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Dushanbe is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. The city area has been inhabited since the centuries BC, and for centuries there was a market place here. The town is mentioned for the first time in 1676, and it was a small town on the area’s trade routes. Therefore, there was a caravanserai in the city, which also had several mosques, teahouses, etc.
During the Russian conquest of Central Asia in the 1800s, however, Dushanbe was still a small town, and development did not really begin until the Soviet Union. The last emir of Bukhara had fled from the new regime, and he established his residence in Dushanbe in 1920. Thus Dushanbe became the capital of the Emirate of Bukhara for a short period.
A few months after the emir’s arrival, however, the Bolsheviks also established themselves in Dushanbe, and after a period of counter-rebellion, the autonomous Tajik Soviet Republic under Uzbekistan could be founded in 1922 with Dushanbe as its capital. The population had dropped considerably, and in 1924 fewer than 300 people lived in the town.
In 1929, Tajikistan became an independent Soviet republic, and in the same year, Dushanbe changed its name to Stalinabad, after the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin. After this, Stalinabad was rapidly expanded, and in 1950 the city had 145,000 inhabitants. Already from the beginning of the Soviet era, telephone and telegraph had been established in Dushanbe, from where the railway to Termez was built from 1926, opening in 1929.
The Soviet regime turned Stalinabad into an industrial city with, among other things, cotton and silk production, and many new inhabitants moved to the city all the time. In the 1940s, several industries were evacuated to Stalinabad to secure them far from the battles of the Second World War, and after the war there were e.g. founded a university in the city.
In 1961, Stalinabad got its old name back, and in 1979, Dushanbe reached 500,000 inhabitants. After unrest in 1990, Tajikistan declared independence in 1991, and Dushanbe remained the capital of the new republic, which throughout the 1990s was ravaged by a civil war and an exodus of Russian residents of the capital.
In recent decades, Dushanbe has been characterized by enormous construction activity, which has transformed the center of the relatively young capital. Large parks and facilities, impressive monuments and a large number of modern neoclassical buildings have been erected, and in the same process many of the city’s beautiful Soviet buildings from the 1930s and 1940s, which were also a period of many constructions, have been demolished.
Rudaki Park is a large park located as part of central Dushanbe. The park is named after the poet Rudaki, who is considered the first known poet to write in the modern Persian language. Rudaki lived in the 8th-9th centuries and was born in an area that is part of western Tajikistan today. In the center of the park’s beautifully landscaped east-west axis, you can see a statue of Rudaki in particular.
There are many nice green facilities in Rudaki Park, and you can enjoy the large park’s many walking paths and benches as a walk in the green, and there are also a number of fountains, buildings and monuments that you can see along the way. While the Rudaki monument stands along the east-west axis, you can see the Nation’s Palace/កាាាាា as the western fixed point of the axis. The palace is the official residence of the President of Tajikistan.
In the southeastern part of Rudaki Park is the Ismail Samani Monument/Мујассамай Исмоили Сомоний, which is a large monument to Ismail Samani, who was the emir of Transoxania from 892 to 907. In the time of Ismail Samani, the Samani Empire was a power factor in the region, and immediately west of the large monument you can see a map of the kingdom as part of the paving. From the map, there are large fountains to the west, where you can also see the park’s tall Independence Monument.
North of the Nation’s Palace, there is another beautiful facility in the park, which in this part is called Flagpole Park/Боги парчами mili. Here you can walk along a lake where Dushanbe’s famous flagpole stands. The flagpole was inaugurated with the first flag-raising on 24 May 2011 in what was then the world’s tallest flagpole. The height of the pole is 165 meters, and in it weighs a Tajik flag with a size of 60×30 meters. Dushanbe Flagpole was the tallest in the world until 2014.
The National Museum of Tajikistan is an exciting museum located in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe. The museum was housed in the modern museum building upon its completion in 2013, and the purpose of the national museum is to convey the interesting history and cultural history that has shaped Tajikistan, which has only been an independent state since 1991.
The museum’s exhibitions are divided into different themes, which span, among other things, archaeological finds through time from before the Islamic expansion in the region to recent times. Among the highlights are ancient wall paintings from Panjakent. You can also see themes within the country’s natural history, which gives a good impression of this part of Tajikistan, and there is also various contemporary art in the museum.
The history and collections of the National Museum date back to the Soviet Union in 1934, when a resolution was issued on the formation of museums in Tajikistan. In the first year, the collection consisted of 530 effects, which of course quickly increased, and over the years the museum was moved to a larger museum building, which was the seat of the national museum until 2013, when the modern construction was built with a fine interior.
The Parliament of Tajikistan is the name of the legislative assembly of the country. The current parliament was established with the establishment of independent Tajikistan in 1991, and before that year the country was a Soviet Socialist Republic, with the Supreme Soviet of the Republic constituting the parliament.
The beautiful parliament building in Dushanbe was then also built to house the Supreme Soviet of the republic. It happened during a period when there was a strong expansion of Dushanbe with one neoclassical building after another along Raduki Boulevard, which was the city’s main street.
The Supreme Soviet was housed in the Parliament Building, with a statue of Lenin immediately opposite on the opposite side of the street. However, the Tajik Parliament will have a new building located to the north at the eastern end of the axis through Rudaki Park. Dushanbe’s beautiful town hall used to be on this site, but it is one of many Soviet buildings that have been demolished in recent years.
The Independence Monument is a large monument in the center of a park and facility dedicated to the independence of Tajikistan in 1991. The facility and monument is located in a large area north of Rudaki Park and should not be confused with the Pillar of Independence in the southern part of Rudaki Park itself .
The colossal monument was inaugurated in 2022 and is 121 meters high. The 121 meters are well chosen, as the 30 meter high lower part represents the 30th anniversary of independence, while the 91 meter upper part stands for 1991, the year of Tajikistan’s independence after the Soviet Union.
In the lower part of the monument, there are several entrances where you can enter exhibition halls with exhibits from the history of Dushanbe. You can also go up to an observation platform at a height of 94 meters, from which you can enjoy an excellent view of the city. At the top, the monument is crowned by an eight-meter high titanium crown, which is a symbol of the state, independence and the history of the Tajik people.
Palace of the Nation is a modern palace located in the heart of Dushanbe as part of the large Rudaki Park to the east, and to the west of the palace runs the river Varzob. It became relevant to arrange a presidential palace in Dushanbe when the country became independent in 1991, when the position of Tajik president was established.
The first presidential palace was located along Rudaki Boulevard and was an impressive building that had previously been the seat of the Council of Ministers of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic. The Council of Ministers building was demolished in 2021 and stood on the site where the country’s parliament is today.
The construction of a new presidential palace started in 2000. During construction, Tajikistan’s only synagogue was demolished to make way for the palace, which was completed in 2008. Since then, the country’s president has had a residence here, and the palace is known, among other things, for adorning the country’s 500 somoni banknote, which came into circulation in the years after the opening.
Ajni Opera and Ballet Theater is an opera house in Dushanbe, which is named after the Tajik poet Sadriddin Ajni. The theater was founded in 1936 as the Tajik Music Theatre, and it got its current name four years later. In 1941, the theater was awarded the Order of Lenin, and it remains the most important music stage in the country.
The opera building itself was built with neoclassical inspiration from the late 1930s, and in 1939 the first Tajik opera performance was staged at the theater. The repertoire has since then been extremely varied and developed over time, and of course there have also been many classic setups here.
Sejrsparken is a large green area and a park located in the eastern part of Dushanbe, where there is a hilly terrain. The park was created as a monument to the Soviet Union’s victory over Germany in World War II. It happened in 1975 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of victory in the war.
The central part of the park is a large memorial area, to which you go up some stairs, after which the area opens up. The stairs serve as the avenue of heroes in honor of soldiers who were heroes of the Soviet Union. At the top of the stairs there is, among other things, a star with a flame and a square where ceremonies related to the victory in 1945 are commemorated.
Sejrsparken is a favorite excursion destination for the city’s citizens, because you can quickly get out into nature and the hills around the city. From the top of the large memorial, you can go to the site’s viewing terrace, from where you can enjoy a fine view. However, the monument and the facility were not completed, as there should have been, among other things, fountains and cascades on the way to the top.
The National Library of Tajikistan is one of the major structures that make up Dushanbe’s modern center around Rudaki Park. The large and imposing building opened in 2012 in a neoclassical-inspired architecture, which as a basic form should look like an open book.
The library naturally specializes in preserving and disseminating part of Tajik cultural history. It was established in 1933, and along the central facade of the current building you can see busts of Tajik celebrities from the history of the region and in science and literature.
Ismail Samani Monument is a large monument to Ismail Samani, who was emir of Transoxania from 892 to 907. In Ismail Samani’s time, the Samani kingdom was a power factor in the region, and immediately west of the large monument you can see a map of the kingdom as part of the paving.
The monument consists of several parts, of which the actual statue of Ismail Samani measures 13 meters in height. He stands under a 43 meter high arch topped by a crown and Samani holds a scepter in his hand. On the scepter there are seven stars that can also be seen on the country’s national emblem.
The statue was erected in 1999 on the exact spot where a statue of Vladimir Lenin had been erected during Tajikistan’s Soviet era. It was quite a special statue of Lenin, as in Dushanbe he showed the way with his left hand, whereas he usually did it with his right hand. The Lenin statue was toppled in 1991 in connection with Tajikistan’s independence.
Botanical Garden in Dushanbe is one of the Tajik capital’s lovely recreational areas. The garden is located in the northern part of the city and was founded in 1933 as one of the early gardens in the Soviet Union. The many plants and species in the garden were continuously planted and maintained by the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan.
With a size of 30 hectares, the botanical garden is one of Dushanbe’s largest parks. The entrance to the garden is shaped like a pistachio roof, and in the garden you can enjoy, among other things, an orangery and over 2,000 different kinds of plants. There are, for example, countless roses as some of the many beautiful plants.
Borbad Concert Hall is Dushanbe’s leading concert hall from the city’s Soviet era. The large hall was built in 1975 in a period architecture with the use of large concrete surfaces as external decoration of the rounded building.
There are two audience halls in the building, the largest of which has room for just under 2,000 spectators. Borbad Koncertsal is and has been the setting for many large concerts, film screenings and other events in Dushanbe over the years.
Dushanbe Circus is a circus building that opened in 1977 in a futuristic UFO style with fine and period decorations both inside and outside. It was a project developed by the Soviet Ministry of Culture and built from 1971.
It was a very modern circus that opened in Dushanbe. The 2,000 spectators could enjoy performances using technology for, for example, circuses on ice and with water. The circus building replaced an earlier wooden building from 1937, which burned down, and before 1937 artists used various premises in the city.
Ethnographic Museum is an interesting museum in Dushanbe, which exhibits old costumes and textiles from the Tajik people and the development of culture over time. In the exhibitions you can see, among other things, clothes that were used for everyday life, for parties and for various ceremonies.
The museum was founded in 1979 and it opened in 1981. The beginning offered collections that were transferred from the country’s history museum, and since then many effects have been added. In the exhibitions there are costumes and textiles, but also other things from folklore and cultural development such as ceramics, jewellery, tools and handicrafts.
Located in the area west of the Tajik capital Dushanbe, Hisor Fort is one of the best-preserved historical sites in the country. The fort is strategically located in the landscape, and it was built in its original form approximately 2,500 years ago. Since then, the fort has been both destroyed, rebuilt and expanded several times with the changing rulers of the region close to the important Silk Road.
At the time of the installation, Hisor Fort was the most important settlement in this region, and it continued that way for many centuries, with Dushanbe, by contrast, being just a small town until the early 1900s. Over time, Hisor Fort has seen both Mongols and Arabs, and it is also said that Alexander the Great conquered the fort. Hisor at one time also had the status of a khanate, and in another period the fort was used as a winter palace by the Emir of Bukhara.
Today you can see a beautiful fortification on the ridge where Hisor Fort is located. The mighty entrance gate to the complex stands impressively, as do the fortress walls, and within the gate and walls you can see various buildings. Most of the fort that can be seen today dates from the 16th century, and the well-preserved structure is due to extensive renovations that began in the 1980s.
When you are at Hisor Fort, you can also see some other interesting buildings which are immediately opposite the fort’s large entrance gate. Here there are two Koranic schools and a mosque whose history goes back to the 7th century. The old madrassa serves as a museum of Tajik history and culture, and it is also worth seeing just to see the building ensemble, and there is also an 18th-century caravansarai that was a hostel for trading travelers.
Samarkand is a city that exudes a great atmosphere taken from the history books about the Silk Road and Amir Timur’s great kingdom. All over the city there are magnificent traces of the ruler’s time in the form of beautiful Islamic style buildings, and some of Central Asia’s finest architecture can be enjoyed in the Uzbek city.
Registan is the centerpiece of the Samarkand that has been inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage list for many years. Registan is the most famous place in Uzbekistan and perhaps even throughout Central Asia. Three spectacular madrasas stand around the square, each lavishly decorated with the familiar blue tiles in rich variations in their geometrical patterns.
Independence Monument, Dushanbe, Tajikistan[/caption]
Overview of Dushanbe
Dushanbe is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. The city area has been inhabited since the centuries BC, and for centuries there was a market place here. The town is mentioned for the first time in 1676, and it was a small town on the area’s trade routes. Therefore, there was a caravanserai in the city, which also had several mosques, teahouses, etc.
During the Russian conquest of Central Asia in the 1800s, however, Dushanbe was still a small town, and development did not really begin until the Soviet Union. The last emir of Bukhara had fled from the new regime, and he established his residence in Dushanbe in 1920. Thus Dushanbe became the capital of the Emirate of Bukhara for a short period.
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Palace of the Nation is a modern palace located in the heart of Dushanbe as part of the large Rudaki Park to the east, and to the west of the palace runs the river Varzob. It became relevant to arrange a presidential palace in Dushanbe when the country became independent in 1991, when the position of Tajik president was established.
The first presidential palace was located along Rudaki Boulevard and was an impressive building that had previously been the seat of the Council of Ministers of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic. The Council of Ministers building was demolished in 2021 and stood on the site where the country’s parliament is today.
The construction of a new presidential palace started in 2000. During construction, Tajikistan’s only synagogue was demolished to make way for the palace, which was completed in 2008. Since then, the country’s president has had a residence here, and the palace is known, among other things, for adorning the country’s 500 somoni banknote, which came into circulation in the years after the opening.
Ajni Opera and Ballet Theater is an opera house in Dushanbe, which is named after the Tajik poet Sadriddin Ajni. The theater was founded in 1936 as the Tajik Music Theatre, and it got its current name four years later. In 1941, the theater was awarded the Order of Lenin, and it remains the most important music stage in the country.
The opera building itself was built with neoclassical inspiration from the late 1930s, and in 1939 the first Tajik opera performance was staged at the theater. The repertoire has since then been extremely varied and developed over time, and of course there have also been many classic setups here.
Sejrsparken is a large green area and a park located in the eastern part of Dushanbe, where there is a hilly terrain. The park was created as a monument to the Soviet Union’s victory over Germany in World War II. It happened in 1975 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of victory in the war.
The central part of the park is a large memorial area, to which you go up some stairs, after which the area opens up. The stairs serve as the avenue of heroes in honor of soldiers who were heroes of the Soviet Union. At the top of the stairs there is, among other things, a star with a flame and a square where ceremonies related to the victory in 1945 are commemorated.
Sejrsparken is a favorite excursion destination for the city’s citizens, because you can quickly get out into nature and the hills around the city. From the top of the large memorial, you can go to the site’s viewing terrace, from where you can enjoy a fine view. However, the monument and the facility were not completed, as there should have been, among other things, fountains and cascades on the way to the top.
The National Library of Tajikistan is one of the major structures that make up Dushanbe’s modern center around Rudaki Park. The large and imposing building opened in 2012 in a neoclassical-inspired architecture, which as a basic form should look like an open book.
The library naturally specializes in preserving and disseminating part of Tajik cultural history. It was established in 1933, and along the central facade of the current building you can see busts of Tajik celebrities from the history of the region and in science and literature.
Ismail Samani Monument is a large monument to Ismail Samani, who was emir of Transoxania from 892 to 907. In Ismail Samani’s time, the Samani kingdom was a power factor in the region, and immediately west of the large monument you can see a map of the kingdom as part of the paving.
The monument consists of several parts, of which the actual statue of Ismail Samani measures 13 meters in height. He stands under a 43 meter high arch topped by a crown and Samani holds a scepter in his hand. On the scepter there are seven stars that can also be seen on the country’s national emblem.
The statue was erected in 1999 on the exact spot where a statue of Vladimir Lenin had been erected during Tajikistan’s Soviet era. It was quite a special statue of Lenin, as in Dushanbe he showed the way with his left hand, whereas he usually did it with his right hand. The Lenin statue was toppled in 1991 in connection with Tajikistan’s independence.
Botanical Garden in Dushanbe is one of the Tajik capital’s lovely recreational areas. The garden is located in the northern part of the city and was founded in 1933 as one of the early gardens in the Soviet Union. The many plants and species in the garden were continuously planted and maintained by the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan.
With a size of 30 hectares, the botanical garden is one of Dushanbe’s largest parks. The entrance to the garden is shaped like a pistachio roof, and in the garden you can enjoy, among other things, an orangery and over 2,000 different kinds of plants. There are, for example, countless roses as some of the many beautiful plants.
Borbad Concert Hall is Dushanbe’s leading concert hall from the city’s Soviet era. The large hall was built in 1975 in a period architecture with the use of large concrete surfaces as external decoration of the rounded building.
There are two audience halls in the building, the largest of which has room for just under 2,000 spectators. Borbad Koncertsal is and has been the setting for many large concerts, film screenings and other events in Dushanbe over the years.
Dushanbe Circus is a circus building that opened in 1977 in a futuristic UFO style with fine and period decorations both inside and outside. It was a project developed by the Soviet Ministry of Culture and built from 1971.
It was a very modern circus that opened in Dushanbe. The 2,000 spectators could enjoy performances using technology for, for example, circuses on ice and with water. The circus building replaced an earlier wooden building from 1937, which burned down, and before 1937 artists used various premises in the city.
Ethnographic Museum is an interesting museum in Dushanbe, which exhibits old costumes and textiles from the Tajik people and the development of culture over time. In the exhibitions you can see, among other things, clothes that were used for everyday life, for parties and for various ceremonies.
The museum was founded in 1979 and it opened in 1981. The beginning offered collections that were transferred from the country’s history museum, and since then many effects have been added. In the exhibitions there are costumes and textiles, but also other things from folklore and cultural development such as ceramics, jewellery, tools and handicrafts.
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