Hotel Vahsh (Меҳмонхонай Вахш)- the beloved historic pastel colored hotel of Dushanbe has begun to be demolished . This beautiful building designed in the Neo Classical Stalinist style was part of the ensemble of buildings that formed the elegant Opera Ballet Square (Майдон Опера Балет). I am not sure of the exact date of construction or who was the architect, however considering an old memorial plaque on the building which states that the hotel was used as a military hospital for soldiers during (World War II) it was most likely built before World War II.

I always noticed and admired this building in my visits to Tajikistan in the past. Unfortunately it, like most of Tajikistan’s Soviet era architecture is being senselessly destroyed and replaced with a new tower as part of the president’s ambitions to turn the former calm and green city of Dushanbe into a bustling consumer hub modeled after Dubai.

Considering the building was part of an ensemble of buildings that formed the Opera Ballet Square, it is jarring to think how the previously elegant square with its neo classical architectural language formed by pastel colored 3 or 4 level buildings will be affected by the addition of a 20 to 30 floor tower in its place. It is likely that soon the rest of the buildings of the square will also be destroyed and replaced by towers if this trend does not stop.

*Note the difference in color in the photos is because when I photographed the building in 2022 it was pink, it was repainted blue a year later in 2023.