Annagul Annamyradovna Annaguliyeva (Turkmen: link=no|Annagül Annamyradowna Annagulyýewa; Russian: links=no|Аннагуль Аннамуратовна Аннакулиева|Annagul' Annamuratovna Annakuliyeva; also written as Annagul Annamuratovna Annakuliyeva; 31 December 1924 – 18 July 2009) was a Turkmen soprano opera singer and film actress.[1] Annakuliyeva was the first internationally known opera singer to emerge from Turkmenistan.[1]
Annakuliyeva first began singing at the Turkmen Opera and Ballet Theater in Ashkhabad, Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union in 1941.[1] She starred as the lead role in the opera, Zohre and Tahyr, at the theater.[1]
Annakuliyeva performed throughout the Soviet Union during her theater and opera career.[1] She also appeared in a number of Soviet films, some of which were directed by her husband, director Alty Garliyev.[1] Annakuliyeva was named a People's Artist of the USSR by the Soviet government in recognition of her professional accomplishments in the arts, especially opera.[1]
The President of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Niyazov officially banned opera in the country in 2001.[1] However, Niyazov's successor, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, lifted the ban in 2008, making opera legal in Turkmenistan again.[1]
Annagul Annakuliyeva died on 18 July 2009, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, at the age of 84 after a long illness.[1]