KHUJAND, April 7, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- The Arbob Cultural Palace that had previously been property of Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC) named after Saidkhoja Urunkhojayev (Bobojonghafurov district) has been handed over to the Sughd culture directorate.

The source at the Sughd culture directorate says Sughd governor passed an appropriate resolution on this subject on January 20 this year.  “Such a decision was made because the Urunkhojyaev OJSC does not have enough funds to maintain the facility and pay wages to 40 people working with the Arbob Cultural Place,” the source said, noting that both the Urunkhojayev OJSC management and local population agreed with that decision.

According to the Sughd administration, most likely, Dodojon Ghoibov, formerly head of the Tojikstandart (agency for standardization, certification, metrology and trade inspection) office in Sughd, will be appointed director of the Arbob Cultural Palace.

The Arbob Cultural Palace is a building in Bobojonghafurov district, the former headquarters of a Soviet collective farm, built in the 1950s and modeled on the winter gardens of Peterhof, St Petersburg.

The main building consists of three wings - with an ornate theatre seating 800 people in the main wing.  The South wing currently houses a museum which tells the history of Arbob and of collectivization in Tajikistan.  Outside the building is a procession of fountains and rose gardens.  The centre was built under the leadership of Saidkhoja Urunkhojayev, the head of the collective farm.