The war ended, the veterans returned to their homeland and it was as if a bright light had been ignited in the hearts of the people. But, it was not to last. God once more tested the Türkmen province. On the night of 6^th October 1948 Aşgabat was devastated by an earthquake which left our beautiful city in ruins. In one night, out of a population of 198,000 people in our capital city, 176,000 were martyred, the majority of the rest were injured or disabled. Our family also suffered in that disaster. When we went to our beds, there were four of us. My dear 33 year-old mother, my 10 year-old elder brother Nyýazmyrat, and my 6 year-old younger brother Muhammetmyrat all were martyred that night. The next day, when I broke down and wept over the ruined house, although I had not yet completed 8 years old, I knew I was alone. In this way, I sat through 6 lonely days and nights. On the seventh day, they came and carried away my dead mother and dear brothers to bury them in Ymam Kasym graveyard.   

In those six days, I had understood that this was the end of my childhood. My tears dried up for ever. The last time I looked upon my dear family and the places where they lay under the ruins, in their presence I vowed to myself silently:

 “My Dears, your spirits and that of my dear father will live in my heart for ever. They will lend me effort and power to achieve my aims and on your behalf I will realize your purposes and the dreams which you were not able to live out. May Allah help me!

I have borne many difficulties throughout my life. I grew up feeling the absence of my father, who struggled and died for the sake of the homeland; I have always felt honoured by the name of my father. A sudden and terrible earthquake destroyed our home and separated me from my brothers, who were like my eyes, and my mother, who was my guide in life. Just as Görogly came into the light of this world from the grave, I also came to this world from the ruins.

When I see my father’s contemporaries, I remember my father and live the feeling of captivity; when I see the contemporaries of my mother, I remember my mother and live the feeling of orphanhood. I have lived the meaning of the saying, “Captive without father and orphan without mother,” and known Allah, the Supreme, as my sole protector.