The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse turned 25 this month and an exhibit entitled “25 Years of Global Friendship: The Story of the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse” opened at the Museum of Boulder on April 7.  The exhibition, telling the story of the beginnings of the relationship between sister cities, Boulder, and Dushanbe and how the Teahouse became a symbol of global friendship, corporation and relationships, runs through June 18. 

The Museum’s website says the exhibit follows the evolution of the teahouse, “which is the only authentic Persian teahouse in North America.”   

The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse is nestled against the Rocky Mountain Foothills in Boulder Colorado. Sitting alongside Boulder Creek in Central Park, the Teahouse is considered one of Boulder’s most attractive and popular tourist attractions, as well as being a local favorite for great food, tea, and atmosphere.

The Dushanbe Teahouse was created as a gift to the city of Boulder, Colorado, from its sister city Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, in 1987.  At the time Tajikistan was a part of the Soviet Union, as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic.  Forty artisans from Tajikistan made the teahouse over a period of two years.  Completely built by hand without the use of any power tools, the Teahouse was constructed in Dushanbe.  It was disassembled, crated up, and sent halfway around the world to be rebuilt in Boulder as a symbol of friendship and cultural exploration.  The elaborate and creative teahouse now sits as a reminder to the citizens of Boulder to value cultural diversity, global cooperation, and international friendship.