Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Dushanbe is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. Dushanbe means Monday in the Tajik language. It was so named because it grew from a village that originally had a popular market on Mondays. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe, and from 1929 to 1961 as Stalinabad. As of 2014, Dushanbe has a population of 778,500. Although archaeological remnants dating to the 5th century BC have been discovered in the area, there is little to suggest that Dushanbe was more than a small village until the early 20th century.