Dushanbe, Tajikistan 01 June 2011

Dushanbe means “monday” in Tajik and was always a great Monday market. The city has ambition and may be resources to meet its ambitions but it is committing the same mistake as elsewhere.

Rulers feel that modernity and development can only be achieved by erasing the past and building monuments and nowadays preferably glass towers Dubai style. The temptation here is strong. I was taken to the Mayor and the Minister of Construction and architecture to plead for the past and the cultural identity of the place. It may help hopefully. Nul n’est prophète en son pays. My words seem to weigh more than my fellow local architects .

The people here offer a wide range of faces and combination unseen in many places. From the darker Iranian, Indian type to the Chinese/Mongol looking to the fair skinned blondes. But most amazing are their eyes which seem to be always light coloured whether grey, green or brown. It is not a surprise to see a very fair skin with Chinese small blue eyes and the head covered.