Dushanbe
56658
222789394
2008-07-01T03:17:35Z
Tomjharris
1116206
/* Economy */
{{Infobox Settlement
|official_name = Dushanbe
|nativename = Душанбе
|image_skyline = dushanbe1.JPG
|imagesize = 300px
|image_caption = Looking north across the city
|image_seal = Coat of Arms of Dushanbe.png
|image_map =
|mapsize = 300px
|map_caption = Location of Dushanbe in Tajikistan
|pushpin_map =Tajikistan
|subdivision_type = [[Countries of the world|Country]]
|subdivision_name = [[Tajikistan]]
|leader_title = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name = [[Mahmadsaid Ubaydulloyev]]
|area_magnitude = 1 E9
|area_total_km2 = 100
|area_land_km2 =
|area_water_km2 =
|population_as_of = 2006
|population_footnotes =
<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/geo_sta_cap-geography-capital-city-with-population
|title=Capital city with population by country
|accessdate=2007-01-25}}</ref>
|population_total = 661,100
|population_metro =
|population_density_km2 = 5051
|timezone = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]]
|utc_offset = +5
|timezone_DST = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]]
|utc_offset_DST = +5
|latd=38 |latm=32 |lats=12 |latNS=N
|longd=68 |longm=46 |longs=48 |longEW=E
|elevation_m = 706
|website = [http://www.dushanbe.tj/ www.dushanbe.tj]
|footnotes =
}}
'''Dushanbe''' ({{lang-tg|Душанбе}}, ''Dushanbe''; formerly '''Dyushambe''' or '''Stalinabad'''), population 661,100 people (2006 census), is the [[capital]] and largest city of [[Tajikistan]]. The name is derived from the Persian word for "Monday" ('''du''' two + '''shamba''' or '''shanbe''' day, lit. "day two",دوشنبه) and refers to the fact that it was a popular Monday [[marketplace]].
==History==
Situated on the confluence of two rivers, Varzob and Kafernihon, Dushanbe is the capital of Tajikistan. Its location was once famous for its market on Mondays, and its name means “Monday” in [[Tajik language|Tajik]]. Although archaeological remnants dating to the 5th century BC have been discovered in the area, there is little to suggest that Dushanbe was more than a small village until around 80 years ago. In 1920, the last [[Emirate of Bukhara|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 [[History of the Soviet Union (1953-1985)|de-Stalinization]] initiative, the city was renamed "Dushanbe" in 1961. [[Image:Somoni monument.JPG|thumb|left|200px|Monument of [[Ismail Samani]] in Dushanbe]]
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 [[Armenia]]n 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 Empire|Persian]] and [[Iran]]ian past were erected. The surrounding areas are safe, stable and scenically spectacular. Dushanbe is a clean green European style city with broad tree-lined avenues and snowy mountains as a backdrop lending it an air of faded prosperity.
Dushanbe is an attractive city, especially in the early spring and summer, when the boulevards and trees are in full bloom. The city's many parks and zoological attractions grace the neoclassical architecture of the city. The climate is damper than other Central Asian capitals, with an average annual rainfall over well over {{convert|500|mm|in|0}} but is still highly continental has has the typical hot and dry summers 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]].
{{climate chart|Dushanbe
|-1|9|42
|2|11|67
|6|16|113
|9|21|116
|13|26|66
|18|33|12
|19|36|6
|17|34|0
|13|30|4
|8|23|33
|3|16|50
|1|11|52
}}
==Economy==
[[Coal]], [[lead]], and [[arsenic]] are mined nearby in the cities of [[Nurak|Nurek]] and [[Kulob]] allowing for the industrialization of Dushanbe. In the city of [[Nurak|Nurek]], at the [[Nurek Dam]], the world's highest hydroelectric station, provides 95% 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, electrical appliances, 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 adding vitality to its economy. [[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.
== Buildings and attractions ==
[[Image:Dushanbe government.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Dushanbe government building]]
*[[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]]
*[[Dushanbe Botanical Garden|Botanical Garden]]
*[[Dushanbe Opera]]
*[[Dushanbe Circus]]
*[[Gurminj Museum|Gurminj Museum of Musical Instruments]] (Gurminj Museum)
==Sister cities==
[[Image:Dushanbe Vahdat Palace.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Palace of Unity| The Palace of Unity (Vahdat Palace)]]]]
Currently, Dushanbe has 10 [[sister cities]].
* {{flagicon|Afghanistan}} [[Kabul]], [[Afghanistan]]
* {{flagicon|Iran}} [[Shiraz]], [[Iran]]
* {{flagicon|Russia}} [[Moscow]], [[Russia]]
* {{flagicon|Russia}} [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Russia]]
* {{flagicon|Turkey}} [[Akhisar]], [[Turkey]]
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Boulder, Colorado|Boulder]], [[United States|USA]]
* {{flagicon|Austria}} [[Klagenfurt]], [[Austria]]
* {{flagicon|Turkey}} [[Ankara]], [[Turkey]]
* {{flagicon|Pakistan}} [[Lahore]], [[Pakistan]]
* {{flagicon|Yemen}} [[Sana'a]], [[Yemen]]
* {{flagicon|Zambia}} [[Lusaka]], [[Zambia]]
==See also==
*[[Farkhor Air Base]]
*[[Symphonic Orchestra of Dushanbe]]
*[[Kabul, Afghanistan]]
*[[School for Deaf and Mute (Dushanbe)]]
==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{commonscat|Dushanbe}}
* [http://www.dushanbepics.blogspot.com Dushanbe pictures through eyes of westerner]
* [http://www.traveltajikistan.com/maps/dushanbe.jpg Dushanbe street map]
* [http://www.iranica.com/articles/v7/v7f6/v7f641.html Encyclopedia Iranica article on Dushanbe]
* [http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/tajikistan_topographic_map Tajikistan map]
* [http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=38570000&x=68780000&z=13&l=0&m=h Dushanbe on [[wikimapia]]]
* [http://www.tajik-gateway.org/index.phtml?lang=en&id=893 Tajik Web Gateway]
* [http://www.tajik-gateway.org/images/country/dusgerb_t.jpg Dushanbe City Coat of Arms]
* [http://www.boulder-dushanbe.org/ Boulder-Dushanbe Sister Cities]
* [http://www.ewpnet.com/cam/SE.htm 1:500,000 topo map of Dushanbe area]
{{Asian capitals}}
[[Category:Cities, towns and villages in Tajikistan]]
[[Category:Capitals in Asia]]
[[Category:Cities in Central Asia]]
[[Category:Dushanbe]]
[[af:Dushanbe]]
[[am:ዱሻንቤ]]
[[az:Düşənbə]]
[[bn:দুশান্বে]]
[[be-x-old:Душанбэ]]
[[bs:Dušanbe]]
[[bg:Душанбе]]
[[ca:Duixanbe]]
[[cs:Dušanbe]]
[[cy:Dushanbe]]
[[da:Dusjanbe]]
[[de:Duschanbe]]
[[et:Dušanbe]]
[[es:Dusambé]]
[[eo:Duŝanbeo]]
[[fa:دوشنبه (تاجیکستان)]]
[[fr:Douchanbé]]
[[gd:Dushanbe]]
[[gl:Dushanbe]]
[[ko:두샨베]]
[[hr:Dušanbe]]
[[io:Dushanbe]]
[[id:Dushanbe]]
[[os:Душанбе]]
[[is:Dúshanbe]]
[[it:Dušanbe]]
[[he:דושנבה]]
[[ka:დუშანბე]]
[[sw:Dushanbe]]
[[ht:Douchanbe]]
[[lv:Dušanbe]]
[[lt:Dušanbė]]
[[hu:Dusanbe]]
[[nl:Doesjanbe]]
[[ja:ドゥシャンベ]]
[[no:Dusjanbe]]
[[nov:Dushanbe]]
[[oc:Doshambe]]
[[pms:Dušanbe]]
[[pl:Duszanbe]]
[[pt:Duchambe]]
[[ro:Duşanbe]]
[[ru:Душанбе]]
[[simple:Dushanbe]]
[[sk:Dušanbe]]
[[sr:Душанбе]]
[[sh:Dušanbe]]
[[fi:Dušanbe]]
[[sv:Dusjanbe]]
[[tl:Dushanbe]]
[[vi:Dushanbe]]
[[tg:Душанбе]]
[[tr:Duşanbe]]
[[uk:Душанбе]]
[[yi:דושאנבע]]
[[zh:杜尚别]]