Last updated on 04 January, 2019 at 10:45 am
Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, is the showcase of the country for the rest of the world and is most likely the main source of investment by the dictatorial government. The contrast with the countryside – at least its eastern part (we can not speak for the western part as we didn’t visit it) – is striking. The earthy and uneven tracks gave way to large paved avenues. The monuments and flags to the glory of the country stand proudly in several squares of the city.
We arrived in Dushanbe at the end of our trip on the Pamir Highway. We took the opportunity to rest a little after a few intense days in fairly spartan conditions.
Our visit of Dushanbe
Two days are enough to visit the main monuments of the city.
The (second) highest flagstaff in the world
The flagstaff and its surroundings are not to be missed. It is the (second) tallest flagpole in the world (165 m), dethroned by the one of Jeddah (170 m) in Saudi Arabia in 2014. It was built to commemorate the twenty years of independence of the country.
Rudaki Park
Rudaki is a 10th century Persian poet also known as the Adam of Poets and is also considered as the first genius of modern Persian. It’s quite nice to walk around this park which is located south of the Flagstaff.
Ismoili Somoni statue
The statue Ismoili Somoni is located a little further south. Ismoili Somoni was an emir of the 9th and 10th century in Central Asia, much appreciated by his time. During his reign, the region became strong and powerful. With the fall of the Soviet regime, its heritage was rediscovered by the population and put forward. Thus the currency of Tajikistan, Somoni, comes from his name.
And far more
There is also a water park, an amusement park and a zoo to keep the youngest ones busy.
And then...
After Tajikisan, we began to explore the architecture of the Silk Road in Uzbekistan, starting with the city of Samarkand.
Practical tips for Dushanbe
Restaurants in Dushanbe
You can find restaurants serving international dishes, such as Bella Pizza & Pasta. Al Sham also serves a very good Lebanese cuisine. This allows for a bit of change if you’re tired of traditional Tajik food.
Accomodation in Dushanbe
We stayed at Doshan Hostel. Although it was advertised with a 24-hour front desk, no one was there when we arrived even if we had written to them before to announce our late check-in time. The bathroom was dirty but this was directly corrected as soon as we reported it. The location is relatively quiet. The breakfast is quite repetitive if you stay there several days in a row.
Communications
The wifi is generally quite slow in the country.
The mobile phone network is better and we took a SIM card from the operator TCell. Normally, you need to show a resident card (or equivalent paper for what you understood) to receive a SIM card. But the seller can give you a card already used if you promise to throw it at your departure or after a certain number of days. Our first SIM card was even deactivated before we left. So we had to buy a second for the last days of the stay.
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