100 Somoni Rogun Dam

The Rogun Dam, situated on the Vakhsh River in southeastern Tajikistan, has been one of the most politically contentious infrastructure projects in Central Asia for decades. Originally conceived during the Soviet period in the 1970s, construction was abandoned after the USSR collapsed and Tajikistan descended into civil war. When work resumed in earnest under President Rahmon, Uzbekistan repeatedly objected — arguing the dam would disrupt downstream irrigation critical to its cotton agriculture — straining bilateral relations for years.

The dam's first generating unit finally came online in November 2018, the same year this coin was issued. At its planned height of 335 meters, Rogun is designed to be the tallest dam in the world.