DushanbeCapital
Tajikistan · Country profile
Dushanbe is the capital of Tajikistan, the handsome, tree-lined city of the Pamir gateways that sits in the green valley of the Hissar mountains in the heart of the high country of Central Asia. It is a city of wide boulevards, fountains, white wedding-hall columns and memorial parks, laid out in the broad, orderly manner of the Soviet period and now dressed up in the marble and the gold of the modern state. The great national museum, the opera and the library of the capital show off the culture of the country, while the markets and the cafes of the centre keep the everyday hum of the young city. The mountains that ring the valley, the peaks of the Pamir that rise to the east and the reservoirs and the lakes of the nearby ranges make the capital the gateway of the great high-altitude adventure parks of the region. Clean, calm and proudly modern, Dushanbe is the welcoming launchpad of the Roof of the World.
About Dushanbe
Dushanbe is the capital of Tajikistan. The city's documented population is around 949,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the Tajikistani Somoni (TJS) and Tajik is spoken; the dialling code is +992.
The Green Capital of the Gateways to the High Pamir
Dushanbe is a calm, green and surprisingly polished capital where the wide boulevards, the memorials, the museums and the sprawling open-air market of the city set an easy Central Asian rhythm. The attractions of the town fill a day of museums, monuments and parks, and the real draw of the country, the towering Pamir highway, the turquoise lakes and the mountain ranges of the nearby national parks, begins on the roads out of the city. It is safe, orderly and friendly, with the wedding parades of the weekend and the pleasant café life of the centre. For the mountain traveller it is the obvious and comfortable start of the great high-road adventure.
The Continental Seasons, the Somoni and the Permits of the Eastern Roads
The climate of the valley is continental, with the hot dry summers and the cold snowy winters, and the spring and the autumn months the pleasant golden middle. The somoni is the currency, the Tajik and the Russian the languages, and the cards work in the hotels while the cash runs the markets and the marshrutkas. The essentials are the museum, the flagpole of the second-highest of the world and the great market of the city. The permits of the GBAO region and the mountain conditions of the Pamir highway are the essential paperwork of the onward journey, so the plans for the permits are laid early.
The National Museum, the Great Market and the Reservoir of the South
The national museum of the capital, with its gargantuan golden statue and its astonishing collection of the treasures of the mountains, is one of the showpiece museums of the region, and the park of the flagpole and the opera of the city mark the proud civic skyline. The great open-air market of the city, where the fruit, the bread, the cloth and the crafts of the whole country gather, is the best-kept pleasure of the capital. The valley of the Hissar to the west, with its fortress and its archaeological remains, and the vast turquoise lake of the nearby dam to the south of the city frame the capital, while the roads of the mountains to the east carry the traveller to the Pamir.
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- Country
- Tajikistan
- Population
- 949,000
- Capital
- Dushanbe
- Region
- Asia
- Currency
- Tajikistani Somoni (TJS)
- Languages
- Tajik
- Calling code
- +992
- Country code
- TJ
Frequently asked questions
Is Dushanbe the capital of Tajikistan?
Yes — Dushanbe is the capital of Tajikistan.
What currency do I need in Dushanbe?
The local currency is the Tajikistani Somoni (TJS). Languages spoken in Tajikistan include Tajik.
What is the dialling code for Tajikistan?
The international dialling code for Tajikistan is +992.
Flying out of Dushanbe? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.