11. The Writers Union Building in Dushanbe features 11 statues of poets, authors and writers. Which statue features centre stage?
From Quiz Asia: All about Tajikistan
Answer:
Rudaki
Rudaki was an 8th century poet and is often described as "Adam of the poets." Unfortunately, only a small fragment of his work has survived history, but he is still considered the father of classical Persian literature. Other renowned authors on the wall include the poet Mirzo Tursunzoda (1911-1977), the Russian author, Maxim Gorky (1868-1936), the Iranian astronomer and mathematician, Omar Khayyam (1048-1131), Iranian writer Abolqasem Lahouti (1887-1957), Uzbeki author and intellectual Sadriddin Ayni (1878-1954) and the Afghani poet, Nūr ad-Dīn 'Abd ar-Rahmān Jāmī (1414-1492), as well as others.
The Writers Union Building was constructed in the 1980s by architect E. Salikhov. Although it is purported to be a Tajik writers monument, only two of the writers featured on the wall were Tajik born, including Mirzo Tursunzoda and Rudaki, the latter of whom has a nearby park named after him. However, Sadriddin Ayni was born in the area of what is now Uzbekistan, but was the first to write a complete novel in the Tajik language.
The tomb of Rudaki is located in the Fan mountains, in the north-west of Tajikistan. After Rudaki's grave was found and confirmed to be authentic, the area was turned into a mausoleum in 1958.