The Mosaics of Dushanbe: A Colorful Walk Through Tajikistan’s Capital

The Mosaics of Dushanbe: A Colorful Walk Through Tajikistan’s Capital was originally published in 2026

My first visit to Tajikistan was 10 years ago. I flew directly into Dushanbe, and after taking a couple of days to get my bearings, I noticed the colorful glasses and stones that comprised Dushanbe’s many mosaics. This was my introduction to Post-Soviet Central Asia, after all.

Back then, I wandered grand avenues of Soviet architecture, not thinking much about it other than that it was a style I found intriguing.

Returning the following year, I realized that Dushanbe had already begun undergoing major work. What I didn’t realize back then was that the pace at which historic buildings were being toppled would only speed up. Fast forward nearly a decade on, and Dushanbe is unrecognizable.

Back then, I didn’t think that rambling through a living outdoor art museum of mosaics was going to be a faded memory. Dushanbe had a way of surprising you, revealing small fragments of history tucked behind treetops and apartment blocks.

These mosaics are more than pretty surfaces. They are time capsules from a period when Tajikistan’s identity was being shaped on walls and tiles, when artists were threading together ancient Persian legends, local folklore, Soviet ideals, and the high mountain landscapes the country is famous for into vibrant public art. They map the soul of the city in color, texture, and chipped earthen edges.

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A Stroll Through History in Tile Form

Dushanbe’s mosaics often show up where you least expect them. One minute you’re dodging Ladas and the next you glance up to find a ten-meter-tall mural celebrating poets, scientists, and mythical heroes. Many were created from the 1960s through the 1980s when monumental art projects were exploding across the Soviet Union. Artists from Tajikistan took that momentum and infused it with local flavor.

Walking through the capital, you spot themes that loop like a visual thread. Zoroastrian fire worship. Epic tales from the Shahnameh. Cotton fields lined with smiling workers. Mountains rising into impossible shades of turquoise and ultramarine. If you look long enough, you start to recognize familiar faces too. Avicenna appears more than once, as does Rudaki, the father of Tajik literature.

What I love most is that these mosaics never feel like clones. Each artist added their own twist, whether it’s the swirling cosmic motifs near universities or the classical, almost Persian miniature style that decorates theaters and cultural centers. It is public art with personality, even decades on.

Neighborhood by Neighborhood: Finding Dushanbe’s Mosaic Icons

My first major face-punch of color happened at the old printing house, which back then housed the original Bella Pizza location. I rounded a leafy corner, and there it was, a swirling mosaic celebrating unity, folklore, and the arts. Its scale made me stop in my tracks, but the details kept me there, scanning every face and pattern. That moment set the tone for the rest of my scavenger hunt.

Down the street, near the city’s cultural institutions, more mosaics pop up like unexpected old friends. Some celebrate literature and science, others the pastoral rhythms of Tajik life. A wander behind the Opera and Ballet Theatre reveals a quieter scene: delicately mosaiced panels of a woman and the sun hidden behind overgrown trees at the Tajik Air Office. Then on the outer edges of Dushanbe, the mosaics get grittier, sometimes faded, sometimes half-hidden behind trees or construction projects. These are my favorites because they feel like secret survivors.

Sadly, many mosaics around the city have been lost as Dushanbe has modernized. Construction booms have demolished buildings without fully documenting what stood on their walls. Rarely were panels removed to be stored until a later date; others were destroyed entirely. When you see one still intact today, especially in older neighborhoods, it feels a bit like safeguarding a memory that could disappear at any time. Every photo feels like an act of preservation in a battle against public artwork culturicide.

A Personal Wandering Through Color

The best part of hunting mosaics in Dushanbe is the wandering itself. Your route becomes a game of creative navigation. You walk two kilometers out of your way because someone swears there’s a portrait of an astronomer made entirely of midnight blue tile. You chase a rumor about a mural that depicts Avicenna surrounded by the cosmos, only to find workers repainting the wall. You stand under a cracked mosaic of mountains glowing in reds and golds at sunset, imagining the artist who stood here decades ago fitting each tile by hand.

These moments gave the city depth for me. Dushanbe is modern and evolving quickly, but the mosaics tie it back to eras of collective creativity, cultural expression, and big artistic ambition. You start to understand Tajikistan beyond landscapes and markets. You see it through stories frozen in stone and glass.

Dushanbe City Center

Shashmaqom – Demolished (Allegedly Stored)

Asror Aminjanov, 1976

The Shashmaqom mosaic on the former Safina TV building was one of Dushanbe’s most iconic pieces of public art, created in 1976 by master mosaicist Asror Aminjanov. Drawing on the classical musical tradition of Shashmaqom, the mural portrayed musicians and instruments in a stone tapestry crafted from hand-selected mountain rock, grounding the work both culturally and physically in Tajikistan’s landscape.

When the building was slated for demolition, residents, artists, and preservationists pushed to save the mosaic, recognizing it not just as a decorative façade but as a symbol of national heritage that blends centuries-old musical tradition, Soviet era creativity, and deep community memory. Read more about the Shashmaqom Mosaic’s fate in this Asia Plus TJ article.

Tajik Air Office

Asror Aminjanov, 1976

Tajik Air resumed service in 2024 after suspending all flights in 2019, albeit only servicing domestically (including the famed Dushanbe-Khorog route).

That said, its main office on Lohuti Street is gasping its last breaths as the building is in the process of demolition, including this beautiful mosaic by Asror Aminjanov depicting a Tajik woman and sun floating about an old Tajik Air jet.

Puppet Theatre

Sangov Yusufchan, 1985

The Dushanbe Puppet Theatre is a city landmark, and its mosaic façade feels like something pulled straight from a storybook. The exterior is decorated with a playful palette, dreamlike scenes that mirror the magic that happens onstage inside, with brightly colored tiles arranged into characters, animals, and folkloric motifs that Tajik children have grown up with for generations.

Created during the Soviet era, the mosaic celebrates the imagination and whimsy of traditional puppet arts while subtly weaving in elements of Tajik folklore and mythology.

Tajik Film Studio

Asror Aminjanov, 1970-72

The mosaic on the Tajik Film Studio building is one of Dushanbe’s most striking tributes to the republic’s artistic ambition.

The mosaic itself features a veiled woman and an eye, created during a period when monumental public art flourished across the Soviet Union.

Goddess Themis

Sangov Yusufchan, 1987

Perched above the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Tajikistan, the mosaic of Goddess Themis feels like a quiet guardian of justice watching over the city. Themis, a powerful figure in Greek mythology, is known as the goddess of divine law, fair custom, oracles, and the embodiment of justice.

Blindfolded and balancing a set of scales in one hand and a sword in the other, her figure is rendered in rich blues that gleam softly in the sun. The image blends classical symbolism with the unmistakable geometric flair of Soviet era design.

Dushanbe Tobacco Factory

Safarov Rakhim, 1987

The old Dushanbe Tobacco Factory once stood as one of the city’s industrial powerhouses, and its mosaic work reflects scenes of its proud cultural identity. The façade features scenes of Mehrgan (Мехреган), the Persian holiday with roots in Zoroastrianism, celebrating Mithra, the deity of friendship, trust, and love.

The holiday also marks the time of harvest, as can be seen depicted in the mosaic with people collecting fruit, paired with images of celebration, music, and dancing, as Mehrgan marks a major season of weddings in Tajikistan.

Guliston Hotel

Rakhimov Abrurakhmon, 1981-83

Likely the most architecturally interesting of Dushanbe’s accommodations, the Guliston Hotel is clad in beautiful mosaic work. The outer sides of the building running along Bukhoro, Pulodi, and Tehran Streets show off lovely tile work, interrupted by cultural images. Continue toward the backside of the Guliston Hotel from Tehran and be rewarded with a mosaic named свадьбаn (wedding) on many maps.

Rudaki Monument

Sabzali Sharipov, 2007

A newer addition to Dushanbe’s mosaic works, the Rudaki Monument sits smack in the middle of Rudaki Park. The monument’s centerpiece is a statue of Tajikistan’s father of literature, and forming a giant arch overtop of him is a mosaicked masterpiece bursting in a kaleidoscope of jewel-toned colors.

Old Printing House

Murivat Beknazarov, 1979

Once the location of Dushanbe’s Printing House, and later Bella Pizza’s original home, this colorful mosaic depicts traditional and modern people at work with lines from a poem about knowledge, belonging to the Persian poet Abdurakhman Jomi, unfurling above them.

St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral

TBD, 1943; renovations 2005-2011

Constructed in 1943 during a strange window of time when tensions between the USSR and the Patriarchal Church softened. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent Tajik Civil War, the majority of Dushanbe’s orthodox population fled the country, and the cathedral fell into ruins until 2005-2011 when major renovations took place.

The cathedral features mosaics in traditional Orthodox style, with tiles that feature saints and religious motifs rendered in soft, glowing colors.

Upper Cable Car Station

Engineer: V. Lajava, 1980

Dushanbe’s cable car has been out of service for eons, but the upper cable car station building is still sitting atop the hill overlooking the city from Victory Park. For the longest time, the upper station had a functioning cafe in it, but these days it’s just sat, decaying.

It’s still a worthwhile venture to make the journey up to Victory Park to peep at the old upper cable car station and to soak in sunset views over the monstrosity that once was just home to a dusty Monday bazaar, hence the city’s name.

Lohuti Theatre – Soon to be Demolished

TBD, 1929

Named after Kermanshah-born poet and political activist Abulqosim Ahmadzoda Lohuti, the A. Lohuti Tajik Academic Drama Theater opened in October 1929.  In 1933, the theater was named after Lohuti, who was also the author of the Anthem of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic.

Lohuti Theatre is soon to be torn down in the demolition craze of Dushanbe, a long-standing landmark of the city. Read about the order to demolish both Lohuti Theatre and Chaikhana Rohat in 2024, with local government officials claiming ”non-compliance” as the reasoning, which is vague, at best.

Chaikhana Rohat – Demolished

Abdurakhmanov I.A.; Designers- Stefan Anisimov, Konstantin Terletsky, and Daniil Gendlin;Tajik painter- Mirzorahmat Alimov, 1958

Chaikhana Rohat was a Dushanbe institution, among the oldest of Tajikistan’s surviving teahouses. Rohat, unfortunately, met her demise in March 2025, razed to the ground where she once stood. This, coming even after many years of public outcry to not destroy the historic building, but there seems to be nothing that will stop the ruling powers from erasing everything that made Dushanbe unique to make space for the same hideous, characterless copy/paste high-rise that is the new Dushanbe.

Chaikhana Rohat opened its doors in 1958, and over the years has hosted numerous dignitaries, visiting politicians, artists, tourists, and locals alike. It was a great meeting place that served up consistently good Central Asian fare at an affordable cost.

Land of Tajikistan (Airport Station) – Demolished

Gurdzhiev L.I., Khanin N., 1988-90

Demolished in the summer of 201, this colorful mosaic featured a woman in a red dress and the familiar sprigs of cotton as the centerpiece and depicted workers, both traditional and modern.

West of Dushanbe City Center Mosaics

Thermal Power Engineers of Tajikistan

Khushbakhtov, Habibullayev, Cherednichenko, 1970

Dedicated to the thermal power engineers of Tajikistan, this mosaic showcases images of thermal workers and scientists on the job. It is located on a thermal power plant west of the city center.

Exploration of Outer Space – Soon to be Demolished

Rakhnaev, Ilyaev, and Grigorov, 1988

Philosopher and physician of the Islamic Golden Age, Ibn Sino (aka Avicenna), is the main focal point of this famous Dushanbe mosaic, which also depicts cosmonauts, scientists, a rocket launch, and time- all topics Ibn Sino’s work has influenced.

Just after the new year in January 2026, news hit that the Exploration of Outer Space is to be demolished. Dushanbe’s culturicide on public art continues…

Three Generations

Nikolai Sadukov & Yakob Begimov, 1979

This mosaic is about intergenerational connection, with a grandfather, father, and son each representing the traditions of the past (grandfather), present (the father at work tending to a plant), and the future (represented by the son dressed in his school uniform).

Tajikistan is still a largely traditional society, though life in the big cities, such as Dushanbe, is changing rapidly.

Celebrating Labor

Nikolai Sadukov & Yakob Begimov, 1979

This mosaic on the building just adjacent to Three Generations is a celebration of labor with a woman in a red dress holding a sprig of cotton at the center, along with two men. In the time of the USSR, cotton was the Tajik SSR’s economy.

In the background, artists, both musicians and filmmakers, are hard at work. Showcasing Tajikistan’s industry with the arts.

Tajikistan Textile Factory

Salokhiddin Aloviddinov or Sangov Yusufchan, 1984 or 1985

The Tajikistan Textile Factory features two large, colorful mosaics. One shows three women dancing, one holding a boll of cotton over her head, to the song a karnay, a long traditional trumpet played in Tajikistan and across much of what was known back then as the greater Russian-Turkestan area. After all, cotton was the centerpiece of Tajikistan’s textile industry.

The second mosaic features two women in conversation at the focal point and a couple down off to the corner, the man appearing in a work uniform, all set in front of a rainbowy, psychedelic background.

Administrative building of the Dushanbe Fat Processing Plant

TBD, TBD

Marked on some maps as the administrative building for the Dushanbe Oil and Fat Processing Plant, this mosaic features a more muted palette than some of its cousins nearby. The mosaic’s centerpiece is that of a veiled woman adorned with jewelry. Behind her are four women, one of which holding up the glorious cotton boll, the driver of the Soviet Tajikistan’s economy, all in front of a blaring sun.

I’m not sure the exact story behind the mosaic, but it reminds me of the story of the Yagnobi people who were forcefully moved to Zafarobod and other areas in the Fergana Valley, and a scattering of locations in the Khatlon Region in the 1950s-1970s to tend the cotton fields. Many of the Yagnobis did not survive the extreme searing summers of Khatlon and Fergana.

Dushanbe Sweets Factory

Komil Yodgorov and Zokir Sobirov, TBD

The mosaic on the Dushanbe Sweets Factory is a giant colorful storybook of scenes of Mehrgon, Zoroastrian symbolism, and Tajik culture. With women harvesting pomegranates from a tree (a symbol of fertility, and for the Zoroastrians, the immortality of the soul and perfection of nature), a father and son in conversation, a couple at their wedding stood over a table heaving with harvest, women dancing, and musicians filling the air with song.

Khrushchevka Bas-Reliefs

TBD, 1970

While not a mosaic, bas-reliefs were a common adornment for public buildings during the Soviet era. These two side-by-side Khrushchevka apartment blocks on Ismoil Somoni Avenue feature giant bas reliefs. One with a geometric pattern, the other a flower.

Peace & Love

N. Prosmushkin, 1971

Peace and Love illustrates a scene of both men and women kneeling to lift a dove. All in front of a subtle sickle in the background.

Tajikistan Mural, Asia Express Terminal

TBD, TBD

Step inside the Asia Express Bus Terminal and be met with a long mural that spans the width of the building, portraying scenes from the Sughd region.

Starting on the left, you’ll see imagery of the M34 route cutting through the Fann Mountains, with the famed Tunnel of Terror (Anzob Tunnel) in view.

Over to the right, delineates the city of Ayni with trucks carrying bounty down from the mines. Continuing across, note people tending to fields, overlooking the mountains, and a modern city further over.

Finally, the people tending the fields give way to a processional of trekkers climbing into nature, reminiscent of Dukdon Pass in the Fann Mountains.

Kinotheatre Tajikistan – demolished

Khabibulloev Zukhur, 1982 or 84

Unfortunately, Kinotheatre Tajikistan, one of the largest mosaics in the country, met its demise. The mosaic represented a happy and abundant life.

State Circus of Tajikistan

G. Aizhovich, T. Volvak, and E. Erzovskii, 1976

While not a mosaic, the State Circus of Tajikistan is one of the remaining pieces of Soviet modernist architecture in Dushanbe.

The circus is still active to this day. Tickets are sold at the circus, and you can go there to see which shows are on rotation for the following week. Tickets run around 100 TJS per person.

Northwest Dushanbe Mosaics

Dushanbe Maternity Ward No. 3 Reception Hall

Sangov Yusufchan, 1988

Inside this maternity ward is a delicate mosaic celebrating new life with a doctor performing a cesarean and a nurse holding a newborn. Soft colors, flowing shapes, and nurturing imagery create a gentle, reassuring atmosphere. It stands out as one of the city’s most intimate pieces of monumental art.

Palace of Culture, Ispechak – Dehkanch

Murivat Beknazarov, 1970

These days, the building houses the Ispechak-Dehkanch Palace of Culture, but this was the former community center of the Pobeda Collective Farm. These colorful mosaics describe scenes that would have taken place on the collective farm, with one of the mosaics featuring women and men in traditional dress harvesting fruit from a tree, while the other shows a man releasing doves at the center.

School No. 81

Gurdjiev L.I., 1974

School No. 81 has not one, but three mosaics adorning a trio of buildings on the school grounds. The first one you will pass from the entrance is that of a young woman with arms extended as if she’s aiming a bow. A golden eagle flies above her as a deer poses behind her.

The second is a young man holding a peacock on his arm, accompanied by both a dog and a cat, all standing in front of a Zoroastrian take on the sun.

The third shows another young man with three peacocks twirling around him.

Kindergarten Anisa

TBD, TBD

Kindergarten Anisa features two mosaics showing children partaking in scenes of Tajik life, at least from what we could see from behind the high walls around the school. I assume the gates are open during the week, but we were passing by on the weekend.

Borbad Hall

Sergo Sutyagin, 1984

Borbad Hall is another great Soviet modernist architectural piece in Tajikistan. Borbad serves as a concert and exhibition hall for Dushanbe.

The structure houses numerous bas-reliefs throughout the complex, some of which depict life in Tajikistan, while others are abstract pieces.

North Dushanbe Mosaics

Guldasta

Rakhimov Abrurakhmon, 1976-77 (or 82-83)

The Guldasta building is one of Dushanbe’s most colorful mosaics. The entire outer wall that faces out to Gagarin Street is covered in tiles in a beautiful blue traditional motif and features four different panels showing Tajik dance, celebration, and Shashmaqom.

My favorite is the mosaic inside the complex (proceed through the gate), which shows women in traditional dress dancing while holding pillows covered in traditional Suzani designs. Above is a beautiful carpet.

The Success of the Corporation (Tajik Goods Union)

Kamil Yodgorov, 1982-84

Inside the covered courtyard within the Tajikmatlubot building, this mosaic showcases agricultural and industrial achievements, filled with proud workers, harvest scenes, and symbolic imagery tied to productivity. It is a classic piece of Soviet optimism, created to inspire confidence in collective progress.

The outer walls of the building used to be quite a cool Soviet modernist piece, but unfortunately underwent a design change in 2024, which resulted in, in my opinion, a characterless exterior.

Pedagogical University Mosaic – demolished

Khanin Nikolai, 1975

The grand mosaic that used to sit in front of the Tajik Pedagogical University was destroyed in 2017. Its loss was significant, removing one of the city’s strongest artistic statements about learning and national development. Local administration claimed it was demolished because it projected out too close to Rudaki Avenue; however, upon inspection of the images of the mosaic, it shows a wide berth between the building and the avenue, with pedestrians walking in front of the building.

It showcased interesting geometric forms that look like a golden flower unfurling images of life scenes within its extending petals.

Southern Dushanbe Mosaics

Construction Scene Mosaic

TBD, TBD

This small mosaic shows a crane over buildings and a tulip within the bounds of a pentagon, hung high on a khrushchevka near Sakhovat Bazaar.

Spring

TBD, 1980

On an apartment building across Firdausi Avenue from Sakhovat Bazaar is a large mosaic of a woman in a red dress appearing to open the windows and curtains of her home while holding a sprig of small red flowers over her head.

City Gate Housing

TBD, 1970

City Gate Housing is a monstrous apartment block featuring several murals that include images of Tajik film, screenwriting, and the arts.

East of Dushanbe Mosaics

CTO Zhiguli

TBD, TBD

A few kilometers before the taxi stand for cars bound for the Rasht (Karotegin) Valley, and across the road is a building with a large sign atop ‘CTO Zhiguli’ and a small mosaic high up on the corner of the building. It’s unclear if the name is just the name of the auto maintenance shop marked on the maps or if it used to be a Zhiguli dealership. Zhiguli was a brand that was largely sold under the Lada brand on the export market.

Why The Mosaics Matter

Dushanbe’s mosaics are more than public art. They represent identity, pride, and resilience. They connect pre-Soviet culture with Soviet-era aesthetics and modern Tajik heritage. They offer glimpses into how artists saw themselves within their communities, drawing inspiration from mountain landscapes, mythology, agriculture, science, and the diverse peoples of Tajikistan.

Many outsiders write these monumental works off as Soviet propaganda that should be demolished, but not all of these pieces are dedicated to the ‘glory to collectivism’ that many choose to blanket these works under. Many depict stories that predate the arrival of the Russian expeditions and the accession into the USSR; a considerable number feature imagery of Tajik culture.

For travelers, these mosaics turn the city into an open-air gallery. For locals, they often hold the nostalgia of childhood streets, neighborhood histories, and the creativity of a generation that built its stories into the architecture itself. The majority of the artists behind these works were local artisans.

Final Thoughts on the Mosaics of Dushanbe

Exploring Dushanbe through its mosaics changed the way I experienced the city. It wasn’t just about finding pretty murals. It became a deeper journey into Tajik identity, into the way art threads through everyday life, and into the stories that survive even when buildings do not. If you ever find yourself in Dushanbe, take a slow morning and wander with no plan. Let the mosaics pull you along. They usually do.

And if you spot one perched on the side of a school or half-faded on a Soviet block, take a moment to appreciate it. These works are some of the city’s most expressive storytellers, and they deserve all the love they can get, especially as many are disappearing to soulless “modernization”.

Have Any Questions About the Mosaics of Dushanbe?

Have questions about any of these monumental works around Dushanbe? Been to Dushanbe and have any to add? Let us know in the comments section below.

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