Dushanbe

Dushanbe, Tajikistan · Asia

About Dushanbe

Dushanbe is worth a stop: 15 minutes from Boshkengash, 21km from Hisor Fortress.

Dushanbe is in Tajikistan, with about 680,000 people. The nearest town is Boshkengash, about 8 km away.

Dushanbe is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. As of February 2023, Dushanbe had a population of 1,228,400, with this population being largely Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe, and from 1929 to 1961 as Stalinabad, after Joseph Stalin. Dushanbe is located in the Hisar Valley,

bounded by the Hisar Range in the north and east and the Babatag, Aktau, Rangontau and Karatau mountains in the south, and has an elevation of 750–930 m. The city is divided into four districts: Ismail Samani, Avicenna, Ferdowsi, and Shah Mansur. In ancient times, what is now or is close to modern Dushanbe was settled by various empires and peoples, including Mousterian tool-users, various neolithic cultures, the Achaemenid Empire, Greco-Bactria, the Kushan Empire, and Hephthalites. In the Middle Ages, more settlements began near modern-day Dushanbe such as Hulbuk and its famous palace. From the 17th to early 20th century, Dushanbe grew into a market village controlled at times by the Beg of Hisor, Balkh, and finally Bukhara, before being conquered by the Russian Empire. Dushanbe was captured by the Bolsheviks in 1922, and the town was made the capital of the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1924, which commenced Dushanbe's development and rapid population growth that continued until the Tajik Civil War. After the war, the city became capital of an independent Tajikistan and continued its growth and development into a modern city, today home to many international conferences. Much of Dushanbe's education system dates from Soviet times and has a legacy of state control; today the largest university in Dushanbe, the Tajik National University, is funded by the government. Dushanbe International Airport is the primary airport serving the city. Other forms of transport include the trolleybus system dating from 1955, the small rail system, and the roads that traverse the city. Dushanbe's electricity is primarily hydroelectric, produced by the Nurek Dam, and the aging water system dates from 1932. Tajikistan's healthcare system is concentrated in Dushanbe, meaning that the major hospitals of the country are in the city. The city makes up 20% of Tajikistan's GDP and has large industrial, financial, retail, and tourism sectors. Parks and main sights of the city include Victory Park, Rudaki Park, the Tajikistan National Museum, the Dushanbe Flagpole, and the Tajikistan National Museum of Antiquities.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is there to see near Dushanbe?

Within an hour or so of Dushanbe: Hisor Fortress (21 km).

Where is Dushanbe?

Dushanbe is in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, about 8 km from Boshkengash.

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Quick Information

Population: 679,400
Continent: Asia
Country: Tajikistan
Region: Dushanbe
Timezone: Asia/Dushanbe
Coordinates: 38.5358, 68.7790

Worth the detour from Dushanbe

1 notable place within an hour's drive.

castle

Hisor Fortress

A reconstructed arched gateway and 16th-century madrasas on a hill west of Dushanbe, once the seat of the Bukharan emir's governor. The easiest historic detour from the capital.

21 km · about 25 min drive

Driving roads near Dushanbe

62 kmAnzob Tunnel (Istiqlol Tunnel)A 5 km tunnel under the 3,372 m Anzob Pass linking Dushanbe with northern Tajikistan; once dubbed the 'Tunnel of Death', it has been rebuilt into a key Silk Road shortcut.