Dushanbe, Tajikistan

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

Gandush Kuga (Bean Soup) - Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Our guidebook referred to several chickpea specialties that could be found in Tajikistan (in particular, Dushanbe). We searched high and low, but they evaded us. Instead, we discovered this bean soup, gandush kuga, instead. Not quite as flavorful as Mexican bean soup, but not bad with all the fresh herbs on top. © www.uncorneredmarket.com

Tajik Kids - Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Tajik Kids in Alley. Taken in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. © www.uncorneredmarket.com

Tajik Men on Lunch Break - Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Several men take a break for soup and tea at Shah Mansur Bazaar (Green Market) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. © www.uncorneredmarket.com

Shah Mansur Bazaar, Apples - Dushanbe, Tajikistan

This beautiful pile of apples looks like the perfect ingredients for a large dish of apple crisp. Taken at the Shah Mansur Bazaar in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. © www.uncorneredmarket.com