Tajikistan: Khujand – Arbob Culture Palace
The Arbob Culture Palacee is not some old palace of a king or khan, but rather a lavish headquarters of the former Soviet collective farm, built in 1950s. It actually was modeled on the Peterhof Winter Palace in St Petersburg – complete with fountains and all the bling. The kitschy building was actually the place where Tajikistan’s independence was proclaimed in 1992, as well as later in 1999 the site of the peace conference following the Tajik civil war, when Emomali Rahmon, the current (and in all likelihood lifetime) President of Tajikistan came to prominence and solidified his power.
