Tajikistan Travel

Tajikistan has the smallest area among the Central Asian states, but surpasses them all in height and surrounds more and higher mountains than any other country in the region. Various ethnic ties and external influences further complicate Tajikistan's national identity. Tajiks also have strong ties to Iranian culture and people; The Tajik and Persian languages are closely related and mutually intelligible.

Tajikistan is an extraordinary place and there is so much to do, from places like the Silk Road mystical Khujand and Istaravshan, to the stunning, untouched mountain scenery of the Pamir and the accompanying charm of unclimbed peaks and pristine trekking routes. The Fann Mountains can be a good alternative to the Pamir. It is easy to reach and offers good trekking options.

Tajikistan has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the first urban area of Sarazm in Panjakent, and the Tajik National Park, which encompasses the Pamir in the east of the country. The mountains of Tajikistan are among the highest mountains in the world, with three peaks higher than 7,000 m and more than half of the country being above 3,000 m above sea level.

History

The ancestors of the Tajiks, the descendants of the Iranian peoples who were constantly present in Central Asia and northern Afghanistan from the middle of the 1st millennium BC, formed the core of the ancient Khorezm and Bactrian populations that formed part of Transoxiana. They were incorporated into the Persian and Alexander the Great empires and were later invaded by the Kushans and Hepthalites in the 1st-6th centuries AD. Over time, Persian, a western dialect spoken in Iran and Afghanistan, eventually took the place of the eastern Iranian dialect used by the ancient Tajiks.

The 7th century brought Islam to the region along with the Arabs. With the rise of the Samanids, the Tajiks came under the rule of an Iranian dynasty. The first Turkish invaders captured this part of Transoxiana in 999, and over time many Tajiks became Turkic. This resulted in the transformation of a formerly purely Iranian land into "Turkestan". The name Tajik, originally given to Arabs by the local population, began to be applied by Turkish invaders and overlords to elements of the settled population who continued to speak Iranian languages.

Until the mid-18th century, the Tajiks were part of the Bukhara emirate, but later the Afghans conquered the lands south and southwest of the Amu Darya with the Tajik population, including the ancient Tajik cultural centre of Balkh.

Dushanbe

Tajikistan is gaining more and more popularity as a tourist destination. Getting to the country is easy, you do not need to apply for a visa and there is no less entertainment here than in other countries. Tajikistan is notable for its colour, hot climate and mystery. It is known for its amazing nature. There are unique natural beauties of the Pamirs, "black lake" - Lake Karakul, which is popular with tourists from all over the world, mountain glaciers, alpine meadows, and thermal springs. Tajikistan is famous for its historical monuments, buildings, ancient cities. Tajiks are hospitable people and offer rich oriental cuisine.

There are also 13 districts of republican subordination in the central part of the country and the city of Dushanbe, the capital of the Republic of Tajikistan. Each region is divided into districts, which in turn are also divided into jamoats (former village councils), and then into dekha (villages). The capital and the adjacent eight districts form a separate administrative-territorial unit.

Representatives of more than 80 nationalities live in Tajikistan, among which the leading are Tajiks (80%), Uzbeks (15.3%), Russians (1.1%), and Tatars (0.3%). In addition to Tajikistan, Tajiks also live in Uzbekistan (about 4%), in northeastern Afghanistan (over 3.5 million people), in the border regions of Kyrgyzstan, southeastern Kazakhstan and in the Iranian province of Khorasan.

Dushanbe is a city in Tajikistan, which is the political, cultural and economic centre of the country. The city is full of history. Walking around the city, you can see grey-bearded elders sipping tea in a teahouse, and even a peasant on a donkey. In the eateries, you can taste pilaf made according to an old recipe. Dushanbe is known for a large number of recreation areas. These are well-groomed parks with stunning nature and wonderful fountains, a water park, a zoo.

Dushanbe is famous for sights such as the Hisor fortress. This fortress is considered an important historical heritage of Dushanbe, which has two Muslim theological schools, a mausoleum and a large square. Museum of Antiquity, Museum of Archaeology and Museum of Ethnography - will tell about the history of Tajikistan. The Republican Library keeps valuable manuscripts of great people.

Istaravshan

Istaravshan is a city located in the Sughd region. It is located in the northern part of the Republic of Tajikistan, in the foothills of the Turkestan ridge, 78 kilometres from the city of Khujand, at an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level.

Istaravshan was founded in the 6th century BC by the Persian king Cyrus from the Achaemenid dynasty. "King of the Kings" Cyrus (529-559 BC) named the new city in his honour, namely, Cyropolis (or Kurushkada). Cyropolis owes its origin to the growth of handicraft production and trade.

By the time, Alexander the Great conquered Central Asia (in the 4th century BC), place was already a large, well-fortified city. By the way, it was here, near the city walls, that Alexander the Great was wounded for the first time. Then, by order of Alexander, due to frequent uprisings of the local population, the city was destroyed.

2nd - 7th centuries BC - this is the time when the settlement of Mugteppa was located on the territory of Istaravshan, where the local aristocracy lived, who erected here numerous castles with a peculiar, expressive architecture. This is evidenced by the discovered settlements Bunjikat (Kala and the Kakh-kakha fortress) and Chilhujra. In Bunjikat, in particular, a painting was found depicting a she-wolf feeding two babies. This drawing can be called evidence of contacts between the West and the East.

During the years of Arab rule, Islamic architectural structures of portal-domed structures appeared - mosques, madrasahs, mausoleums, minarets. The rapid development of Istaravshan is associated with the reign of the Samanid dynasty (9-10 centuries). The representatives of this dynasty were the first ethnic people who are now the progenitor of modern Tajiks.

The 13th century became a turning point for Istaravshan in its entire history. It was destroyed by the Mongols. The second period of the city's prosperity falls on the 15th century, when the powerful Timurid empire was formed. At this time, the city was named Ura-Tyube.

In the 16th century, Maverannahr (and with it Ura-Tyube) loses its significance as a result of the formation of a new state of Sheybanids with its capital in Bukhara.

In 1886, Ura-Tyube became part of Russia.

A number of interesting historical and architectural monuments, evidence of the bright historical past of the city, have been preserved in Istaravshan to this day. In Istaravshan, the city market has been improved. There are many ancient medieval historical monuments in the city, including 7 historical monuments of republican significance, 14 architectural monuments of city significance, 30 architectural monuments of regional significance.

Of particular note in Istaravshan are such ancient monuments as the Mugteppa settlement, the Kakh-kakha fortress, Childukhtaron, the Kok-Gumbaz madrasah, the Bobotago mausoleum, the Khudoyor Valami mausoleum, the Khazrati Shokh mausoleum and mosque, the Sari-Gumbaz Ensemble, and others.

Khujand

One of the oldest cities in Central Asia. The second largest city in Tajikistan, an important transport hub, political, economic, cultural and scientific centre of the country.

The Khujand fortress is located in the left-bank part of the city of Khujand, the centre of the Sughd region, in the form of a high hill. It is an architectural structure, whose age is almost equal to the age of the city itself - more than 2500 years. The first fortress was built in the 6th-5th centuries BC. From the first to the 3rd century AD, that is, during the heyday of the Great Silk Road, the fortress and the city wall were rebuilt. Initially, they were built from an embankment, and then it was changed to wet clay. The city of Khujand has also increased in area. It was divided into three parts - the citadel (a fortress intended for the defence of the city), rabad (the trading rows of the city) and shahristan (the location of the authorities, as well as workshops). The remains of these fortifications were found under the central part of the left-bank Khujand and surround the territory of the ancient city with an area of 20 hectares.

With the development of the economy, trade, system of government and population, the city grows. In the 6th-7th centuries, a new fortress was built. Medieval Khujand consisted of three main parts: citadel, shahristan and rabad. The citadel was located on the banks of the Syr Darya at the gates of the rabad. The medieval Khujand fortress was considered one of the most fortified in Central Asia.

During the invasion of Genghis Khan (1219-1220), a 25,000-strong army with 50,000 Central Asian captives was sent to siege the city. The heroic defense of the Khujand fortress and the island located not far from it on the Syr Darya under the leadership of Timurmalik is one of the brightest pages in the history of the liberation struggle of the Tajik people. As a result of the Mongol invasion, the Khujand fortress was destroyed. According to the historian Hofiz Abru, at the beginning of the 15th century, the fortress lay in ruins. According to Zakhiriddin Babur, already at the end of the 15th century, the fortress was restored and was the residence of the local ruler.

Territory & Nature

More than ninety percent of Tajikistan's territory is mountainous; about half are at an altitude of 3,000 meters or more above sea level. Part of the Tien Shan system, the Trans-Regiment range reaches north. The massive ranges of the southern Tien Shan—the Turkestan Mountains and the slightly lower Zeravshan and Gissar ranges—describe the east-central part of the country. The ice-covered peaks of the Pamir mountain system cover the southeast. Some of Central Asia's highest mountains, particularly the Ibn Sina and Imeni Ismail Samani peaks, are found in the northern part of the Pamir. While the valleys are important to the Tajik people, they make up less than ten percent of the country's area. The largest are the western part of the Fergana Valley in the north and the Gissar, Vakhsh, Yavansu, Obikiik, Lower Kafirnigan and Panj valleys in the south.

Tajikistan's climate is sharply continental and varies due to altitude. In the warm-temperate valley regions, summers are hot and dry; The average temperature in July is 27 °C in Khojand and 30 °C further south in Kulyab. The corresponding January figures are -1 °C and 2 °C, respectively. Temperatures of -20 °C and below have been recorded in very cold winters. Annual precipitation is light and ranges from 150 to 250 millimetres, but is higher in the Gissar Valley. Conditions are different in the highlands: the average January temperature for Murgab in the Pamir is -20 °C and temperatures can drop to −46 °C. Precipitation in this area barely reaches 2-3 inches per year, with most falling during the summer months. Humid air masses move from the west to the valleys, suddenly reaching low-temperature areas and producing locally heavy rains, especially heavy snowfall of 30 to 60 inches annually.

A few lakes in Tajikistan are mostly located in the Pamir region; the largest is Lake Karakul, located at an altitude of about 13,000 feet. Lake Sarez was formed during an earthquake in 1911 when a massive landslide dammed the Murgab River. The Zeravshan Range includes Iskenderkul, which, like most of the country's lakes, is of glacial origin.