Museum sights in Dushanbe
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Bekhzod National Museum
The Bekhzod National Museum, on a commanding site on Maydani Ayni, includes standard exhibits on natural history, art, ethnography and archaeology, but little English text. There are a few gems among the filler, including a lovely minbar (mosque pulpit) and mihrab (niche marking the direction of Mecca) from Istaravshan and a fine painting of Lenin meeting oppressed women of the world in Moscow's Red Square.
There's a chilling reconstruction of a zindan (jail) on the 2nd floor. The top floor is given over to a Soviet/presidential collection - look for the alabaster carvings in the stairwell.
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Museum of National Antiquities
The Museum of National Antiquities is the best in the country, focusing on the Greco-Bactrian sites of Takht-i-Sangin (including a small ivory image of Alexander the Great) and Kobadiyan, plus original Sogdian murals from Penjikent and a 6th-century scabbard and hilt in the shape of a griffin. The highlight is the 13m-long sleeping Buddha of Adjina-Tepe (Witches Hill), excavated in 1966.
It dates from the Kushan era, 1500 years ago, and was recently revealed as the largest Buddha figure in Central Asia. Photos aren't allowed. You must put on plastic booties before entering.
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Museum of Musical Instruments
The Museum of Musical Instruments is also known as the Gurminj Museum after the owner, Badakhshani actor Gurminj Zavkybekov. There are lots of antique instruments, including a gijak (fiddle), doira (tambourine/drum) and rubab (six-stringed mandolin), plus old photos and memorabilia. Ask about upcoming musical concerts. The museum is hidden across from the mosaic of justice and next to a district court.
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