• March 19, 2024

Culture

Cultural institutions. By the mid-1980s, more than 1,600 libraries were operating in Tajikistan. Of particular importance is the Firdavsi State Library, which houses a significant collection of Oriental manuscripts.

Among the most notable museums in Tajikistan are the Behzod Museum of History, Regional Studies, and Art, and the Ethnographic Museum of the Academy of Sciences, both in Dushanbe. There are also significant museums of history and regional studies in several of the republic’s cities.

The Soviet era saw the introduction of opera and ballet to Tajikistan, as well as the organization of Tajik-style song and dance troupes. Dushanbe opera and Ballet Theater was the first large public building in the city; its construction began in 1939. Dushanbe also has theaters devoted to Tajik and Russian drama, as well as a drama school. There are theaters for music, musical comedy, and drama in several other Tajik cities as well.

In Tajikistan, tea houses are centers of hospitality, easily found near bazaars or by listening for music coming from them onto the street. People (mostly men) meet there for green tea, food, conversation, and chess. The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse offers dishes from Persia and more than seven other countries with uncompromising quality. Tea drinkers will appreciate the generous selection of full-leaf, handpicked teas that are served in a Chats ford pot. Between the ornate Tajik surroundings and the tastefully prepared food and drinks, the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse is a memorable spot you will want to revisit.

Fine fabrics and carpet making. For the people of the near and Middle East, carpets, runners, curtains and various types of cushions essentially took the place of furniture. Carpets were divided into three types on the basis of the purpose to which they were put: wall carpets; floor carpets and runners; and, lastly, the felt rugs, which were placed under the most richly, decorated carpets.

Carpets of Kayrokum – Carpets and carpet goods from Kayrokum are sold throughout the world. Widely using modern patterns and color combinations, Tajik carpet-makers at the same time-keep a perfect harmony and balance between the form and colors and it is this combination that makes Kayrokum carpets so original and elegant.
Embroidered skull caps (tyubeteikas) have always been popular among the Tajiks.

During the Soviet years, they became even more popular and were manufactured by numerous artels as well as by individual needleworkers. The tyubeteikas for brides and grooms are especially beautiful. Many Tajiks continue to wear their traditional tyubeteikas with the rest of their western-style wardrobe.

Ceiling Painting and Decoration Art. The painted wood ceiling is an old art among Tajiks (Persians) in Central Asia and Iran. The masterworks can be seen on beautiful mosques, palaces and other buildings in Khojand, Samarqand, Bukhoro, Isfahon, etc.