🇹🇯 Dushanbe (Душанбе) is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. 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 Gissar Valley, bounded by the Gissar 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, all named after historical figures: 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 the Hephthalites. In the Middle Ages, more settlements began near modern-day Dushanbe such as Hulbuk and its famous palace. From the 17th century to the early 20th, Dushanbe grew into a market village controlled at times by the Beg of Hisor, Balkh, and finally Bukhara. Soon after the Russian invasion in 1922, 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.
Dushanbe's modern culture had its start in the 1920s, where Soviet music, opera, theater, sculpture, film, and sports all began. Music, primarily shashmaqam before the Soviet invasion, took off in the city due to Russian influence and local opera houses and symphonies. Tajik figures such as Sadriddin Ayni contributed greatly to the development of Dushanbe's literature, which went through many changes during and after the Soviet period. Theater and film both saw their beginnings in the 1930s and were heavily influenced by Soviet trends. The architecture of Dushanbe, once neo-classical, transitioned to a minimalist and eventually modern style. The city is a centre for newspapers, radio stations, and television of the country, with almost 200 newspapers and more than a dozen television studios operating in 1999.
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.
1Economy In 2018, the gross regional product (GRP) of Dushanbe was 13,808,000,000 somoni, equaling approximately $1,508,900,000, with a growth rate of 7.3%. That comprised 20.1% of the overall GDP of Tajikistan. In the first half of 2020, the GRP of Dushanbe was 20.7% of the GDP of the country. The average salary of the city as of 2014 is 1402.67 somoni, or $147.18. As the centre of financial activity of the republic, Dushanbe housed more than 30 commercial banks in 2004.
Dushanbe has extensive international trade. Exports from Dushanbe consisted of $8,343,200 during the first half of 2019, and overall foreign trade turnover was $398,080,900 in 2018. The primary countries Dushanbe exports to are Turkey (42.8% of the total), Iran (28.0%), Russia (10.8%), Afghanistan (7.3%), China (1.2%), Poland (1.2%), and others. For imports, Russia makes up 54.5% of the total, Kazakhstan 13.5%, China 6.8%, Italy 3.4%, Turkey 2.6%, Turkmenistan 2.5%, Ukraine 2.1%, Iran 1.4%, the United Arab Emirates 1.2%, and others make up the rest.
During and during the decade after the Soviet invasion, most industries were focused on meeting local demand with local materials. Meat packing, soap production, bricks, lumber, silk thread, leather, clothing, and generation of electric power were all local industries during the time period. In 1932, 776 workers were employed in industry, while in 1938, 12 thousand were. During World War 2, the city's industry grew significantly with the Soviet decision to relocate industry eastwards to cities like Dushanbe, specifically light industries like textile manufacturing and food processing. Industry output increased by 2.5 times from 1940 to 1945. About 1/3 of the industrial and white-collar labor force of Tajikistan is located in Dushanbe, despite containing less than 10 percent of Tajikistan's population. From January to August 2019, there were 455 manufacturing companies in Dushanbe, producing 1,644,745,400 Somoni worth of products. The majority of that, 63.9%, was from the processing industry, 34.5% was from electricity, water, gas, and air purification, and the other 1.6% was from the non-metallic construction industry. The industry produces over 300 types of products. Exports from the industrial sector consisted of $1,535,500 during the time period.
The main industrial products exported from the city are cotton yarn, finished cotton fabrics, hosiery, cable products, agricultural products, tobacco products, and trade equipment, among others. Industry, as of 2019, employed 20746 people, with an average salary of 1428.02 somoni. Light industry is the most mature industry in the city, aided by the location of raw materials in the country. Some large companies in light industry are Nassoch, which processes large amounts of cotton fiber, Chevar and Guliston, which both produce garments, and Nafisa, which produces hosiery. The electrical, engineering, and metallurgical industries are also prominent in the republic. Tajiktekstilmash, which produces varied products for agriculture and electricity, and Tajikcable, which produces cables, are two well known companies from that sector of the economy. Somon-tachkhizot, which produces electronic goods, Torgmash, which produces goods for trading companies, and Valve Plant, which produces iron products are some other prominent companies in the industry. The food processing industry also has a presence in the city with many wineries, dairy and meatpacking plants, canneries, and bakeries all in the city. Various other industries exist in the city as well. These include the building materials industry, which produces cement, oil (with 3 main gas deposits) and plastics; the wood industry; and the printing industry, which consists of 80% of the republic's capacity and began in 1926.
In 2014, the retail sector was involved in 2.6 billion somoni of transactions. In the service sector, hotels, restaurants, canteens and cafes sold services worth 296.6 million somoni. The paid services of the city in 2014 amounted to 5662.2 somoni per capita.
Dushanbe is the capital of tourism of the Economic Cooperation Organization and is served by more than 40 hotels. The building of 9 modern hotels, with room for more than 1000 people, is being planned. In 2018 and 2019, numerous initiatives, such as Dushanbe becoming a member of the World Tourism Cities Federation, different festivals, legislation promoting the city, an art gallery, and the establishment of the Year of Tourism and Folk Crafts in 2018 all served to promote the tourism industry. The Dushanbe Summer Fest, another promoted festival, is notable for its internet connectivity. Compared with the rest of the country, however, Dushanbe is a less popular tourist destination, partially due to its relatively recent founding and lack of historical significance. Museums in the city include the Tajikistan National Museum, founded in 1934, and the Gurminj Museum of Musical Instruments, which contains Pamiri and Badakshani musical instruments.
1Dushanbe is rated Sufficiency by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) which evaluates and ranks the relationships between world cities in the context of globalisation. Sufficiency level cities are cities that have a sufficient degree of services so as not to be overly dependent on world cities.
Dushanbe is rated E+ by the Global Urban Competitiveness Report (GUCR) which evaluates and ranks world cities in the context of economic competitiveness. E+ cities are strong regional gateway cities. Dushanbe was ranked #1151 by the Nomad List which evaluates and ranks remote work hubs by cost, internet, fun and safety. Dushanbe has a population of over 863,400 people. Dushanbe also forms the centre of the wider Tajikistan state which has a population of over 9,537,645 people.
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Twin Towns, Sister Cities Dushanbe has links with:
🇹🇷 Ankara, Turkey 🇹🇲 Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 🇺🇸 Boulder, USA 🇨🇳 Haikou, China 🇦🇹 Klagenfurt, Austria 🇵🇰 Lahore, Pakistan 🇿🇲 Lusaka, Zambia 🇦🇫 Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan 🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan 🇧🇾 Minsk, Belarus 🇹🇳 Monastir, Tunisia 🇨🇳 Qingdao, China 🇩🇪 Reutlingen, Germany 🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg, Russia 🇾🇪 Sanaa, Yemen 🇮🇷 Shiraz, Iran 🇨🇳 Siming District, China 🇮🇷 Tehran, Iran 🇨🇳 Ürümqi, China 🇨🇳 Xiamen, China🇺🇸 West Sacramento 38.567
🇺🇸 Jefferson City 38.567
🇺🇸 Sacramento 38.582
🇺🇸 Rancho Cordova 38.583
Locations Near: Dushanbe 68.7739,38.56
🇹🇯 Bokhtar 68.767,37.833 d: 80.8
🇹🇯 Kulyab 69.767,37.9 d: 113.6
🇹🇯 Istaravshan 69.005,39.911 d: 151.6
🇺🇿 Bekabad 69.217,40.217 d: 188.1
🇦🇫 Kunduz 68.867,36.717 d: 205.1
Antipodal to: Dushanbe -111.226,-38.56
🇨🇱 Valdivia -73.233,-39.8 d: 16762.1
🇨🇱 Coronel -73.217,-37.017 d: 16694.4
🇨🇱 Osorno -73.133,-40.567 d: 16767.5
🇨🇱 Talcahuano -73.117,-36.717 d: 16677.2
🇨🇱 San Pedro de la Paz -73.1,-36.833 d: 16679.2
🇨🇱 Concepción -73.05,-36.817 d: 16674.4
🇨🇱 Chiguayante -73.017,-36.917 d: 16674.4
🇨🇱 Port Montt -72.933,-41.467 d: 16764.6
🇨🇱 Puerto Montt -72.933,-41.467 d: 16764.6