Dushanbe
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/A_view_of_Dushanbe%2C_Tajikistan.jpg/220px-A_view_of_Dushanbe%2C_Tajikistan.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Coat_of_Arms_of_Dushanbe.png/150px-Coat_of_Arms_of_Dushanbe.png)
Dushanbe (Tajik: Душанбе, Persian: دوشنبه) is the capital city of Tajikistan. About 562,000 people live in Dushanbe as of 2000. The name is borrowed from the Persian word for "Monday" (du "two" + shamba or shanbe "day", lit. "day two") and refers to the fact that it was a popular "Monday" market place.