Welcome to the sixth of a series of eight weekly posts covering the eight countries I visited this fall. My journey was epic and I chose not to write posts while traveling, in an effort to be engaged and present on this amazing odyssey. This is my honest opinion from my personal experience. I hope you will enjoy reading my posts covering all that happened over the two months of travel – The Good, The Bad & The Beautiful. Today I share about Tiny Tajikistan – The Good, The Bad & The Beautiful

Where is Tajikistan

Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital and most populous city with about 1.5 million people. Tajikistan is bordered by Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. It is separated from Pakistan by Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor. It has a population of approximately 10.6 million people. (Wikipedia)

Like all the countries of this region, Tiny Tajikistan has an ancient history of being conquered and invaded, ruled by empires and dynasties and has seen the rise and fall of all religions. As all the countries I have written about in the past few weeks, Tajikistan also declared its independence in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union. A civil war was fought after independence, lasting from May 1992 to June 1997. Since the end of the war, newly established political stability and foreign aid have allowed the country’s economy to grow.

The Bad

We only had four days in beautiful Tajikistan, but it was enough to learn the country has been led since 1994 by Emomali Rahmon, who heads an authoritarian regime and whose human rights record has been criticized. Some strange things we encountered as a result of this was no photos could be taken of the Presidential Palace, and of course no criticism either. Before entering the capital city of Dushanbe we had to have the van washed – no dirty cars allowed in the capital city. That said, the people we met seem very proud of the country and the current state, although we were advised not to criticize the government.

The average monthly salary in Tajikistan is only $147 USD. Gas is about $2.60 a gallon. Most of our meals were covered during our short stay in Tajikistan, but the meals and other things we purchased were very inexpensive. Lunch for two with drinks, less than $10 USD.

The Good

Tiny Tajikistan is proud of it’s many historic heroes including Alexander the Great. He established a city in 329 BC in modern-day Tajikistan and fought a battle in the region, leaving behind a legacy that includes a city and a lake name Iskanderkul. We will visit this lake.

In the 13th century, the Mongol Empire swept through Central Asia, invaded the Khwarezmian Empire and sacked its cities, looting and massacring people. Turco-Mongol conqueror Tamerlane founded the Timurid Empire, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty in and around what later became Tajikistan and Central Asia.

Border Crossing

We were lucky to have a beautiful sunny day as we crossed from Uzbekistan to Tajikistan on foot. We said goodbye to our Uzbek driver at the border and exited Uzbekistan, then entered Tajikistan on foot with no issues. On the other side of the border we met our new driver.

Our first stop after crossing the border was the small city of Khujand, population of abut 190,000. The older Soviet style hotel had a nice view…which we enjoyed both day and night with a full moon waxing.

Khujand

Our first stop was lunch, where we learned some Tajikistan foods like, shurbo – a traditional soup with potatoes, carrots and beef as well as kabuli pulao – similar to plov but with chickpeas and raisins. Later in our visit we would learn more about the national cuisine.

After lunch we headed to the Khujand History Museum in the heart of Khujand and with our guide really learned some amazing things about the history and culture of Tajikistan. It was small but really well done museum. After a rest at our hotel, we headed out for a fun evening together.

We enjoyed both the old and a new Jami mosque in the center of the city, but my most favorite thing was visiting the amazing Khujand Market…very lively at night. This giant market operates seven days a week with both indoor and outdoor areas selling the most amazing fruits, vegetables, meats, household goods, crafts, and clothing. We were here at sunset and enjoyed a beautiful view. After a long day we picked up some fruit, cheese and bread and headed back to the hotel for a room picnic before bed.

Iskanderkul Lake

After breakfast the next day we said farewell to Khujand and headed into the mountains and over Shahriston Pass. On this day we would cross the highest elevation of our trip, around 11,000 feet (3400 meters). I always worry about altitude sickness, but it did not bother me this time.

The amazing Fann Mountains of Tajikistan were breathtaking…a real surprise. Snow-topped and dressed in fall gold, it was so much better than I imagined. We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the shore of Iskanderkul. The sky could not have been more blue. After lunch some of us hiked to a beautiful waterfall before continuing on our way to our night’s lodging.

Not far from Iskanderkul we arrived at the end of the road, and the itty-bitty village of Sary Tag. A mountain livestock village is also home to a Chinese managed gold mine. Today Sary Tag takes advantage of the new-found tourism industry. Our guesthouse was a lovely eight room spot, next to the home of our host and his family. Except the plumbing was, well, not exactly functional. I skipped a shower. But watching the sunset as I laid in bed and watched the color change over the mountain…then looking out the door as the moon rose on the other side was sublime. It was pretty chilly, but our host served us a delicious and hearty dinner before we called it a night.

Dushanbe

The name of Tajikistan’s capital city is Dushanbe…it means Monday. This name reflected both Dushanbe’s status as a town, with Kasabai meaning town, and the influence of trade, as the name Dushanbe, which means Monday in Persian, was due to the large bazaar in the village that operated on Mondays. This lovely city is such a contrast to the rest of Tajikistan, sparkling buildings, traffic, gardens, monuments and parks. A brand new Parliament Building and the residence of the President spoke to the importance of the city.

Before heading to our hotel, we had a delicious lunch. Our guide Svetlana wanted to introduce us to Qurutob, the national dish of Tajikistan. Although some in our group did not care for it, Arne and I thought it was both delicious and unusual. It’s a kind of bread salad, made with dried salty sour milk, that is rehydrated and mixed with flat bread and fried onions, vegetables and spices. Sounds bizarre and it was certainly unique. But very tasty and very cheap.

After lunch we went to Hisor Fortress just outside of the city. This site is one of the best preserved sites in all of Tajikistan, built 2500 years ago. We learned this was one of the most important settlements in the region and was the capital for 100 years. Demolished and restored numerous times, the fort today is one of Tajikistan’s biggest tourist attractions. Serving as a caravan stop along the Silk Road, the Hisor Fortress today is in good condition, thanks to the foresight and restoration in the 1980’s.

Evening Fun

For our entertainment, Svetlana took those who were interested to an amazing restaurant that included nightly traditional dance. Very popular with the locals (and VERY LOUD), the local people pulled us out of our chairs to dance the night away between performances by the beautiful costumed dancers. Food was good too. I’m so glad I got to see this and really see how the locals party.

City Tour

Dushanbe Day Two dawned bright and warm, by far the warmest day we would see throughout this four week tour. It felt great to shed the sweaters and walk around the sunny city with a guide. Our guide explained much of the history of the city and the monuments and we visited the Museum of National Antiquities. We also enjoyed a delicious lunch at a famous historic restaurant. This indoor/outdoor restaurant, a favorite with locals, had been slated for demolition but the public rose up and saved it. Making it all the more special. In addition I met the nicest older gentleman who was so interested in me as an American, and about the United States. I wish I could have spent hours with him.

Finishing this final day of a whirlwind tour of Tiny Tajikistan, we wandered the streets and took some time to look for souvenirs, before heading back to the hotel to prepare for the flight to Almaty Kazakhstan.

Tiny Tajikistan

Tiny Tajikistan packs a big punch, with interesting history, lovely people, fabulous mountains and scenery and great food. We enjoyed our short but lovely visit. I think it is the kind of place where having a guide was very helpful…not so easy to get around on your own. Possible, but not so easy. Thanks for the hospitality Tajikistan. Next stop Kazakhstan.

Please come back next week to read about our visit to Kazakhstan. And see last week’s post Unbelievable Uzbekistan. We love it when you share and comment on our travel posts. Thank you!