Dushanbe
| Dushanbe | |||
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  Dushanbe |
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| Coordinates: {{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:38|32|12|N|68|46|48|E|type:city | |||
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| Country | Tajikistan | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Mahmadsaid Ubaydulloyev | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 100 km² (38.6 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 706 m (2,316 ft) | ||
| Population (2006)[1] | |||
| - Total | 661,100 | ||
| - Density | 5,051/km² (13,082/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | GMT (UTC+5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | GMT (UTC+5) | ||
| Website: www.dushanbe.tj | |||
Dushanbe (Tajik: Душанбе, Dushanbe; formerly Dyushambe or Stalinabad), population 661,100 people (2006 census), is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan.
Geography
The name is derived from the Persian word for "Monday", in which du means two, and shamba or shanbe means day (literally "day two",دوشنبه), and refers to the fact that it was a popular Monday marketplace. Situated on the confluence of two rivers, Varzob and Kafernihon, Dushanbe's location was once famous for its market.
Elevation
Dushanbe's climate is damper than other Central Asian capitals, with an average annual rainfall over well over 20 inches (500mm) but is still highly continental and has the hot, dry summers typical of the region. Winters are not as cold as further north owing to the shielding of the city by mountain from extremely cold air from Siberia. The average maximum daytime temperature in January of 44.6°F (7°C), rising to an average maximum of around 95°F (35°C) in July.
Size – land area, size comparison
Environmental issues include inadequate sanitation and industrial pollution. Despite the nation's potential as a hydro electricity generator, power supply is intermittent.
Dushanbe is divided into four administrative zones: Rah Ahan, Markazi, Oktiabr, and Frunze. Varzab, a suburb of Dushanbe, used to serve as a prominent recreation area for the former Soviet Union.
History
Although archaeological remnants dating to the fifth century B.C.E. have been discovered in the area, there is little to suggest that Dushanbe was more than a small village until around 80 years ago. Records show that as early as 1676, on each Monday of the week (dushanbe), villagers from the surrounding areas brought their produce to market at this spot.
In 1920, the last Emir of Bukhara briefly took refuge in Dushanbe after being overthrown by the Bolshevik revolution. He fled to Afghanistan after the Red Army conquered the area the next year.
With the Red Army victory and coming of the railroad from 1929, the city became the capital of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic. Up until this time the city was named "Dyushambe", but in 1929 it was renamed "Stalinabad", after Joseph Stalin; as part of Nikita Khrushchev's de-Stalinization initiative, the city was renamed "Dushanbe" in 1961.
The Soviets transformed the area into a centre for cotton and silk production, and relocated tens of thousands of people to the city from around the Soviet Union. The population also increased with thousands of ethnic Tajiks migrating to Tajikistan following the transfer of Bukhara and Samarkand to the Uzbek SSR. A peaceful and relatively prosperous city under Soviet rule, Dushanbe was home to a university and the Tajik Academy of Sciences. Severe rioting occurred in 1990, after it was rumored that Moscow planned to relocate tens of thousands of Armenian refugees to Tajikistan, which spurred local nationalist sentiment.
The city was badly damaged as a result of the Civil War in Tajikistan (1992–1997) that sprang up in the nation shortly after its independence.
However resurgences in the Tajik economy have transformed Dushanbe into a rapidly growing commercial, cultural and industrial center. Many multi-story apartment and office buildings were constructed and the city was beautified during this period. Monuments and statues commemorating the city's Persian and Iranian past were erected.
The Dushanbe synagogue, which was constructed in the early 1900s in one of the two Jewish Quarters in Dushanbe at the time, was used by the Jewish community there until February 2006, when the government demolished it to make way for a new presidential residence, the "Palace of Nations".
Government
Tajikistan is a republic in which the president, who is head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman, is elected by popular vote for a seven-year term, and is eligible for a second term. The prime minister, who is head of government, is appointed by the president, as is the Council of Ministers.
The bicameral Supreme Assembly, or Majlisi Oli, consists of the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy, consisting of 34 seats, of which 25 members are selected by local deputies, eight are appointed by the president, and one seat is reserved for the former president, all to serve five-year terms, and the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber), or Majlisi Namoyandagon, which comprises 63 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms.
Dushanbe is capital of Tajikistan, and the administrative centre of the Region of Republican Subordination, formerly known as Karotegin Province, one of the nation's four regions.
Each region is divided into districts (raion or nohiya), which are further subdivided into jamoats, and then villages (qyshloqs). Tajikistan has a total of 59 districts.
Economy
Tajikistan has one of the lowest per capita GDPs among the 15 former Soviet republics. Only 7 percent of the land area is arable. Cotton is the most important crop, but this sector is burdened with debt and an obsolete infrastructure. The civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the already weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production. Tajikistan ranks third in the world in terms of water resources per head, but suffers winter power shortages due to poor management of water levels in rivers and reservoirs. Tajikistan's per capita GDP was estimated at $1800 in 2007.
Coal, lead, and arsenic mined nearby in the cities of Nurek and Kulob allowed for the industrialization of Dushanbe, which accounts for much of Tajikistan's industrial output. In the city of Nurek, at the Nurek Dam, the world's highest hydroelectric station, provides 95 percent of Tajikistan's electricity, and another dam, the Roghun Dam, is planned on the Vakhsh River.
A leading cotton textile center, Dushanbe also produces silk, machinery, automatic looms, electrical appliances, domestic refrigerators, clothing, leather goods, tractor parts, and foodstuffs. The city of Dushanbe is now home to a number of modern telecommunications, aeronautic and other business corporations.
Tourism and ecotourism, to the beautiful natural scenery throughout the Dushanbe area is now a component of the burgeoning service industry, which includes world-class shopping centers, cafes, restaurants and hotels in the city's economic center. Cultural and ethnic Museums and Theatres add a cultural element to the economy.
Dushanbe has two main bazaars: Barakat and Shamansur. During the summer, the bazaars teem with vegetables, fruits, flowers, and people, while in winter, they are all but deserted.
Dushanbe is an important transport junction. There is a rail connection to Termez and Tashkent in Uzbekistan, and a road connction to Kulab, Qurqanteppe, and Khorog, the administrative center of Gorno-Badakhshan. Low access to cars means public transport, mostly buses and trolley-buses, carries 89 percent of all passengers. Due to the mountainous terrain of the region, travel by plane and helicopter often is preferred to travel by car. Passenger traffic runs mainly through the Dushanbe airport to Khojend, Khorog, Korghan Tube, and international destinations.
Demographics
Population, population rank Race/ethnicity - historical background of ethnic groups Language Religion Colleges and universities
Of interest
The main points of interest are on, or close to, Prospekt Rudaki, which runs from the railway station in the south to the bus station in the north. As well as the principal mosque, this area boasts a Russian church and a columned opera house.
A prominent one is the teahouse or the chaikhana. You realize you are near a chaikhana when you hear the music filling the air and when you see the many colorful benches that invite the customers to take a few minutes of rest, drink tea and listen to the gossip of the day. In addition to tea and sweets, kabob and rice, are often also served.
Other features in the city include the National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan and Unified Museum , situated just north of the railway station in Ploshchad Aym, which has stuffed snow leopards and Marco Polo sheep amongst its exhibits. The ethnographic museum is on ulitsa Somoni, not far from the Hotel Tajikistan.
- Dushanbe Airport
- Haji Yakoub Mosque
- Museum of Ethnography
- Tajikistan National Museum (Tajik Unified Museum)
- The National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
- Vahdat Palace
- Dushanbe Zoo
- Botanical Garden
- Dushanbe Opera
- Dushanbe Circus
- Gurminj Museum of Musical Instruments (Gurminj Museum)
See also
- Farkhor Air Base
- Symphonic Orchestra of Dushanbe
- Kabul, Afghanistan
- School for Deaf and Mute (Dushanbe)
Notes
- ↑ Capital city with population by country. Retrieved 2007-01-25.
Further reading
- Abdullaev, Kamoludin, and Shahram Akbarzadeh. 2002. Historical dictionary of Tajikistan. Asian/Oceanian historical dictionaries, no. 38. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press.ISBN 0810841843
- Dannreuther, R. 2003. Tajikistan: Disintegration or Reconciliation? The Slavonic and East European Review 81 (1):186. ISSN 0037-6795
- Djalili, Mohammad Reza, Frédéric Grare, and Shirin Akiner. 1997. Tajikistan: the trials of independence. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312161433
- Whitlock, Monica. 2003. Land beyond the river: the untold story of Central Asia. New York: Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 031227727X
External links
- Encyclopaedia Britannica Dushanbe Retrieved September 20, 2008.
- World Fact Book 2008 Tajikistan Retrieved September 20, 2008.
- The World Bank Tajikistan transport Retrieved September 20, 2008.
- Geocities Welcome to Dushanbe Retrieved September 20, 2008.
- Dushanbe pictures through eyes of westerner
- Dushanbe street map
- Encyclopedia Iranica article on Dushanbe
- Tajikistan map
- Dushanbe on wikimapia
- Tajik Web Gateway
- Dushanbe City Coat of Arms
- Boulder-Dushanbe Sister Cities
- 1:500,000 topo map of Dushanbe area
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