Landmarks in Tajikistan
As a travel destination, Tajikistan leads to Central Asia and a high mountain country that is mostly difficult to access in terms of landscape, as around half of the country’s area is over 3,000 m above sea level. However, Tajikistan reaches far other heights – with the peak Ismal Somoni, whose summit is at 7,483 m and is part of the Pamir with its partly glaciated mountain ranges. Height but also through the foothills of the Hindu Kush, Tienschan and Altai Mountains. In addition, the landscape of Tajikistan is still characterized by some plateaus and lower valleys, the Fergana Basin in the far north, many rivers and the Kara-Kul in the east, one of the largest inland waters in Central Asia. Only 4% are forested, and deserts and semi-deserts also make up some of the land area. Yet: the republic has great diversity in flora and fauna, and even has numerous types of flowers. Among the animal species you will find, for example, golden eagles, martens and wild sheep as well as brown bears and snow leopards. Due to the natural conditions in Tajikistan there are opportunities for hiking, climbing, hunting, flying and skiing. In addition to wellness, because the country has more than 200 thermal and mineral water springs, at which some health resorts have sprung up in the meantime. And finally, as a country with a checkered history and an Islamic country, Tajikistan also has something to offer to those interested in culture. The capital Dushanbe, near the border with Uzbekistan, has a particularly large number of sights. On the one hand, the National Museum, ruins from the last centuries, Monuments, monuments, various sacred buildings, caravanserais and the bazaar, on the other hand the Transcaucasian Railway, which leads to Tashkent and Moscow. Dushane may also offer them the opportunity to take a look at silk making, which is just as traditional in Tajikistan as viticulture.
Dushanbe
Dushanbe, the capital of the country Tajikistan, has given itself an unusual name, because translated it means something like “second day after Saturday”. In order to understand this, you don’t have to leaf through the history book very far, because the former village was called that by the people of the area because the weekly market always took place there on Mondays. But the small town developed into a metropolis, and today it is home to almost 800,000 people.
A fertile valley in the Hissar Mountains
The economic and cultural center of Tajikistan is located in the west of the country at eight hundred meters above sea level in a fertile valley on the Hissar Mountains, whose snow-capped peaks can be seen from Dushanbe. A river called Fuschanbinka flows through the capital and is later dammed in Lake Komsomolsk. Dushanbe has given itself a modern architecture and is of great importance for the economy and trade in Tajikstan. More recently, the place was known for its military base. The historical roots of Dushanbe, which was also called Stalinabad for a longer period of time, go back to the fifth century BC.
The tallest flagpole in the world
The residents of this city are particularly proud of their Tajik National Museum with a 14-meter-long Buddha statue, which was discovered more than five years ago in the south of the country. It is one of the largest representations in the world. The government palace and the ancient railway station, which was once a station of the Trans-Siberian Railway, are among the interesting buildings of Dushanbe. The city’s landmark is the thirty-meter-high monument to Ismail I, who was the former ruler of the Samanids and whom the Tajiks venerate as the father of their country. The opera is of supraregional importance, and the city’s green parks have contributed to Dushanbe being one of the most beautiful cities in Central Asia. In the city park, in front of the Palace of the Nation, there is the highest flagpole in the world at 165 meters.
Khojand
Khujand formerly known as Leninabad is the second largest city of Tajikistan and the capital of the northernmost province of Tajikistan, now called Sughd. Khujand, sometimes also called Khojand, is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia at around 2,500 years old. The city is located on the Great Silk Road and connects Samarkand with the Fergana Valley. The city with its 170,000 inhabitants is one of the largest centers of trade, culture and science in the Central Asian region. Khujand has a train station and an airport 11 km away. The next larger cities are Bekabad in the west and Kokand in the east.
Khujand is mainly located on the left bank of the Syr-Darya River and is surrounded by mountains, the slopes of which are planted with orchards. The Kayakkum reservoir begins a few kilometers upstream and extends over 55 kilometers in length. Khujand citizens and tourists like to spend time here swimming, sunbathing or fishing on the lake. The city’s climate is as beautiful as nature – the hot summers are tempered by the winds and waters of the Syr-Darja, while the winters are mild and it rarely snows.
As the home of famous scientists, writers and musicians, Khujand maintains the status of the science and cultural center in Tajikistan. The city has a theater, a regional museum and an archaeological museum, as well as the Khujand State University, with more than 10,000 students from all over the country. Khujand managed to preserve some historical monuments – the Sheikh Muslihiddin Mausoleum and Jami Masjidi Jami Mosque, as well as the Khujand Fortress, which was built together with the city more than 2500 years ago and has seen several stages of total destruction and restoration. Anyone who travels in the footsteps of the Great Silk Road today should definitely visit this beautiful city in Central Asia.
