Tajikistan is one of the most beautiful and interesting Central Asian countries. It is located in the foothills of the Pamirs and has amazingly beautiful nature. A developed civilization in these places already existed in the 4th millennium BC. e., so there are also enough historical monuments here - these are ancient fortresses, ancient mosques, mausoleums, rich museum exhibitions.
National Museum of Tajikistan in Dushanbe
The country's main museum has recently (in 2013) moved to a new large building. It was created in 1934 on the basis of the Tajik Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy. And it was quite small, and now its collections occupy 22 halls.
It contains many items that tell about the history of the country from the earliest times. The employees themselves, as the most valuable and interesting exhibit of the museum, which gave it the logo, call the Iskodar mihrab. Mihrab is a special niche in the mosque that points to Mecca, it is considered the most sacred place of the mosque and is richly decorated. In 1925, a unique carved wooden mihrab of the 9th century was found in the town of Iskodar.
There is also a hall of contemporary art, and also a hall of gifts that the President of Tajikistan received, it also has unique and interesting things.
Historical and archaeological reserve Sarazm
In 1976, on the territory of Tajikistan, near the city of Penjikent, one of the oldest cities in Central Asia was found, dating back to the IV-II millennium BC. NS. The settlement was named "Sarazm", in Tajik it means "the beginning of the earth." The excavations were carried out jointly with French scientists. The study of the monument is still ongoing, not so long ago it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
A developed civilization existed here: they knew how to cast bronze, make ceramics, and trade with other peoples. A lot of adornments from local semiprecious stones and shells, bronze and clay items were found. The remains of a huge palace complex, temples and rich burials were found (one of them is considered the burial of the "princess of Sarazm", it is surrounded by a stone fence, and most of all gold ornaments were found in it). Part of the excavations is now open, mothballed and covered under sheds, they are available for inspection. In a separate building, there is a small museum exhibition with objects found during excavations, for example, many multicolored beads.
Lake Karakul
Karakul is a picturesque lake in the foothills of the Pamirs, comparable in size and characteristics to the sea. It is 33 km long and 24 km wide, and the water is salty. Most likely, it is a meteorite crater, and also - it lies on the remnants of a glacier: there are layers of ice both at the bottom of the lake and along its shores.
The name itself translates as "black": it is indeed very dark blue or dark turquoise, especially its western part, which reaches a depth of 236 meters. Locals claim that some ancient monster lives here, and also the spirit of the lake itself. The deserted shores, combined with the screams of bitterness, can really look creepy in the evening, but so far scientists have not found any monsters here. But the landscapes here are simply cosmic.
The lake is always windy, cool and dry, the water temperature does not rise above 12 degrees, and usually it is even colder. They get to the lake from the nearest highway M-41, and for spending the night they will have to look for a shelter from the cold wind - there are several ravines and hollows along the shores of the lake.
Khujand fortress
The fortress in Khujand has a rich history. Tradition says that it was one of the last cities founded by Alexander the Great - Alexandria Eskhata, Alexandria Extreme. Whether this is so, there is no reliable information, but around the time of Alexander, in the 4th century BC. e., here the first clay fortress arose. Over time, it was rebuilt and strengthened, and by the XII century it was considered one of the most powerful fortresses in Asia, but in 1219-1220 it was destroyed by the troops of Genghis Khan. Khujand held the siege for several months, and almost all of its defenders died: their heroism remained in the memory of the people. Then the fortress was restored, and the last time it took part in hostilities was during the Civil War in 1919.
The current look is the result of the 2004 restoration. Now you can climb the walls and walk along them, and inside there is a small historical museum. There is a model of the fortress, old photographs and things from excavations found on its territory.
Pamir and Pamir highways
The Pamir is a mountain system that is located within the borders of several states, one of the highest and most beautiful mountainous regions of the planet. Climbers go to Tajikistan to storm Ismoil Somoni Peak (Communism Peak, and even earlier - Stalin Peak) - a peak with a height of 7495 m. In addition to peaks, these mountains have unique glaciers: for example, the longest glacier in the world, not counting the polar ones - the Fedchenko Glacier.
But many simpler routes have been laid along the Pamirs, the main and most accessible of which is the Pamir Highway from Dushanbe to Osh. This is one of the highest mountain roads in the world, its highest section runs at an altitude of 4655 meters, and its length is one and a half thousand kilometers. The road passes through mesmerizing mountain landscapes. There is another route - the Old Pamir tract, laid by the Russians through the Taldyk pass in 1894. Its highest height is 3615 m.
Pamir Botanical Garden in Khorog
The Pamir Botanical Garden is one of the highest botanical gardens in the world, the second after the Nepalese one. It is located on a picturesque mountain terrace at the confluence of two rivers, Shohdar and Gunta.
The garden was created back in 1940, on the site of an existing old park. Its creator was Professor Anatoly Gursky, who studied the flora of Tajikistan for many years, and imported plants from many other botanical gardens in the world into his garden. During his expeditions, Gursky discovered many new species of wild fruit, and during the work of the botanical garden, he bred several industrial varieties of pears, apricots and apples adapted to high mountain conditions, many of which still grow in Tajik gardens.
The Botanical Garden is still carrying out breeding and scientific work, and there is a nursery for fruit plants. As a kind of sightseeing, they show 15 pyramidal poplars growing around, planted once in honor of 15 Soviet republics.
Reserve "Tigrovaya Balka"
The very first reserve in Tajikistan is called so in memory of the extinct Turanian tiger, which was found here in the 50s of the XX century. Now work is underway to revive the population of Central Asian tigers, however, the Amur tigers will be brought here - there are no more Turanian tigers left in nature. But its main food base, Bukhara deer, live in the reserve. This is a subspecies of the red deer - beautiful animals with huge branchy antlers. They are also on the verge of extinction and the reserve is working to preserve them.
The main landscape of Tigrovaya Balka is riparian floodplain forests, which now, due to the shallowing of rivers and changes in the water balance, have to be artificially flooded every year. Once the tugai were surrounded by forests and saxaul, then saxaul was destroyed by man, and now it is planted again.
Chiluchor chasma - "Forty-four springs"
Chiluchor chashma is the most famous source of Tajikistan, but in fact there are several dozen healing and considered holy sources. This place has been mentioned since the 12th century, and people lived nearby much earlier: a Mesolithic site of primitive people was found here.
The word "Chiluchor" means "44": there are five large springs, which are divided into 39 brooks, and then merge into one common channel-pool, where those thirsty for healing come for ablution. This place is located in the very south of the country and gives the impression of an oasis in the desert: when there is a terrible heat around, cool water flows here. Near the source there is a Muslim shrine - the grave of Saint Kambar Bob, who was the groom of the Prophet Muhammad Ali's cousin.
Hissar fortress
Hissar is a city that stood on the Great Silk Road, and the first fortifications appeared here in the 4th century BC. NS. The modern fortress was built from the 16th century. to the XIX century.
This is one of the best-preserved, largest and most beautiful fortresses in Central Asia, it housed the residence of the Emir of Bukhara and a large garrison. All buildings here are made of baked local bricks. The last time the fortress took part in hostilities was during the Civil War and was significantly damaged by artillery fire.
It was declared a reserve in the 60s, and it was restored at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries. In addition to the walls, the complex includes several more buildings: two madrasah buildings - the 16th and 18th centuries, a caravanserai, a mausoleum, the remains of the emir's palace and a garden. They say that some of the plane trees that grow here are 500-600 years old.
Karatag gorge in Shirkent national park
One of the centers of ecological tourism in Tajikistan is the gorge formed by the Karatag River, next to which there are several picturesque lakes: Timur-Dara, Payron, Iskanderkul, etc. Trekking routes are laid along the valley from lake to lake and along the Karadak River, there are several tourist centers and hotels. Wild cherries, cherry plums and apricots grow along the banks of the river, and mountain trout is found in the river itself.
In the 80-90s of the last century, these places were declared the "Hissar anomalous zone": here they were actively looking for either Bigfoot or UFOs. Of course, they did not find anything, but these places, according to eyewitnesses, really have some kind of special energy and are certainly very beautiful.
When visiting, you need to have a passport with you - the border with Uzbekistan is not far away, and border guards can check documents.
