Dousti Square

Dousti Square
	Tajik Parliament House, Dousti Square, Dushanbe
Native name	Mайдони Дӯстӣ (Tajik); Площадь Дусти (Russian);
Former name(s)	Lenin Square; Ozodi Square; Somoni Square;
Type	Public Square
Maintained by	Mayor of Dushanbe
Location	between Rudaki Avenue and Hofizi Sherozi Avenue, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Coordinates	38°34′26″N 68°47′07″E / 38.57389°N 68.78528°E
Construction
Construction start	1940
Completion	1961
Other
Known for	The central square in Dushanbe used as a venue for state events.

Dousti Square (Tajik: Mайдони Дӯстӣ, lit. 'Friendship Square'; Russian: Площадь Дусти) is a square in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. It is connected to Rudaki Avenue and Hofizi Sherozi Avenue. It is the largest in Dushanbe.^[1]

History

The formation of the square began in the 1930s. Its first building was a 2-storeyed building of the Main Post Office on the axis of Lenin Avenue. In the years 1940-1946 a three-story building of the Government House is being built on the square. In 1949, the symbol of the

Samanid State.^[2]

Landmarks

Building	Architectural details	Function(s)
Parliament Building	During the soviet period it served as the headquarters of the government of the Tajik SSR . It was constructed in 1940 by architect S. Anisimov. It was made with three-stories to accommodate both houses of parliament.	Serves as a government building. It houses the Supreme Assembly of Tajikistan.
Palace of Nations	It was created in 2002 by an Italian contractor Codest International.^[3] The building's 4 has floors, with the last floor being a cupola which measures to 18 meters.^[3]	Serves as the official residence of the President of Tajikistan.^[3]
Monument to Ismoil Somoni	The present area of the statue formerly had a statue of Vladimir Lenin.^[4]	Serves as a national shrine.

Other Landmarks

The Tajik Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Transport and Communications ministries are also located on the square
In 2018, Tajikistan’s tallest ever New Year's tree was installed on the square. In 2015, a tree was installed at Dousti Square for the first time.^[5]

Events

State events

Dousti Square exclusively holds

KAMAZ and the BM-21 Grad rolled through the square. The last Soviet parade was held on the square on 7 November 1990.^[6]^[7]^[8]

The first military parade of independent Tajikistan took place on the square on 23 February 1993, in honor of the founding of the Tajik National Army, which took place that same day.[9] Participants in the parade were attended an induction ceremony in the presence of President Rahmon Nabiyev prior to the start of the parade.

The square also hosted the final part of the inaugurations of President Emomali Rahmon in 2006, 2013, and 2020.^[10]

Rallies

During the

Tajik Civil War

, many rallies supporting either the government of the rebels took place on the square. Protests on the square also took place from 1990-1991 in opposition to Soviet policies.

Gallery

President Ilham Aliyev laying a wreath at the statue of Ismoili Somoni in Dushanbe.
A rally on Ozodi square in 1992.
The
OMON
cordon off two rallies at Ozodi Square.
A celebratory Nowruz sign.
A Christmas tree on the square.
Rudaki Avenue
The flags of the Commonwealth of Independent States situated in front of the Somoni statue ahead of the Dushanbe CIS summit in September 2018.