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Dushanbe

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Rudaki Monument, Rudaki Park, Dushanbe, Tajikistan

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Overview

With a rural hinterland of grassy pastures and snow-capped mountains visible from down town, Dushanbe (ДУШАНБЕ) is a delightful city built around parks, lakes and fountains. With the frenetic building project of the past decade mostly complete, there is a palpable air of satisfaction about the city centre. Its grand plane tree boulevard, Rudaki, threads past pastel-hued remnants of the Soviet era and just as proudly past the modern icons of statehood. Chief of these is the golden statue of 10th-century Ismoil Somoni presiding over Friendship Square, representative of the sense of renaissance that marks the current era, both in Dushanbe and Tajikistan as a whole.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Rudaki Park and the monument to the poet Muhammad Rudaki in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

    Rudaki Park

    Dushanbe

    Extensive Rudaki Park, with its beautiful canopy of mature trees, offers a series of pathways through flower gardens and alongside lakes and fountains…

  • The statue of Ismoil Somoni in the central square of Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

    Statue of Ismoil Somoni

    Dushanbe

    One of Dushanbe’s most impressive modern monuments, this statue celebrates the 10th-century founder of the Samanid dynasty. With an art-deco quality to…

  • Ethnography Museum

    Ethnography Museum

    Dushanbe

    Sharing the same complex as the National Museum of Antiquities, this small museum houses an exquisite collection of traditional Tajikistan clothing …

  • Hisor Fortress, Hissor, Tajikistan.

    Hissar Fort

    Dushanbe

    Pictured on the 20TJS banknote and just 30km west of Dushanbe, the remains of this 18th-century fort make for an interesting day trip from the capital…

  • Statue of the famous Persian poet Rudaki in Rudaki Park.

    Rudaki Statue

    Dushanbe

    Beneath an impressive arc of blue mosaic stars, the nation's most revered poet, Rudaki, is honoured here at the heart of the central park named after him…

  • National Museum

    National Museum

    Dushanbe

    Tajikistan's national museum is housed in an impressive modern building with an elliptical roof and giant atrium. The collection encompasses three main…

  • National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan

    National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan

    Dushanbe

    Looking almost as aged as some of the exhibits it houses, this dusty old museum, with its threadbare carpets and uneven floors, has a certain charm about…

  • Nurek Reservoir

    Nurek Reservoir

    Dushanbe

    Nurek Reservoir is 70km long and the world's second highest dam. Its remarkable opal-blue water, set within a pastoral landscape and edged with mountains,…

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