Cultural places of interest of Dushanbe.

“The king ordered him to serve three cups.
He asked, "What else can you say?"
And Gurgsar answered: “O glorious
Lord with a lion's heart, sovereign husband!
Don't challenge fate here!
Here the lion and the lioness will meet you.
At the sight of them, the blood freezes in the veins,
Ahriman himself cannot defeat them.”

The second feat of Isfandiar. Ferdowsi Shahnameh.

Cultural sights of Dushanbe.

The zoo is located between Somoni Avenue and Nizomi Ganjavi Street, in the northwestern part of Komsomolskoye Lake, on the right bank of the Dushanbinka River, in the city of Dushanbe. The zoo has been operating since 1961.
In 1961, its area was 1.5 hectares. In 2004, the territory of the zoo already amounted to 6.7 hectares, of which 4 hectares were occupied by animal expositions, outbuildings and reservoirs, 2.17 hectares - by the park zone. The number of species ranged from 41 (in 1961) to 384, livestock - from 121 to 2524.
Different species of animals were kept. Of those contained in the zoo, 138 species were listed in the Red Book in 1991 and 24 species in 2004. The zoo has sections of predators, ungulates, monkeys, birds, reptiles and fish, in addition, a section has been prepared for keeping a hippopotamus.
The terrarium contains more than 18 varieties of snakes. Vivarium for rearing and breeding rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, frogs - for reptile feed. The zoo in Dushanbe was one of the best in the Soviet Union, in 1974 there were about 1059 animals.
The relatively mild local climate has made it possible to shelter many exotic tropical representatives of the fauna. In 1991, the zoo found itself on the verge of closing due to the cessation of state funding, the institution remained functioning only thanks to the responsibility and enthusiasm of the workers.
Currently, the Dushanbe Zoo houses about 600 animals and is the only institution in the country that maintains the natural habitat of wild animals. The zoo in 1991 was visited by 813,239 people. The zoo had strong ties with the zoos of the republics of the former USSR, as well as Germany, England, the USA, Kenya, etc.
As a result of the civil war, 95% of the animals on display at the zoo died. Since the beginning of the 2000s, restoration work has been carried out at the zoo, new specialists have been attracted. Contracts have been concluded with dekhkan (farm) enterprises for the supply of animal feed.
The zoo's collection continues to be replenished, including agreements with zoos in Moscow and St. Petersburg for the supply of certain animal species. Today, the zoo contains 130 species of animals. Dushanbe Zoo has been a member of the Eurasian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums (ERAZA) since 2007 and maintains constant communication between zoos of the CIS and Baltic countries, as well as with Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Bulgaria.
In 2015, they announced the construction of a new zoo. This zoo is being built like a safari. None of the animals in the Dushanbe Zoo lives in their natural habitat, all are kept in cages, which are often unacceptable in size.
The conditions of the zoo are very harsh for animals, especially due to the fact that there is no specialized medical care in the institution. The zoo purchased a hippopotamus. For its maintenance, an aviary with winter and summer pools was prepared.
The appearance of a hippopotamus named Tursunboy in the capital's zoo in July 2011 was reported by almost all local media. The appearance of the hippopotamus was expected for almost 20 years, and the process of negotiations with the zoo of the city of Shymkent of Kazakhstan lasted four years.
In early February 2012, 7-year-old hippo Tursunboy died. In caring for the animal, it happened due to the fact that the city zoo does not have such a specialist who could know the physiology and psychology of this animal.
Here you can see lions, jaguars, leopards, brown and black bears, camels, wolves, jackals, foxes, raccoons, as well as owls and vultures. In addition, snakes, caimans and lizards live here. The favorites of the public are two Indian elephants. This place is perfect for entertaining and educational family holidays.
Geographical coordinates of Zoo in city of Dushanbe: N38°35'05.41" E68°46'19.13"

Authorship:
The Tourist guidebook on monuments of Dushanbe. 2012.

 Photos by
 Alexander Petrov.