Bayrak

Dushanbe


Built to commemorate 20 years of independence, the world's second tallest flagpole stands at 165m and is the centrepiece of Dushanbe's central ensemble of parks, fountains and grand new civic buildings including the adjacent Palace of Nations. The Bayrak (as it is locally known as) held the record as the world's tallest flagpole between 2010 and 2014 before Jeddah's 170m flagpole knocked it into second place, but it is still a crowning glory of a city that some refer to as the Paris of Central Asia.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Dushanbe attractions

1. Rudaki Park

0.16 MILES

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

2. Palace of Nations

0.2 MILES

This grand modern building, dubbed locally as the White House, is the official seat of the president of Tajikistan. Although closed to the public, its…

3. National Museum

0.21 MILES

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

4. Rudaki Statue

0.27 MILES

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…

5. Writers’ Union Building

0.35 MILES

Tajikistan’s Persian past is invoked in the facade of the Writers’ Union Building. Adorned with sculpted-stone figures of Sadruddin Ayni, Omar Khayam,…

6. Parchan

0.36 MILES

Crowning the fountain-filled thoroughfare outside the National Library, this national monument was built to commemorate Tajikistan's independence. Cast…

7. National Library

0.44 MILES

Opened in 2011 and constructed to resemble an open book, this US$40 million archive is reputed to be Central Asia's biggest library. It makes an…

8. Statue of Ismoil Somoni

0.44 MILES

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…