The Democratic Party of Tajikistan (DPT) leader, Saidjaffar Usmonzoda, who is also member of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament), has applied to Dushanbe Mayor Rustam Emomali for not demolishing a number of Soviet-era buildings in the Tajik capital, including Rohat Teahouse, Opera and Ballet Theater, Abulqosim Lohuti Theater, Dushanbe Hotel, and the main building of the Tajik National University.
Usmonzoda notes in his appeal that these historical buildings should not be demolished in memory of the period of life of the Tajik people in the Soviet Union.
At the same time, DPT leader proposes to change appearances of a number of buildings, “which had been built in the Soviet time under the slogan of “internationalism.” He, in particular, proposes to change the appearance of the Kokhi Borbad State Complex building, "which had been built in the form of “a Mongolian yurt.”
Recall, CNN in 2017 listed the Rohat chaikhana (teahouse) located in Dushanbe among eleven of the world’s best teahouses.
Literally translated chaikhana means "teahouse," and they can be found all over Tajikistan, CNN says.
Folks — mainly men — once gathered inside chaikhana for discussions, but these days they're a place for anyone to socialize over a cup of tea.
The ornate Rohat in Dushanbe is one of the finest places to lounge and sip tea while enjoying city views, according to CNN.
Meanwhile, Rohat Teahouse has not been inscribed on the list of sites of historical and architectural significance in Dushanbe.
The Opera and Ballet Theater named after Sadriddin Ayni was built in Dushanbe in 1946 and is a classic example of Stalinist architecture.
The Dushanbe Opera and Ballet Theater has a very beautiful architecture. The theater hosts many performances and plays. The first Tajik ballet was performed here and the culture then started to grow and develop. Later, a new wave of Tajik artists became part the Theater and made it very popular. They participated in Russian and Western classic operas and visited Russia.
Demolition of historical buildings in Dushanbe began several years ago as part of ambitious municipal redevelopment plan that includes the construction of modern building and the first was the building of the Main Post Office.
The authorities then demolished the Mayakovsky Russian Drama Theater. Recall, the founding of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic was declared at the Mayakovsky Theater in 1929.
A string of high-profile demolitions soon followed across Dushanbe. There was the Jomi cinema, which when it was erected in the city’s main square in 1956 was one of only five panoramic cinemas in the Soviet Union. Then, in March 2017, the city administration building – built in the 1950s in a style that combined classical European and local architecture – was demolished.
A year later, the city decided to demolish the Green Theatre, a 1933 building that in the 1940s had hosted theatre troupes evacuated from Leningrad and Moscow during the Nazi invasion; the building was demolished in September 2020.
In February 2020, the decision was made to demolish the former presidential palace, which had once been the headquarters of the Tajik Communist Party. Built in 1957 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution, the almond-colored neoclassical building was perceived by many to be inextricably linked to the country’s history. This historic building was demolished to make space for a new, Chinese government-funded palace that will be the centerpiece of a new government complex.
Plans to demolish some of the most popular landmarks in Dushanbe have sparked outrage and city residents have repeatedly signed petitions addressed to the president and Dushanbe mayor.
