42][45]