List of Famous people born in Ahal Region, Turkmenistan

Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow is a Turkmen politician who has been serving as the president of Turkmenistan since February 2007. A dentist by profession, Berdimuhamedow served in the government under President Saparmurat Niyazov as Minister of Health beginning in 1997 and as Vice-President beginning in 2001. He became Acting President following Niyazov's death on 21 December 2006 and subsequently won the February 2007 presidential election. He faced no meaningful opposition in the vote and won by an overwhelming margin (89.23%). In the February 2012 presidential election, he was re-elected with 97% of the vote. In the February 2017 presidential election, he was re-elected to a third term with 97.69% of the votes.

Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov also known as Türkmenbaşy / Түркменбашы or Beýik Türkmenbaşy / Бейик Түркменбашы 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 Communist Party from 1985 until 1991 and supported the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt. He continued to rule Turkmenistan for 15 years after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.