Experience the best of Dushanbe

Dushanbe lies in a valley in western Tajikistan, with snow-capped Hissar mountains to the north, and takes its name from the Persian word for Monday, after a market that once met there. Wide avenues lined with plane trees and fountains run through the city, and Rudaki Park is named for the medieval Persian-language poet Rudaki. The Rohat teahouse, with its tiled and carved interior, is a favourite meeting place.

The National Museum of Antiquities displays a giant reclining Buddha, about thirteen metres long, excavated in the south of the country. Hisor, west of the city, has a restored fortress gate and old madrasas. North of Dushanbe the Varzob valley and the Fann Mountains lead to Iskanderkul, a deep blue lake, and the road to the high Pamirs leaves town to the south-east.

Plov, rice with carrots and meat, qurutob, flatbread soaked in a sour milk sauce with vegetables, samsa pastries, grilled shashlik and lagman noodle soup are staples, with green tea and bazaars piled with dried fruit, nuts and melons. Summers are very hot and dry, winters are cool and wet, and spring and autumn bring pleasant days.