Milestones Icon: The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse

The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse is one of the attractions Boulder residents are most proud to show visitors.

Its colorful ceramic panels, calming indoor fountain and intricate carved ceiling are enough to make any visitor awestruck.

The teahouse was conceived in 1987 when Mayor Maksud Ikramov of Dushanbe, Tajikistan, announced he wanted to give a gift to Boulder in celebration of the two locations’ ties as sister cities.

From 1987 to 1990, more than 40 artisans from Tajikistan worked to create the pieces that would become the teahouse.

The city of Boulder had trouble finding the right location for the gift but finally settled on 1770 13th St. next to the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art and adjacent to Boulder Creek. It opened in 1998. Artists came from Tajikistan to guide local construction workers in putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

The teahouse has hand-carved white plaster tiles in the interior, which took several months to create, along with modern oil paintings by the same artist. The ceiling was painted and carved by hand in a centuries-old style, with no power tools used.

The exterior has eight turquoise ceramic tiles crafted in a Tree of Life design. The Fountain of the Seven Beauties, in the center of the teahouse, is based on a 12th-century Central Asian poem and features seven copper female figures.

The city of Boulder dedicated a Dushanbe Cybercafe to the people of Dushanbe in thanks for the teahouse. It has rows of computers, a kitchen and solar power. Boulder mayor Shaun McGrath and Dushanbe mayor Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev were both present for the dedication.

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