Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Travel photo highlights from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the country's capital. Includes Tajik people, food, markets and architecture. www.uncorneredmarket.com/

Wall of Tajik Great Writers - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
The facade of the Writers' Union Building in Dushanbe is chock-full of Tajikistan's great writers, showing Tajikistan's place in the Persian literary pantheon. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Lenin Statue - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Lenin still stands in Dushanbe's Bagh-i-Markazi park, otherwise known as Lenin Park to locals. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Imam Talking on Cellphone - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Haji Yakoub Mosque in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
CIS Summit Lights - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Nicknamed the Soviet Union Reunification Summit, the CIS Summit gave Dushanbe, Tajikistan a reason to get all decked out. Although we arrived in Dushanbe about a week after the summit ended, we still got to experience the hype - advertisements, billboards, and flags adorned the streets. To boot, all the buildings on the main street of town received a new coat of paint. We fortunately did not have to endure the random police checks that occurred during the summit. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Haji Yakoub Mosque - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
The Haji Yakoub Mosque's architecture and design are similar to many of the sites we took in along the Silk Road in Uzbekistan. Mention the Silk Road cities to a Tajik, and he will ensure that you understand that even though the cities are technically incorporated into Uzbekistan, they were historically Tajik cities and belong to Tajikistan. Many ethnic Tajiks still live in Uzbek cities like Bukhara and Samarkand. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Downtown Dushanbe, Tajikistan
All the buildings along Dushanbe's main street - Rudaki - received a new coat of paint before the CIS summit in early October 2007. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Public Phone - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
While all the public telephones in Dushanbe seemed gutted, some entrepreneurs have taken to hooking up their own telephones to the booth and charging people for the use. We haven't figured out how the telephone company bills these entrepreneurs. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Indian Dal and Eggplant - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Our few days in Dushanbe, Tajikistan seemed to revolve around the search for Indian food. We sampled three different Indian restaurants in three days. This tasty and colorful combination of eggplant, dal, and chutney can be found at Delhi Darbar. Recommended. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Old Tajik Man with Hat - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Dushanbe's streets were filled with young people dressed in suits and formal school attire and older men dressed in these hats. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Tajik Vendors at Varzob Bazaar - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
These girls put their competing bread stands aside and joined together for a group photo at Varzob Bazaar in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Tomatoes at Varzob Bazaar - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Early October is tomato time in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Taken at the Varzob Bazaar. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Tajik Woman Hiding Behind Bread - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
At first, this bread girl at the Varzob Bazaar hid behind her pile of loaves when the camera came out. Within a few minutes, she gained her confidence and turned into a ham. Amazing what a few smiles and encouragement can do. Taken in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Dig deeper into Central Asian Cuisine and find out the best and worst of food and markets in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Elderly Woman Vendor - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
From the look in her eyes, this vendor must have seen so much during her life in the Soviet Union and independent Tajikistan. Taken at Varzob Bazaar in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Peppers and Tomatoes at Varzob Bazaar - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Peppers and tomatoes, the foundations for a perfect arrabiata sauce...if only we had access to a kitchen. Taken at the Varzob Bazaar in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Dig deeper into Central Asian Cuisine and find out the best and worst of food and markets in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Tajik Woman Vendor at Varzob Bazaar - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
We were amazed by the variety of faces at the Varzob Bazaar in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Tajik Woman, a Warm Smile - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Taken at Varzob Bazaar in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Tajik Woman at Shah Mansur Market - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Taken at the Shah Mansur Bazaar in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Dig deeper into Central Asian Cuisine and find out the best and worst of food and markets in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Tajik Woman with Unibrow - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Creating a unibrow with eyeliner or charcoal is popular in the Dushanbe market scene, much to the dismay of eyebrow waxers. Taken at Shah Mansur Bazaar in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Dig deeper into Central Asian Cuisine and find out the best and worst of food and markets in the Caucasus and Central Asia. arket.com
Radish Mountain - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
An impressive pile of radishes plays off the surrounding greens at the Shah Mansur Bazaar in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. © www.uncorneredmarket.com
Mansur Bazaar, Selling Brooms - Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Things go a little slow for this broom vendor at the Shah Mansur Bazaar (Green Market) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. © www.uncorneredmarket.com