Cultural sightseeing in Tajikistan. What to visit - museums, temples, castles and palaces

Tajikistan is a country in Central Asia. Its capital – Dushanbe – is situated in Gissar Valley on the Varzob River. Start your acquaintance with the city with the central part of Rudaki Avenue. This thoroughfare street is the location of many important attractions of the capital. Here, tourists can visit the National Museum of Tajikistan and the National Flag Park. The latter has a 165m high flagstaff with a 1,800 sq. m large flag. It looks really impressive and is easy to notice from afar. Other notable landmarks are Rudaki Park, summer amphitheater, Aquapark Obshoron, and a monument dedicated to Ismail Samani – the founder of the first Tajik state.

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Of course, these are not all attractions of Tajikistan’s capital. The Botanical Gardens of the Academy of Sciences, Avicenna monument, Dushanbe Zoo, the Victory Park with the Alley of Heroes, the Bogi Poitaht Amusement Park (namely Capital Park), the Opera Theater, the National Museum of Antiquities, the 800th Anniversary of Moscow Square, and the Gurminj Museum of Musical Instruments are also worth the attention of guests. In Gissar, the capital’s neighborhood, tourists can visit the Kukhna madrasah, Gissar (Hisor) Fortress, Makhdumi A'zam Mausoleum dating back to the 16th-17th centuries, Sangin Mosque, and Hishtin Caravan Serai. To get to Gissar, take a minibus that departs from Zarafshon car market or get on the Dushanbe- Tursunzoda –Termez train.

The city of Khujand is located approximately 400 km from the capital. This settlement is not big, nevertheless, it has very interesting historic attractions. The Khujand Fortress (Tanburi Street 4) is one of them. Initially, the fortification was built by Alexander the Great. He conquered and rebuilt this ancient city, changing its name to Alexandria Eschate or Alexandria the Furthest. Today, we know this city as Khujand. During the long history of Khujand – more than 2,500 years – the fortress was the magnet, the heart of the city. It was developing and getting bigger together with Khujand. Genghis Khan destroyed the fortress but it was partially rebuilt in modern times. Starting from 2006, the Historical Museum of Sughd has been open in the building. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

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Visitors can see the life of Alexander the Great immortalized on the marble mosaics in the Hellenic hall. The museum is big, so it is better to visit it together with a guide. The venue is open from 8 am to 8 pm. The fortress is also home to the Archaeological Museum of Fortifications. The nearby rope road across the Syr Darya takes visitors to the monument dedicated to Ismail Samani. The national currency of Tajikistan, somoni, is named after him. The portrait of the father of the Tajik nation is also present on the 100 somoni banknote. A square separates the Khujand Fortress and the Musical and Drama Theater of Kamol Khudzhandi.

Walk several quarters on Ismail Samani Avenue to the south to reach the biggest food market in Sughd Region – Panchshanbe. Opposite to it, across the square, lies the Mausoleum of Sheikh Muslihiddin. Sheikh Muslihiddin Khudjandi lived in the 12th century. Local people worship him as a holy man. When he died, his followers built a mausoleum in his honor. The building was destroyed during the invasion of Genghis Khan but it was rebuilt in the 14th century. Today, the mausoleum is one of the main attractions in the city.

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A journey to the Tajik Sea is quite an exotic activity. Minibuses connect Khujand to the town of Guliston (formerly Kairakum). This town is located at the western tip of the so-called Tajik Sea or Kayrakkum Reservoir. This is a large manmade lake on the Syr Darya River. The minibus #40 that departs from the central market in Khujand takes passengers to Bakhoriston sanatorium (the entry is paid). The sanatorium is built on the shore of the water reservoir. There is a special water basin for swimming here (it looks like a smaller lake), and water is replaced with fresh water from Kayrakkum Reservoir every day. A beach area surrounds the small lake.

Let’s return to the capital. Evening strolls in Dushanbe parks deserve a separate mention. Even if you decide to take a short promenade in the city, you will certainly see at least one park. There are several reasons to visit them – the temperature falls in the evening making the air cooler and it is pleasant to walk on tidy and cleaned roads. Moreover, fountains are essential in parks the same as roses. By the way, the vast majority of roses are red and white in Dushanbe, and they look particularly attractive after sunset with the evening illumination.

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Tajikistan is a country with mountains covering more than 90% of the territory. It has a border with Afghanistan, and these two aspects make some tourists think that Tajikistan is unsafe for travel. However, these worries are not true – it is absolutely safe to visit local attractions, enjoy shopping, or take strolls in the evening. Local people are friendly with tourists. By choosing a vacation in Tajikistan, you discover a world of hospitable people, delicious food, and pleasant pastime. Tajiks are peaceful people who want to make a welcoming environment for everyone.

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Cultural sightseeing in Tajikistan. What to visit - museums, temples, castles and palaces

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