WikiVoyage Tajikistan March 2016 Contents

1 Tajikistan 1 1.1 Regions ...... 1 1.2 Cities ...... 1 1.3 Other destinations ...... 1 1.4 Understand ...... 1 1.4.1 Climate ...... 1 1.4.2 Terrain ...... 1 1.4.3 History ...... 2 1.5 Get in ...... 2 1.5.1 Visas ...... 2 1.5.2 By plane ...... 2 1.5.3 By car ...... 3 1.5.4 By boat ...... 3 1.5.5 By train ...... 3 1.6 Get around ...... 4 1.6.1 By minivan / shared taxi ...... 4 1.6.2 By plane ...... 4 1.6.3 By train ...... 4 1.7 Talk ...... 4 1.8 See ...... 4 1.9 Do ...... 4 1.10 Buy ...... 4 1.10.1 Money ...... 5 1.11 Eat ...... 5 1.12 Drink ...... 6 1.13 Sleep ...... 6 1.14 Work ...... 6 1.15 Stay safe ...... 6 1.16 Stay healthy ...... 7 1.17 Respect ...... 7 1.18 Connect ...... 7 1.19 Cope ...... 7

i ii CONTENTS

1.19.1 Embassies ...... 7

2 Ferghana Valley (Tajikistan) 8 2.1 Cities ...... 8 2.2 Other destinations ...... 8 2.3 Understand ...... 8 2.4 Talk ...... 8 2.5 Get in ...... 8 2.6 Get around ...... 8 2.7 See ...... 8 2.7.1 Itineraries ...... 8 2.8 Do ...... 8 2.9 Eat ...... 8 2.10 Drink ...... 8 2.11 Stay safe ...... 8 2.12 Go next ...... 8

3 Khatlon 9 3.1 Cities ...... 9 3.2 Other destinations ...... 9 3.3 Understand ...... 9 3.4 Talk ...... 9 3.5 Get in ...... 9 3.6 Get around ...... 9 3.7 See ...... 9 3.7.1 Itineraries ...... 9 3.8 Do ...... 9 3.9 Eat ...... 9 3.10 Drink ...... 9 3.11 Stay safe ...... 9 3.12 Go next ...... 9

4 Khujand 10 4.1 Understand ...... 10 4.2 Get in ...... 10 4.2.1 By Plane ...... 10 4.2.2 By Bus/Taxi ...... 10 4.3 Get around ...... 10 4.4 See ...... 10 4.5 Do ...... 10 4.6 Buy ...... 10 4.7 Eat ...... 10 CONTENTS iii

4.8 Drink ...... 10 4.9 Sleep ...... 10 4.10 Connect ...... 11 4.11 Go next ...... 11

5 Panjakent 12 5.1 Understand ...... 12 5.2 History ...... 12 5.3 Get in ...... 13 5.4 Get around ...... 13 5.5 See ...... 13 5.6 Do ...... 14 5.7 Buy ...... 15 5.8 Eat ...... 15 5.9 Drink ...... 15 5.10 Sleep ...... 15 5.11 Connect ...... 15 5.12 Go next ...... 15

6 Zeravshan 16 6.1 Cities ...... 16 6.2 Other destinations ...... 16 6.3 Understand ...... 16 6.4 Get in ...... 16 6.5 Get around ...... 17 6.6 See ...... 17 6.7 Eat ...... 18 6.8 Sleep ...... 18 6.9 Go next ...... 18

7 Karategin 19 7.1 Regions ...... 19 7.2 Cities ...... 19 7.3 Other destinations ...... 19 7.4 Understand ...... 19 7.5 Talk ...... 19 7.6 Get in ...... 19 7.7 Get around ...... 19 7.8 See ...... 19 7.8.1 Itineraries ...... 19 7.9 Do ...... 19 7.10 Eat ...... 19 iv CONTENTS

7.11 Drink ...... 19 7.12 Stay safe ...... 19 7.13 Go next ...... 19

8 Dushanbe 20 8.1 Get in ...... 20 8.1.1 By plane ...... 20 8.1.2 Luggages ...... 21 8.1.3 Visa at the airport ...... 21 8.1.4 By train ...... 21 8.1.5 By bus ...... 21 8.2 Get around ...... 21 8.2.1 By bus ...... 21 8.2.2 By marshrukta ...... 21 8.2.3 By taxi ...... 22 8.2.4 Orientation ...... 22 8.3 See ...... 22 8.3.1 Holy places ...... 22 8.3.2 Museums ...... 22 8.3.3 Others ...... 22 8.3.4 Further afield ...... 23 8.4 Do ...... 23 8.4.1 Parks ...... 23 8.4.2 Theatres ...... 23 8.5 Buy ...... 24 8.6 Eat ...... 24 8.7 Drink ...... 24 8.8 Sleep ...... 25 8.9 Stay safe ...... 26 8.10 Stay healthy ...... 26 8.11 Cope ...... 26 8.11.1 Embassies ...... 26 8.12 Go next ...... 27

9 Hisor 28 9.1 Understand ...... 28 9.2 Get in ...... 28 9.3 Get around ...... 28 9.4 See ...... 28 9.5 Do ...... 28 9.6 Buy ...... 28 9.7 Eat ...... 28 CONTENTS v

9.8 Drink ...... 28 9.9 Sleep ...... 28 9.10 Connect ...... 28 9.11 Go next ...... 28

10 Pamirs 29 10.1 Cities ...... 29 10.2 Other destinations ...... 29 10.3 Understand ...... 29 10.4 Talk ...... 29 10.5 Get in ...... 29 10.6 Get around ...... 30 10.7 See ...... 30 10.8 Do ...... 30 10.9 Eat ...... 30 10.10Drink ...... 30 10.11Sleep ...... 30 10.12Stay safe ...... 30 10.13Go next ...... 30

11 Karakul 31 11.1 Understand ...... 31 11.2 Get in ...... 31 11.3 Get around ...... 31 11.4 See ...... 31 11.5 Do ...... 31 11.6 Buy ...... 31 11.7 Eat ...... 31 11.8 Drink ...... 31 11.9 Sleep ...... 31 11.10Connect ...... 31 11.11Go next ...... 31

12 Khorugh 32 12.1 Understand ...... 32 12.2 Get in ...... 32 12.3 Get around ...... 32 12.4 See ...... 32 12.5 Do ...... 33 12.6 Buy ...... 33 12.7 Eat ...... 33 12.8 Drink ...... 33 vi CONTENTS

12.9 Sleep ...... 33 12.10Connect ...... 34 12.11Stay safe ...... 34 12.12Go next ...... 34

13 Murghab 35 13.1 Understand ...... 35 13.2 Get in ...... 35 13.3 Get around ...... 35 13.4 See ...... 35 13.5 Do ...... 35 13.6 Buy ...... 35 13.7 Eat ...... 36 13.8 Drink ...... 36 13.9 Sleep ...... 36 13.10Connect ...... 36 13.11Go next ...... 36 13.12Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses ...... 37 13.12.1 Text ...... 37 13.12.2 Images ...... 37 13.12.3 Content license ...... 38 Chapter 1

Tajikistan

Tajikistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia that • Khujand — the center of Tajikistan’s Ferghana Val- borders Afghanistan to the south, China to the east, ley region, and the nation’s second largest city. Kyrgyzstan to the north, and Uzbekistan to the west and • northwest. The ancient Silk Road passed through it. The Konibodom — in the heart of the Ferghana Valley, nation is unique in that the majority culture is non-Turkic, on the Uzbekistani border. unlike its neighbors to the north and west and east. Tajik- • Kulob — the country’s third largest city. istan is the poorest country out of the former soviet states, the poorest country in Central Asia and one of the world’s • Qurghonteppa — the largest city in Khatlon, and poorest, largely owing to a devastating civil war that broke the political heart of the rebellion in Tajikistan’s last out shortly after independence in 1991. civil war. • Tursunzoda — an aluminium town west of Dushanbe on the road and railroad to Uzbekistan. 1.1 Regions 1.3 Other destinations

• Pamir mountains, with passes between 3200 and 4500 meters, and Lake Karakol.

• Penjikent, a town next to the border, 70km from Samarkand, Uzbekistan, with ruins of an ancient city.

• Zeravshan valley including the Fan Mountains, one of Central Asia’s prime trekking and climbing des- tinations.

Tajikistan regions - Color-coded map 1.4 Understand

1.4.1 Climate 1.2 Cities Mid-latitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in the Pamir Mountains. • Dushanbe — the capital and largest city by far.

• Isfara — an ancient Silk Road town in the center of 1.4.2 Terrain the Ferhghana Valley on the Kyrgyzstani border. The Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate Tajikistan’s • Istaravshan — an old city home to the well known landscape. The western Fergana Valley is in north, and and beautiful Abdullatif Madrassah and Mosque. the Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys are in the southwest. • Khorugh — largest city of and gateway to the The country’s lowest point is at Syr Darya (300 m), and Pamirs. its highest point is at Qullai Ismoili Somoni (7,495 m).

1 2 CHAPTER 1. TAJIKISTAN

1.4.3 History

The region covering today’s Tajikistan was part the of Persian empires for much of its history. This region has been an important place for flourishing Persian culture and language. In recent history, Tajikistan has experienced three changes in government and a five-year civil war since it gained independence from the USSR in 1991. A peace agreement among rival factions was signed in 1997 and implemented in 2000. The central government’s less than total control over some areas of the country has forced it to compromise and forge alliances among factions. At- tention by the international community in the wake of Visa for Tajikistan with special GBAO permit (2014). the war in Afghanistan has brought increased economic development assistance, which could create jobs and in- visits under 30 days. Letters of invitation are no longer crease stability in the long term. Tajikistan is in the early needed on arrival at Dushanbe airport, but are needed to stages of seeking World Trade Organization membership prearrange a visa from the UK and US embassies. and has joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace. In recent years, unemployment has been fought by the government Visas have to have applied for in advance at Tajik em- with a huge success, though the country has been unable bassies or may be purchased upon arrival at Dushanbe to cope with the problems left behind of the civil war. To- airport. However due to a recent change in the law, these day, most prospects of change are clearly being evident to visas are now only available to citizens from countries help recover the country, though much of these measures with no Tajik embassy. To save time you can complete are proving to be inefficient and unfulfilling. and print a form before arrival . It is best to use the Tajik form, bring two passport photos, a handful of photocopies of your passport and cash. The process takes around 1.5 Get in 10 minutes. Tourist visa in Tajikistan costs $US25 in Dushanbe International Airport and in consular represen- tatives abroad. A separate permit is required if you wish to travel to the GBAO region. It is easily obtained when applying for a visa or in Dushanbe, cost is USD50 locally or at consulates in Central Asia, but is usually free in Eu- rope. If crossing a land border then get a visa prior to arrival. The embassies in Vienna and London are the more pro- fessional. You may struggle to get a visa at some con- sulates who will simply say “get it at the airport” (e.g. Kabul), which isn't useful if you want to arrive by land.

1.5.2 By plane

National carrier Tajik Air and the new private air- Dushanbe International Airport line Somon Air are the country’s two airlines. From Dushanbe, flights are available to numerous cities across Russia, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, 1.5.1 Visas Sochi, Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk, Perm, Krasnoyarsk, Orenburg, Irkutsk, Nizhnevartovsk, Surgut, Kazan, & Nationals from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Yekaterinburg. Destinations within Central Asia include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Russia and Bishkek, Almaty, Ürümqi, & Kabul. Ukraine do not need a visa for visits up to 90 days. Aside from Russia, the main international destinations Following the trends of other Central Asian countries, to/from Tajikistan are: visas are increasingly easy to obtain, particularly for na- tionals of wealthy countries. This policy is designed to • Istanbul — Turkish Airlines, Somon Air stimulate tourist activity in Tajikistan. The big change has been the abolition of OVIR registration for tourist • Dubai/Sharjah — Somon Air, Tajik Air 1.5. GET IN 3

• Frankfurt — Somon Air the Pamir Highway which runs from Osh to Khorog to Dushanbe. Just about the only highway in the GBAO re- • Tehran — Somon Air, Iran Aseman Airlines gion, this route ranges from smooth tarmac full of busses, trucks to a single-lane road carved into a cliff. The bor- Somon Air plans to add services to China in the future. der crossing lies at 4280m and peaks at the Ak-Baital Pass at 4,655m. The journey takes 2-3 days from Osh- The airport in Khujand has service to about a dozen Rus- Khorog and three on the rougher stretch from Khorog sian cities through 8 carriers plus a weekly China South- to Dushanbe, longer if you want to stop and enjoy the ern Airlines flight to Ürümqi. scenery. Minivans travel the route from Osh to Murghab every few days for USD15; hitch hiking on Kamaz trucks 1.5.3 By car and ZIL petrol tankers is also possible anywhere en route for USD10. A 4-wheel drive is necessary and large por- While relations with Uzbekistan are the best among tions of the highway are impassible in winter and fre- Tajikistan’s neighbours, it is the most crossed by travellers quently blocked by mudslides in spring. and the roads to these crossings are in much better con- The US has funded a couple of bridges connecting Tajik- dition than those leading to Kyrgyzstan or Afghanistan. istan with Afghanistan. Roads from Qurghonteppa, Ku- The current situation (June 2010) is unknown, but in lob, & Dushanbe lead to the main crossing at Nizhnii recent years Tajik vehicles have not been allowed into Panj. From there, a road leads south to Kunduz which Uzbekistan and Uzbek vehicles needed to pay large tar- unfortunately, as of 2010, is a stronghold of the Tal- iffs to enter Tajikistan. So your trip may require tak- iban in the north of Afghanistan. There is a bridge at ing one vehicle to the border and catching a ride on Khorog leading to Feizabad, Afghanistan as well as a few another after crossing the border. The journey from mountainous roads elsewhere in the GBAO leading to Tashkent to Khujand takes about two and a half hours and Afghanistan. is frequently travelled by private cars and marshrutkas A border crossing with China was opened in 2004. The (minibuses) which will take you along for a small amount crossing and connecting roads link the Pamir Highway (under USD10). The short (60km) trip from Samarkand, with the Karakorum Highway and provides a link to Uzbekistan to Penjikent is also frequently travelled by pri- Kashgar (Kashi) to the north and Pakistan to the south. vate cars and marshrutkas. Currently (July 2012) bor- As of 2010, it remains closed to foreigners. der crossing near Penjikent is closed due to strained rela- tions between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. If you want to go to Samarkand from Khujand, you have to cross bor- der at Oybek post (250km from Samarkand). There are 1.5.4 By boat marshrutkas and taxis from Khujand to Oybek. Taxis cost from 50 to 100 somonis depending on time of a day. There is currently a ferry operating across the Pyanj river In winter months, snow blocks the passes connecting between Afghanistan and Tajikistan that costs roughly Dushanbe with the north of Tajikistan. To travel to USD10 one way. However, the opening of the US funded Dushanbe during these months, you need to head south bridge over the Pyanj will likely end this service, which and cross from Termez, which will take you around the crosses roughly three times per day and does not run on west & south sides of the mountains and take you to Sundays. Dushanbe. From Kyrgyzstan, there are a couple of options, mostly from Osh and none make for a very smooth journey. The rugged, remote Pamir Highway (see next paragraph) 1.5.5 By train is the slowest, but most popular. From the crossroads at Sary-Tash, a road leads west for 500km through the The train to Moscow is popular with migrant workers. Karategin Valley to Dushanbe. A little rugged near the It takes around five days and crosses through Uzbekistan border, but not nearly so as the Pamir Highway. A third (twice), Turkmenistan,& Kazakhstan; transit visas are option is from the Batken region to Isfara, but it passes required for all these countries. through several of the Uzbek enclaves within Kyrgyzs- tan, necessitating a multiple-entry Uzbek visa and plenty Train 367 - 08:08 leaves Dushanbe (Mondays & of time for border crossings; bypassing these enclaves is a Wednesdays). 14:04 Arrives Khujand next day. Final pain and requires navigating lots of poor, local roads with destination Kanibadam. little or no signage. Travelling through the Ferghana Val- Train 335 - Khujand-Samarqand-Saratov is three times ley, it also has the least interesting scenery and recent eth- a week. 18:44 depart Khujand (Mon, Thur, Sat) 02:15 nic confrontations in the region make this a poor choice arrives Samarqand. for travellers. Train 336 - 06:10 departs Samarqand (Wed, Fri, Sun- A scenic, albeit rough, journey into Tajikistan is via day) 14:27 arrives Khujand. 4 CHAPTER 1. TAJIKISTAN

1.6 Get around 1.7 Talk

Tajik, mutually intelligible with all Persian dialects, is the primary and historical language of Tajikistan. It just so happens to be one of the several dialects of the Persian language alongside Farsi, Dari, Hazaragi, and others. In addition, due to Soviet promotion of Russian throughout Central Asia, almost all Tajiks speak Russian. There are also ethnic Russians with Russian as their native language. Russian is widely used in government, which makes it widely spoken by government officials such as politicians. However, English is hardly spoken, and the only peo- ple likely to speak a word of it are youths residing in Dushanbe. But even to them, Russian is often more pop- ular since it is widely taught to them by their parents.

A park in Tajikistan 1.8 See

There are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Tajik- istan: the proto-urban site of Sarazm in Panjakent and 1.6.1 By minivan / shared taxi the Tajik National Park encompassing the Pamirs in the east of the country. The mountains of Tajikistan are Scheduled minivans run between the major cities but oth- among the highest in the world with three peaks higher erwise hiring a vehicle or sharing one with other passen- than 7,000m and more than half of the country is located gers is the only way to travel around the country. Prices over 3,000m above the sea level. are generally per person, not for the vehicle, and divided by the number of passengers. SUV’s can be hired and leave daily from Khujand’s large 1.9 Do minibus terminal located just outside the city. Prices are negotiable but should be in the range USD60 per person. Tajikistan is a stunning place, and there is plenty to do, Assure the vehicle is fit for long road travel, inspect spare from the Silk Road mystique of places like Khujand tire. and Istaravshan, to the stunning, untouched mountain scenery of the Pamirs and their accompanying allure of unclimbed peaks and virgin trekking routes. Fan Moun- 1.6.2 By plane tains could be a good alternative to the Pamirs. They are easy to reach and provide good trekking options. As the country is broken into many isolated areas by mountain passes that are closed in winter, travel during this time is by air only, if the planes are flying. Tajik Air 1.10 Buy and Somon Air operate several daily flights to Khojand (between 35 and 70 minutes, depending on the plane) and • Khorog, a thrilling plunge through mountain peaks. This Traditional Tajik padded coats. Comfortable and flight does not go if it is windy. Ticket vendors next to perfect for the colder weather in the mountains. The the Green Market in Dushanbe can provide a reliable es- ensemble can be completed with a hat and sash. timate of their timetable. Make sure you arrive early for your flight. Also, passports and visas will be checked on • Mercedes Benz (c. USD7,000) cars and Land Cruis- domestic flights, so bring them with you. ers from Dushanbe's Sunday Car Market. Also available: Russian cars, jeeps, minivans and an as- sortment of other models.

1.6.3 By train • Vodka. Ruski Standard is the best one by far.

Train 368 - 16:34 leaves Khujand (Fridays & Sundays). • Rugs and carpets. The good ones are imported from 22:36 arrives Dushanbe the next day. Afghanistan or Uzbekistan. 1.11. EAT 5

the carrots are chopped finely into long strips, and the rice is colored yellow or orange by the frying car- rots and the oil. The dish is eaten communally from a single large plate placed at the center of the table. Plov is generally referred to as “osh” in Tajikistan.

• A traditional dish that is still eaten with hands from a communal plate is qurutob, before serving the dish is topped with onions fried in oil until golden and other fried vegetables. No meat is added. Qurotob is considered the national dish.

• Laghman- a pasta soup dish served with vegetables and lamb or beef. Try the stir-fried Uyghur varieties Botanical garden in Dushanbe available at several restaurants in Dushanbe.

• Sambusa- (baked pastries) 1.10.1 Money • Shashlik (shish-kebab)- Grilled-on-coal fish, liver, Somoni (Tajik: cомонӣ) has been the national currency chicken, mutton and beef. since October 2000 and we use the ISO 4217 interna- tional currency code of TJS placed before the amount in • Tushbera soup- (like ravioli, or pasta with meat in all our articles. However, when you're shopping locally, it) you may see a variety of notations placed before or after the amount. • Ugro soup- (handmade spaghetti soup served with Banknotes come in TJS1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and cheese cream and basilic) 500 denominations and you may find TJS0.05, TJS0.10, TJS0.20, TJS0.25, TJS0.25, TJS0.50, TJS1, TJS3 and • Jiz-biz- (fired freshcut lamb or mutton on its own TJS5 coins in circulation. juice) Approximate exchange rates in September 2013 were: • Dolma- (steamed rolls with grape leafs and meat in- side, served with sour cream and red pepper) USD1 = TJS4.77 €1 = TJS6.33 • Mantu -(steamed dumplings with meat inside, GBP1 = TJS7.51 served with sour cream and fried onions) CHF1 =TJS5.11 • Shurbo- (fresh vegetable soup with lamb or beef, CAD1 = TJS4.61 served with green onion and basilic) JPY100 = TJS4.76 • Many types of bread like chappoti, kulcha, nan, CNY1 = TJS0.77 fatir, qalama, etc. ZAR1 = TJS0.48 XAF100 = TJS0.96 • Damlama- (like English stew, steamed lamb or beef with vegetables in its own juice)

1.11 Eat • Khash- (soup with sheeps’ legs and arms, joints and tendons)

Food in Tajikistan is a cross between that of Central Asia • Melons and watermelons are extremely popular and that of Afghanistan & Pakistan along with a bit of among locals and are very cheap in local markets Russian influence. If you like Russian food, you will probably have a good culinary experience. If you find Russian food bland, you may have a rough time here. Take care with street food and do NOT eat unwashed veg- etables and fruits. It’s best to soak them in distilled water • Plov- The national dish is made with rice, beef or and cook thoroughly. mutton, and carrots. All fried together in vegetable Now, the situation is different. National cuisine is be- oil or mutton fat in a special qazan (a wok-shaped coming more popular in Tajikistan, such as Shurbo, Oshi cauldron) over an open flame. The meat is cubed, Palov, Mantu, Sambusa, etc. 6 CHAPTER 1. TAJIKISTAN

1.12 Drink Many cities of Tajikistan offer free accommodation in homestays through the couchsurfing.com • Green tea- Tajiks customarily enjoy drinking unsweetened (or sweetened) green tea all throughout the day. Hence, it is the country’s national beverage. 1.14 Work • Compote- A distilled fruit punch.

1.13 Sleep

Tajik Technical University

At embassies, NGOs , some hotels. A few hundred ex- patriates live in Dushanbe. Several ads each week in the electronic newsletter WhatsOnInDushanbe. For in- Ferdowsi Park in Dushanbe Tajikistan vestors, cf. and similar publications. Habitat for Humanity-Tajikistan, , constructs homes for Sleeping options in Tajikistan include the following: needy, low-income families in addition to completing Hotels. In Dushanbe, there are a small number of large many unfinished Soviet-era homes and apartment blocks, hotels. The Hyatt Regency just built recently and opened provides seismic retrofits, works to provide sanitary wa- its doors in March 2009. Another one of big hotels is ter, and more. Once or twice a year, volunteer trips “Tajikistan” (recently renovated), located in the central (through HFH “Global Village” program, ) are offered, city. Most are ex-Soviet era and tend to be over-priced entailing 2 weeks of building houses combined with a few and in poor condition. There are a couple of newly-built days of sightseeing. hotels offering western standards of accommodation for around from $US70 to $US220 per room. MSDSP Guesthouses, 1.15 Stay safe The Aga Khan’s Mountain Societies Development Sup- port Programme has a network of guesthouses in places Tajikistan is a safe country, though some factional fight- like Kalaikhum and Khorog, offering a good standard of ing spilling over from nearby Afghanistan (as well as lo- accommodation. Full board is around USD40 per person cal warlordism) still occurs in Tajikistan. Visitors should keep abreast of the security situation and not take any un- Formal Homestays. necessary risks. After sunset, it is not advisable to walk The French NGO ACTED is establishing a network of around outside alone; and generally do not travel unac- Homestays in the Pamir region, around Murghab. For companied to rural areas. Any concern you should have around USD10 per person per night you get a comfort- during your stay in Tajikistan, please write about as soon able bed in a family home. The facilities are basic, i.e. as possible it to your embassy or the European Commis- no running water and an outside toilet, but guests can ex- sion – External Relations Directorate General in B-1049 pect comfortable clean rooms, good local food and a very Brussels [[email protected]]. warm welcome. Of significant concern is the inability of Tajikistan’s law Independent Guesthouses. enforcement entities to provide adequate and immediate assistance. Lack of manpower, low salaries, and inad- In Dushanbe, Khorog, and Murghab there are a small but equate training all contribute to a lack of professional- growing number of independent guesthouses. These are ism among law enforcement entities. Police officers in similar in standard and price to the ACTED homestays. Dushanbe have been known to ask for bribes from expa- Online Accommodation (couchsurfing). triates and tourists, even when no crime has been com- 1.17. RESPECT 7 mitted. It is always best to travel in groups if you are 1.17 Respect travelling at night and avoid areas heavily patrolled by the police (including Rudaki Park) if you have been drink- Tajikistan is sort of a conservative society, and women ing. If you are asked for a bribe, play dumb. Even if should be fairly modest in public. Headscarves and face- you speak Russian or Tajik, it is best to pretend like you coverings are exceptions and not the norm. For men, do not understand the officer’s request. They will usually shorts will generally attract disapproving stares, even in lose patience and leave you alone. Never argue with or larger cities like Dushanbe. Although some Tajiks can provoke the police. If you are the victim of a crime, con- be extremely friendly, it is not uncommon for people to sult to your embassy. Your embassy may be able to help be equally rude. Tajiks in general are very welcoming to you locate stolen items or to renew your passport. tourists. While you should be wary of scams in the larger Don't buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are cities, do not be alarmed if young people approach you widely available. Not only are the bootlegs illegal, but you to say hello and practice their English. When speaking to may be breaking local law too. older Tajiks, be sure to place your right hand over your heart. This is a sign of respect reserved for older men or In some places it is illegal to take pictures of certain build- women in Tajik society. ings. In some places driving under the influence could land you immediately in prison These criminal penalties will vary from country to country. 1.18 Connect Penalties for possession, use or trafficking in illegal drugs in Tajikistan are severe, and convicted offenders can ex- Note that Tajik telecom companies charge for internet us- pect long jail sentences and heavy fines. age by the amount downloaded. This is especially impor- The number of items that can be exported may be lim- tant to note for persons planing on living in Tajikistan ited. It is illegal to export or possess unprocessed stones and paying directly for the service, for example USD50 and metals and jewelry without a hallmark (mark of au- per month for up to 1GB of downloads. You will need thenticity). Even if travellers have a receipt confirming to have a Ministry of Immigration registration form to legal purchase of such items at a store in Tajikistan, the purchase private internet service. items must be declared upon departure.

1.19 Cope

1.16 Stay healthy 1.19.1 Embassies

• The health care system in Tajikistan is significantly un- United States - 109A Ismoili Somoni Avenue, derdeveloped below western standards, with severe short- Zarafshon, Dushanbe 734019, tel: +992-37-229- ages of basic medical supplies, including disposable nee- 23-00, fax: +992-37-229-2309. The consular sec- dles, anesthetics and antibiotics. Elderly people are at tion is open from 08:00 to 17:00 Monday - Friday, great risk. Most medical personnel are not qualified, and closed on US and Tajik holidays. adding on a significant concern. DO NOT drink tap water. There is no working pu- rification system, and outbreaks of typhoid and cholera (rarely) are common. Other preventable endemic ill- nesses are hepatitis A, rabies, poliomyelitis and tick- borne encephalitis. The occasional anthrax case comes in, but it’s rare nowadays. There are, during the hot sea- son, a few pockets where malaria can occur. HIV is a growing health threat in Tajikistan. There is now an English-speaking comprehensive primary care clinic in operation by the name of Prospekt Medical , right be- hind the Embassy of China. In the Pamir mountains, the risk of altitude sickness is substantial - one may read up on this here: (in English) or (in German). In case of ANY accident, call your embassy. Health insurance and medical evacuation insurance are strongly recommended. Longer stays may consider the hiring of private drivers and home security guards. Rent out secure known owners places. Chapter 2

Ferghana Valley (Tajikistan)

The Tajikistan portion of the Ferghana Valley is in the 2.10 Drink extreme north of the country. The whole valley, both this part and the parts in other countries, is on the main route of the old Silk Road route between Kashgar and 2.11 Stay safe Samarkand. Tajikistan has the westernmost part, nearest Samarkand. 2.12 Go next

2.1 Cities

• Isfara

• Istaravshan

• Khujand

• Konibodom

2.2 Other destinations

• Kayrakkum Reservoir

2.3 Understand

2.4 Talk

2.5 Get in

2.6 Get around

2.7 See

2.7.1 Itineraries

2.8 Do

2.9 Eat

8 Chapter 3

Khatlon

Khatlon is the southwestern, largely lowland (by Tajik- now exhibited at the National Museum of Antiqui- istan standards) region of Tajikistan. ties in Dushanbe was discovered at Ajina-Tepa.

• Tigrovaya Balka — a nature reserve at the board 3.1 Cities of Afghanistan included in the list of World Heritage tentative list. • Kulob (Kulab or Kulyab) — one of the largest cities in the region. 3.3 Understand • Moskovskiy • Nurak — a new city founded in 1960. 3.4 Talk • Qurghonteppa (formerly Kurgan-Tyube) — capi- tal of Khatlon region. 3.5 Get in

3.2 Other destinations 3.6 Get around

3.7 See

3.7.1 Itineraries

3.8 Do

3.9 Eat

3.10 Drink View of Ajina-Tepa 3.11 Stay safe • Nurak Reservoir — the largest reservoir in Tajik- istan 3.12 Go next

• Takhti-Sangin — the probable source of the Oxus treasure now on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum and British Museum.

• Ajina-Tepa (12 km east from the city of Kurgan- Tiube) — the site of a 7th century Buddhist monastery that was excavated during the Soviet pe- riod. A 13 m. long statue of a reclining Buddha,

9 Chapter 4

Khujand

Khujand (called Leninabad in the Soviet period) is a city 4.4 See in Tajikistan. There is not much to see in Khujand. Usually it’s just a hub for tourists heading to Zeravshan valley, Dushanbe or 4.1 Understand Uzbekistan. Here are some places to see in town.

Khujand is the second largest city in Tajikistan (163,000 • Ismail Somoni monument. This new monument inhabitants). It is located in the Ferghana Valley on both is located on the left bank of Syrdarya. It stands banks of the Syr Darya river, known in ancient times as on top of a hill surrounded by fountains. There is a the Jaxartes. color and music show every evening. Khujand is an old city, having been founded by Alexan- • Masjidi Jami mosque and medrese. These der the Great in 329 BCE as Alexandria Eschate (furthest buildinds are used for its religion purposes. They Alexandria). It is on the historic Silk Road and was a are located on bazaar square. moderately important trading city on that route for cen- • turies. Its position is strategic, at the exit of the Valley Panchshanbe Bazaar. Nice Stalin-era building and where it can tax trade and resist invasions. a good place for shopping local food. • Ruins of the X century citadel. There is a small renovated part which contains a museum about re- 4.2 Get in gion history.

4.2.1 By Plane 4.5 Do There is an international airport in Gafurov, 10 km from Khujand. Often Gafurov is referred to by its Soviet name Eat local cheap food. - Chkalovsk. Khujand airport has many flights to Russia. 4.6 Buy 4.2.2 By Bus/Taxi

Shared taxis and marshrutkas to Dushanbe, Penjikent, 4.7 Eat Istaravshan and other southern Tajikistan destinations de- part from the western bus station. Marshrutkas and taxis to the Uzbekistan border depart 4.8 Drink from the northern bus station. Taxi to Oybek post should cost about 50-80 somoni 4.9 Sleep

• Leninabad. Overpriced Soviet-era hotel, yet cheap. 4.3 Get around Double room with private shower costs 120 somo- nis for foreigners (100 somoni for citizens of CIS, 80 Taxi should cost not more than 10 somoni for any destina- somoni for tajiks). Lift is not working, so you prob- tion in town. Taxi to the airport costs about 30 somoni. ably wouldn't live higher than the 4th floor. The left There are plenty of marshrutkas as well. Don't expect luggage service costs 2 somoni. The hotel is located anyone to speak English. on right bank of Syrdarya near the river.

10 4.11. GO NEXT 11

4.10 Connect

4.11 Go next

There is a Kairakum reservoir on Syrdarya river. To get there you should takt marshrutka #16 near Panchshanbe bazaar (2,5 somoni, 30 minutes). There is a small beach with infrastructure and eateries near dam, and a lot of sandy beaches further. Water is good and warm, though beaches themselves could be dirty. Chapter 5

Panjakent

Penjikent is a city in Tajikistan. of excavations, Panjakant has become one of the most thoroughly studied early medieval cities in all Asia. Ex- Substantially closer to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, than to Dushanbe, Penjikent is the old center of the Sogdian Em- cavations show that Panjakant was founded in the 5th cent and was inhabited until the 770s. pire. It lies at the entrance to Zeravshan Valley, one of Tajikstan’s main tourist attractions. Around the modern Panjakent is famous for the outstanding frescoes. Today, town and in its museum you will find remains of the pre- a few of them are exhibited in the small Rudaki Museum Islamic, Zoroastrian civilization. at Panjakent, but most of them are exhibited in Dushanbe The remains of this Sogdian city are just out of town, and the Ermitage in St. Petersburg. on a hill overlooking the valley. You can wander around the site without being bothered by anyone. Unfortu- nately,there are hardly any signs explaining what is what. The director of the museum just next to the site is able to explain everything in detail though. You may also find some excavators here, and students from St. Petersburg willing to tell you about their work and finds. 5.2 History The town has another small museum with Soviet mem- orabilia and stuffed animals as well as impressive finds from the excavations nearby -- wall paintings from the 5th century, with faded colors but recognizable motifs and Ancient Panjakent was a town of the Soghdians. The hunting scenes. Soghdians were a people of an Iranian language. They belonged to the most important peoples in Central Asia You can also do excellent treks in the surrounding Fan before arrival of the Islam. The name Soghd or Soghdian Mountains and further up the Zeravshan Valley. Pen- is mentioned in historical sources of the Achaemenid Em- jikent is usually visited from Samarkand as part of a tour pire (6th cent BC). The Soghdians founded several city- along the Silk route, other entry points are Dushanbe in states in the Zarafshan Valley and colonies along the Silk the South or Khujand in the North. For the latter routes, Road from the Crimea to China and Mongolia. Ancient you will have to cross high passes though. This means Panjakent was the capital of the state of Panch. The town that Penjikent is often isolated from the rest of the coun- dates to the 5th cent. AD. It was inhabited by rich mer- try during wintertime. chants and land-owners. The Arabs conquered Panjakent in 722. The last ruler, named Devashtich, fled into the mountains, but he was captured and sentenced to death. People stayed in Panjakent under the rule of the caliphate, 5.1 Understand but towards the end of the 8th century, the city was aban- doned. The name Panjakent is derived from “panj” (five) and Yaqub Beg was born in the town in the early 19th century “kant” (settlements), meaning “five settlements”. Rudaki, when it was part of the Khanate of Kokand. He joined the the founder of Persian-Tajik literature called “Adam of Khan’s army as a young man and later commanded it as poets”, was born in Panjakent. it vigorously, but in the long run unsuccessfully, resisted The ruins of ancient Panjakent are situated in the Zaraf- Russian expansion in the area. Later he took much of shan Valley about 60 km east of Samarkand. Panjakant the army east, took Kashgar and Yarkand in what is now was the easternmost city of Sogdia. The site is being ex- Xinjiang. He ruled a substantial kingdom from Kashgar cavated from 1947 onwards. Excavations were led by for about a decade, but then he died (assassination, sui- Y.Yakubovsky, A.Belenitsky and B.Marshak of the Er- cide and a stroke have all been given as the reason) and mitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Due to the long period the kingdom fell apart.

12 5.5. SEE 13

5.3 Get in ing to the fact that the main construction material was clay-bricks. Often referred to as The Pompeii of Most visitors enter Panjakent and the Zeravshan val- Central Asia, it is well worth a visit. Duplicates of ley from Samarkand, which is just across the border to old Sogdian art are exposed in the nearby museum. Uzbekistan. You will need a valid Tajik visa to enter and The director will also take you on a tour, which will a double/multi-entry Uzbek visa if you intend to return open your eyes to many interesting details which will the same way you came. There is no public transport normally escape the layman’s eye. crossing the border and unless you have arranged your trip through one of the many Uzbek tour agents, you will Ancient Panjakent was divided into a shakhrestan (res- have to switch taxis at the border. Taxis leave from Pand- idential quarter) covering an area of about 13 hectares, jakent Koutchasi, the south eastern part of the Registan. an ark (citadel) with a palace, covering an area of 1 ha, a The trip to the border takes about 30 minutes and costs rabat (suburb pulular district) and a necropolis. The US$3 per person. From the border, the trip takes another site is huge. Located on the top of a hill, it offers amaz- 30 minutes and costs another US$3 per person. Travel ings views over the entire valley. The living quarters and agents at Samarkand organize the trip for about US$40 fortress were separated by a narrow wadi with a bridge (including transportation, guide, admission fee and “bor- connecting the two parts of the city. der crossing fee”). Two temples in the shakhrestan formed the center of the Warning: as of January 2012, the Samarkand-Panjakent urban area. The two temples contained statues and mural border crossing is closed, with no signs of opening in the paintings. During the 5th and 6th centuries, no building future. in Panjakent was as magnificent as the two temples and even the houses of the wealthiest residents seemed rather From Khujand or Dushanbe, it is a spectacular but ex- humble compared to the two temples. hausting 7-10h trip to Panjakent in shared taxi. In 2009, the price for a seat is about 140TJS for the Dushanbe- The buildings were made of mud bricks and paksha. The Panjakent bit. The roads range from virtually absent to residential houses ranged from single room buildings to spectacularly good, depending on whether you travel on large estates, reflecting the social status of their inhabi- the original road or one of the bits already repaired. tants. In the 7th and 8th centuries, the hoses of the rich dominated the architecture of the city. At the begin- The distance from Dushanbe is about 230 km. You will ning of the 8th century, the spaces between the houses have to pass Varzob Gorge and go over the 3,370 m high were converted into passageways and often covered with Anzab Pass. In 2006, the 5 km long Anzab Tunnel has vaults. The houses of the rich became two-story buildings been opened. From Khujand, you will have to pass the with vaults over the room on the first floor. All residential Shakristan Pass with a height of 3,380 m. houses were covered with wall paintings and woodcarv- Panjakent also has a airport from which small planes oc- ings. casionally fly to Dushanbe. There is no schedule. Nor- The larger houses consisted of halls with four columns mally, if the passes are closed and enough potential trav- and benches along the walls. They were the most im- ellers have assembled, Tajik air runs a trip or two. portant part of the houses and served religious purposes. More than a third of the hoses had such reception halls. It is here where the archeologists discovered many excep- 5.4 Get around tional mural paintings. These paintings date from the 5th to the 8th century and are considered the most important Panjakent is stretched along the south banks of the Zer- works of early medieval art in Central Asia before the ar- avshan River. There is one bus line (not surprisingly bear- rival of Islam. Most houses had a dark vaulted room for ing the number 1), which is running along the main Road storage and a spiral staircase leading to the living quarters (Rudaki) connecting the far ends of this small city. For in the second floor. The houses of the well-to-do popula- other explorations, you will have to rely on taxis or wave tion usually had a room with a fire altar and a ceremonial down any car going into the desired direction, which is a hall decorated with wall paintings and wood carvings. In common practice in Tajikistan. Note though that drivers the main hall, there was a niche up to 4 m widr opposite will expect as small as a contribution to their fuel costs. the entrance with giant images of tutelary gods and small pictures of the praying members of the household. The center of the hall was marked by four wooden columns which supported complex wooden structures with a dome 5.5 See on a square foundation on the top. The hall was decorated with woodcarvings in high relief and even with small stat- • Ancient Panjakent. The archaeological site of the ues of caryatids and atlantes. The most common motif of ruins of old Penjikent - a walled inter-city which the reliefs in the ceiling were arched niches with figures stood 2500-years ago - was once a Sogdian trading of the gods, including the sun-god in his chariot. The city on the Silk Road. Today, only ruins are left ow- wall paintings on the other three walls were much smaller 14 CHAPTER 5. PANJAKENT than the gods facing the main entrance. They formed two ent from the 5th to 8th cent AD. In the third hall, or three friezes depicting royal feasts, hunting scenes, the artifacts from the period of the Somonid empire are heroic deeds of Rostam, local heroes, amazons or persons at display. The forth hall is devoted to Rudaki, the from the Indian epic Mahabarata. The layout of the Sog- founder of Tajik literature. The fifth hall shows ob- dian central hall is unique. The decorations show that the jects of Tajik ethnography: clothes, embroideries, Sogdian artist were familiar with the artistic and literary copper and bronze dishes, clothes from the 19th and traditions of different cultures, as Persia, Greece and even 20th centuries. The sixth hall refers to the establish- India. ment of the Soviet power in Tajikistan, the seventh hall to the independence of Tajikistan in 1991. In The majority of the population observed some local vari- ation of Zoroastrianism, which is proved by the wide the eighth hall, animals of Tajikistan are exhibited. US$10. distribution of ossuary funerals and fire-altars. There is, however, some evidence of the presence of Chris- tianity and Buddhism and eventually even of the cult of • Olim Dodhko Mosque and Medressah (in the Shiva. Zoroastrianism was combined with cults of addi- eastern part of Panjakent). - a Friday Mosque dat- tional gods and goddesses. Not all of these deities were ing from the 18th and 19th centuries for up to 1500 of Iranian origin, as can be seen from the cult of the people Mesopotamian goddess Nana.

The iconography of these goods can be traced back to the • Kainar Ato Spring. According to the legend, Ali, Hellenistic period, e.g. the image of a defeated goddess. the descendant of Mohammed, visited this place It was also influenced by Sasanian ideas of the royal at- which at this time accommodated only serpents. tributes of gods and observed some Hinduistic features as When Ali came to Kainar Ato, he prayed, the snakes well. The iconography took its final form in the 5th and disappeared and a spring was formed. Today, 6 wa- 6th centuries. Each household had its own divine protec- ter pumps work at Kainar Alto, supplying water to tor, but all gods formed part of a single pantheon, as can about 2/3 of Panjakant’s population. be seen from wall paintings depicting several deities side by side. The three-headed god of the wind Veshparkar, who resembles Shiva, and the four-handed Nana riding on a lion or seated on a throne in the shape of a lion can 5.6 Do easily be recognized. Altogether, more than 20 deities can be found on small terracotta images, murals, wood- carvings and clay figurines. The images of Nana, a god You can do excellent treks in the surrounding Fan Moun- sitting on a throne in the shape of a camel and of a god tains and further up the Zeravshan Valley. standing over a fallen demon are most common. US$5. The Fannsky Gory (Fan Mountains) are one of Central Asia’s most popular trekking areas. You can do a day • Rudaki Museum (Republican History and Re- trip from Panjakent to the Seven Lakes (Marquzor Lakes), gional Study Museum) (1km west of the City Ad- about 60 km south of Panjakent. It costs about US$ 40 ministration on the main Rudaki street). 8am - 5pm. to hire a car from Panjakent (2007). Anothe favourite This interesting museum of local history has re- place is Iskander Kul, a mountain lake about 25 km south cently been rehabilitated and should not be missed. of the Panjakent Dushanbe road. There is, however, no Abu Abdullo Rudaki was a famous poet of the 10th public transport to the lake. The former Soviet holiday century. He lived in Panjakent for a while and later camp offers accommodation for 20TJS (2007) and a great became the national hero of Tajikistan. Among the lakeside restaurant. The lake is at an altitude of nearly exhibits in the museum are frescoes from the an- 2200 m. cient city of Panjakent depicting a banquet, a battle, After having done the mandatory cultural tour, got and daily life scenes; statues of Zoroastrian divinites stocked up on goodies on the bustling market in the cen- and a wooden statue of a dancing woman. Apart ter of town. Since it got modernized and reorganized, it from showing artifacts and frescoes of the archeo- lost quite a lot of its original charm, but it will still allow logical site nearby the city, it also features exhibits an impressive vision of traditional Tadjikistan on a busy from Sarazm, a neolithic site a few kilometers fur- day. Note that there is another market (for clothes mainly ther west. There excavators found proof human set- further east (not far from to the main bus terminal). Prod- tlement as old as 5500 years and - most notably - ucts there are fancy and cheap, but of dubious origin and the richly decorated remains of a young woman re- quality. ferred to as the princess of Sarazm. The museum has 8 halls. The first hall is devoted to the history and culture of ancient Sarazm with exhibits illustrating • Kamoli Khujandi Park (on the banks of the Zer- the beginnings of farming and city building in the avshan river). recreational park with a swimming area. The second hall shows findings from Panjak- pool and children’s amusement park 5.12. GO NEXT 15

5.7 Buy Pamir-Travel, one of the biggest and most experienced operators in Penjikent. http://www.travel-pamir.com • Zerafshan Handicraft Store Armugon, 47, Hofizi (Nematov Niyozgul, Rudaki 22/16 - ask for ostanovka Sherozi Street (opposite cafe Bakht). Mon to Fri samarkand) 9am to 5pm. offering knitted crafts, woven carpets and baskets, patchwork and embroideries 5.12 Go next • Central Market, Rudaki Avenue (served by busses 1,2,4,5 and 6). The market is busiest on Sundays. Most visitors leave Penjikent and the Zeravshan valley to Samarkand. There is no public transport crossing the 5.8 Eat border, so you will have to switch taxis at the border. The trip to the border takes about 30 minutes and costs US$3 per person. From the border, the trip takes another 30 • Javonon cafe, Rudaki Avenue (in the central park). mins and costs another US$3 per person. Taxis arrive • Ansori cafe, Rudaki Avenue (in the central park). at Samarkand at Pendjikent Koutchasi, the south eastern part of the Registan. From Penjikent to Khujand or Dushanbe, it is a spectac- 5.9 Drink ular but exhausting 7-10h trip to in shared taxi. In 2009, the price for a seat is about 140TJS. 5.10 Sleep Flight to Dushanbe operate infrequently in winter. Ticket price is US$ 45 (2007). The airport is about 4 km west of the town. • Hotel Penjikent, Borbadi Marvazi 22, ☎ 52230. There is one Soviet Era hotel in the center of town which has seen some rehabilitation last year and now offers an about acceptable level of value for price. Let them show you several rooms to make the best pick. A double is coming at 35-50 USD /night with TV and hot water. Ask for “Intourist Hotel”, though the official one is “Hotel Penjikent”. • Nematov Niyozkul Homestay, Rudaki 22/16 (at the west end of the town, about 700 m from Rudaki Museum), ☎ 53134. US$10 full board.

Travel agencies will also offer a variety of homestay ac- commodation (from 5 USD with breakfast) or let you a complete apartment (10-15 USD/night). This may often be a better pick.

5.11 Connect

• Tourist Information Center, 47, Hofizi Sherozi Street (opposite cafe Bakht), ☎ 56339. Mon to Fri 9am to 5pm.

There is a number of tour operators in Penjikent which can organize about everything in Penjikent and the Zer- afshan Valley. Those having a webpage are listed below: Zeravshan Tourism Development Association - A net- work of small providers offering Community Based Tourism products with special emphasis on cultural and ecological sustainability. Supported by international de- velopment organisations. Excellent for arranging custom made tours and accommodation for the individual and group traveller. http://www.ztda-tourism.tj Chapter 6

Zeravshan

Zeravshan Valley is in Tajikistan. Zarafshon is Persian word meaning full of gold.

6.1 Cities

• Ayni — a crossroad town about a two-hour trip to the east from Panjakent, from where the roads to Dushanbe and Khujand branch off.

• Panjakent — Zeravshan’s biggest city and main travel gateway is at the westernmost end of the val- ley.

Many small villages are scattered along the Zeravshan Zeravshan Valley river and further up the side-valleys in the picturesque landscape of this region. those interested in mountain trekking, alpinism and the little travelled branches of the silk road. 6.2 Other destinations The Tajik ancestors- fire worshippers called the Sogdians- have lived more than 1500 years along the Zeravshan val- ley – a history which is still visible at the Old Panjakent • Sarazm — one of the oldest cities in Central Asia archaeological site and the remote Yagnob valley. dating from the 4th-century BC. Several specialized tour operators in Europe and Uzbek- • Iskanderkul — a turquoise lake in the Fann Moun- istan are offering guided trekking and cultural tours to tains the area, normally in combination with visits to the Silk Road highlights Samarkand and Bukhara. Indepedent • Marzugor Lakes — a chain of seven lakes that travellers will find a good network of local operators in stretches for more than 20 km in a side-valley Panjakent who can arrange trips on the spot. With sup- port of international development agencies, the quality and variety of services has been improved to meet inter- 6.3 Understand national standards.

The Zeravshan Valley (also Zarafshan or Zarafshon) is situated in northern Tajikistan, embedded between the impressive mountain ranges of the western Pamir-Alai 6.4 Get in massive.“Zeravshan” – which means “Golden River” in Tajik –is the main stream which crosses the valley and Most visitors enter the Zeravshan valley from Samarkand, which supplies its inhabitants with a most precious re- which is just across the border to Uzbekistan. You will source: water. The area is famous for its unique mountain need a valid Tajik visa to enter and a double/multi-entry landscapes and its beautiful lakes: the Alauddin lakes, Uzbek visa if you intend to return the same way you came. the Kulikalon lakes, Iskanderkul Lake, the seven lakes There is no public transport crossing the border and un- of Shing among many others. While being an impor- less you have arranged your trip through a tour agent, you tant tourism and recreation destination during the Soviet will have to switch taxis at the border. Border crossing era of dispatch tourism, it is now an insiders’ tip among between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan near Penjikent and

16 6.6. SEE 17

Samarkand was closed in July 2012. But this condition Old Panjakent -The archaeological site of the ruins of is unstable as relantionship between two countries. The old Panjakent- a walled inter-city which stood 2500-years nearest opened border crossing was in Oybek, 250 km ago - was once a Sogdian trading city on the Silk Road. from Samarkand and one hour ride from Khujand. Today only ruins are left owing to the fact that the main Additional entry routes are from Khujand or Dushanbe. construction material was clay-bricks. Often referred to Both are spectacular but also tiresome trips in shared taxi as “The Pompeii of Central Asia”, it is well worth a visit. over passes as high as 3600m. In 2009 the price for a Duplicates of old Sogdian art are exposed in the nearby seat was about 140TJS for the Dushanbe-Panjakent bit. museum. The director will also take you on a tour, which will open your eyes to the interesting details which will The roads range from virtually absent to first league, de- pending on whether you travel on the original road or one normally escape the laymen’s eye. of the bits already repaired. If you are entering from If 2500 years doesn’t seem to suffice, 20km further, Dushanbe, you will have to cross the infamous Anzob tun- one may find the oldest settlement in all Central Asia – nel, a shocking example of what all can go wrong when at- Sarazm. The name Sarazm (or Sari Zamin) aptly means tempting to build a tunnel. The ride through the unventi- “the beginning of the world” for this site which is more lated, non-asphalted and partly flooded tunnel (6km) is an than 5500 years old. More than 6000 people used to live experience not to be missed by those not suffering from here making it the oldest city in Central Asia. Sarazm claustrophobia. Except the tunnel, the road Dushanbe- has been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Ajny is in good conditions (Dec 2010). The nearby museum shows archaeological finds includ- Panjakent and Aini have airports from which small planes ing a picture of the discovered skeleton of the multi- occasionally fly to Dushanbe. There is no schedule. Nor- millennia princess of Sarazm adorned with her impres- mally, if the passes are closed and enough potential trav- sive jewellery. The original is at display in the capital elers have assembled, Tajik air runs a trip or two. Dushanbe. The seven pearls of the Shing - A string of seven lakes, each with its particular color and flora embedded 6.5 Get around in an impressive mountain scenery is a must-see in the Zeravshan valley. The lowest lake is a 1,5 hour drive from Panjakent and the point of departure for numerous There is no functional public transport in the Zeravshan trekking routes. If your luggage is heavy, you will find valley, but shared taxis are an inexpensive and reliable porter donkeys in the villages. During the high season it way to get around along the main road. In Panjakent, might be prudent though to arrange donkeys beforehand the main taxi (and bus) station is in the east of the city through a travel agency, as the animals are still used by (well past the bazaar). If you are heading for smaller set- farmers in their daily work. tlements you will need to book a whole car if you don't want to wait for ages for enough passengers to assemble. You can either try your bargaining luck at the taxi station or book through one of the local travel agencies who will normally give you a good deal as well. Make sure you get a 4WD vehicle if heading for the mountains - 2WD taxis tend to overestimate the offroad ability of their vehicles.

6.6 See

Lake Kulikalon in the Fan Mountains

Fan mountains - A paradise for trekkers and alpinists featuring green meadows, old juniper forests and a great number of turquoise lakes all overlooked by towering mountains. In the central Fan area, Chimtarga (5489m) and Energia (5210m) are among the most popular peaks for alpinists, while hardcore climbers find enough chal- lenges in the area’s cliffs for a lifetime. The Fan Moun- tains have become one of central Asia’s prime destina- Sarazm tions for trekking and virtually all Tajik travel opera- 18 CHAPTER 6. ZERAVSHAN tors run tours in the region. Accommodation is either in clean, generally offer hot water/shower and good food. homestays or tents (on rental for example at the ZTDA) Prices are in the range of 7-10 USD/person. See contacts or in one of the two remaining turbazas (alpinist camps) for CBT homestays further below. in Artush and Allaudin. Allaudin alpinist camp is situated in a lovely spot in the Iskander Kul - According to an old tale, Alexander the Fan mountains and run by the Moscow based associa- great lost his horse on the banks of this gourgous main- tion “Vertical”. It offers basic accommodation in cottages tain lake about 25km off the main road (and accessible by (during the high season you may also have electricity and car). The lake’s water is very cold and only the brave will hot water) at €12/pers. Check out: go for a swim. At the lakeside a former turbaza (holiday Artush alpinist camp is a large site with dozens of cottages camp) is featuring a restaurant and about 25 chalets for (recently renovated) and a nice main building. Overnight overnight stay (25 TJS/pers). It operates only during the is around US$15/person depending on standard and sea- main season. Don't miss out on the impressive 40m wa- son. There is no hot water and toilets are far off. But still terfall a 30minute walk from the lake. Local people call a good place to take a rest before or after a long trek. it “Niagara” with some reason. If you are into multi-day trekking, the village of Saratok (a two hour walk from Panjakent offers a former intourist hotel (now called “ho- the lake) is an good base for tours crossing over to Al- tel Panjakent”) which has some decent rooms (among laudin lakes or the seven pearls of Shing. Saratok fea- many not decent at all) for US$30-50/night. The same tures a number of good standard homestays of the CBT is true for Ainy where a small hotel is in the city center projekt of ZTDA. (follow the signs “Welthungerhilfe” as this NGO is also located in the hotel. Prices are lower than the ones in Pan- Yagnob valley This remote destination is truly off the jakent. It is generally more advisable to look for home- beaten path, here you will find rural Tajikistan at its stays in Ayni and Panjakent as well. Tour agents will be purest. The Yagnob river is a tributary to the Zeravshan able to find something suitable for you. at South East of the Valley - turn east in the settlement Anzob. The Yagnob valley is home to descendants of the Sogdian empire who still speak this old Persian language and have preserved some of their traditions. Fantastic 6.9 Go next trekking opportunities in a spectacular mountain setting reward those visiting the area.

6.7 Eat

If you are looking for a good meal, your homestay or one of the few restaurants in Panjakent are your best bet. There is a chaikhana (teahouse) serving the odd shashlik in every bigger settlement but cuisine is often not of the highest level. As elsewhere in Central Asia, the diet is based on the staples rice and mutton. If you have the op- portunity to eat in a private house (homestay) make use of it, in order to witness the full splendor of Tajik hospi- tality. Panjakent and Aini offer fairly well stocked local bazaars where you can fill up your supplies. Make sure you bring enough food when going to the mountains independently - in the higher parts of the valley markets tend to be very small and in remote villages, you may only find fresh bread.

6.8 Sleep

The Zeravshan valley offers excellent opportunities for camping at the shores of its many lakes and rivers. You may bring our own tents or rent them from the ZTDA net- work. There is also a network of good homestays - partic- ularly around the valleys main attractions. The places are Chapter 7

Karategin

Karategin is the central province of Tajikistan, home to 7.12 Stay safe the capital. 7.13 Go next 7.1 Regions

7.2 Cities

• Dushanbe • Gharm • Hisor • Tursunzoda • Vakhdat

7.3 Other destinations

7.4 Understand

7.5 Talk

7.6 Get in

7.7 Get around

7.8 See

7.8.1 Itineraries

7.9 Do

7.10 Eat

7.11 Drink

19 Chapter 8

Dushanbe

Rudaki Avenue sidewide, Dushanbe

Bread market in Dushanbe

National Library of Tajikistan

Dushanbe is the capital of Tajikistan.

8.1 Get in

8.1.1 By plane Opera theatre in Dushanbe

• Dushanbe Airport (IATA: DYU, ICAO: UTDD, Международный Аэропорт Душанбе), M. Mas- by (Tajik Air, Somon Air, Domodedovo Airlines tangulova (ул.им.М. Мастангулова), 32/2. (SW of and Sibirian S7), Istanbul - Atatürk on (Turkish Air- City center), ☎ +992 37 4494233, fax: +992 37 lines); Urumqi (China Southern Airlines). Somon 2278717, e-mail: [email protected]. Moscow flights Air have a weekly direct flight to Frankfurt, as well

20 8.2. GET AROUND 21

as flights to Dubai, Istanbul and Kiev . - Hub for • Pamir bus terminal (Povorot aeroporta terminal East Air, Somon Air and Tajik Air. Pamira, Avtobaza 2929), Ahmed Donish Street (close to the airport). Toward east to Khorog (Pamir) going usually 4X4 vehicles (525km, 12 to 14 hours, 8.1.2 Luggages prices are vary) all via Kalaikhum (285km)

S7 or it’s share code flies to most European countries and • Terminal Khojent (Vodanasos cement factory Ter- you could check in your luggage up to Dushanbe. Oth- minal), Rudaki Street (End of Rudaki Street towards erwise you will require a transit visa to collect your lug- Varzob Valley. - Ask your taxi driver to drop you gage and check it in again. If you have no checked lug- to the Stoyanka Khodjenta close to Vodonasos or gage, you could walk straight to transit area. If you use Cemzavod. It is the end of the Trolleybus line.). a different airline and have checked in luggage you need Minibuses to Khojent and Varzob, Aini, Penjikent, a transit visa because the airlines will not transfer it for Khujand you. For that reason you have to collect the luggage your- • self and check it in for your final flight. In order to collect Korvon Market terminal (Korvon Market, South it you have to pass passport control for which you need a of Center). Many private cars to Kurgan-Tybe and visa (many countries get it upon arrival and free, Google Kulyab yours). These policies are subject to change without a no- • From Dushanbe I Train Station,. can take mini tice. Check with your airline(s) to find out whether they taxis toward east: Kofarnihon, Faizabad currently transfer luggage. • Polytechnic Institute terminal, Djami Avenue. for taxis toward west: Hissor 8.1.3 Visa at the airport • Sakhovat Market terminal (Sakhovat Mar- Most of the European and North American nationals can ket). Private SUVs go (daily) to Afghan Border apply for a visa upon arrival in Dushanbe. The airport (Sherkhon Bandar). You will have to go early in is very small and the immigration is just right before the the morning 05:00 to check for a shared car. Best passport control. Make sure to bring 2 passport photos, is to go there a day before and arrange for the next and know the person’s address in which you are staying. day travel. Also lines toward south Qurghonteppa Don't lose your “beeline travel slip” which you will get at (85km)and Kulob (190km) the immigration office. the luggage x-ray machines are very poor and they pay little attention to the screens. Watch the kids when you leave the airport they will offer 8.2 Get around to take your bag to the car and start to pull it off you. though not with intentions of stealing, just wanting to help and gain a tip. 8.2.1 By bus

A number of bus services operate in Dushanbe, however 8.1.4 By train there is not much clarity which one goes to where.

• Dushanbe Railway Station, Nazarshoev St (SE part of the city). From Moscow via Volgograd, 8.2.2 By marshrukta Atyrau and Termez. Trains depart from the Moskva Kazanskaya rail terminal each Monday, Wednesday It is very useful to figure out the marshrukta system (pri- and Sunday at 12:08 PM, arriving 4:16 PM four vate cars and minibuses), which run on a standard set nights later. Tickets costs from 9000 RUB for a of routes. Minibuses are overcrowded, stop more fre- second class sleeper. - Trains depart to Iski-Guzar quently, and cost 1 somoni, while private cars are much (via Vahdat), Tursunzoda (toward west via Hisor), quicker and cost 3 somoni. For marshrukti, the only im- to Kulob (via Obikiik, Kuybyshevsk, Qurghonteppa, portant phrase is “hamin jo” (ha-MEEN JOH), which Sarband). means “right here”, to indicate that you want to get out. A couple usefull 'lines’ (2010): No. 1: Giprozem (south) - Sakovat Bazaar - Circus - War 8.1.5 By bus Memorial - Aini Street - Dushanbe Airport

There are no international bus services.If you are plan- No. 2: Giprozem - Sakovat Bazaar - Circus - War Memo- ning to go to a different town in Dushanbe there are 'ter- rial - Bokhtar Street (centre) minals’ that you can either find a shared taxi or a minibus. No. 3: Dushanbe I Train Station - Rudaki Avenue - Vo- Departs are mostly early morning. danasos Bazaar (north) 22 CHAPTER 8. DUSHANBE

No. 8: Dushanbe Airport - Aini Street - Rudaki Avenue народов)), ~64 (Central city cemetery or commonly - Ismoil Somoni Street - 102nd microdistrict (west) Russian Cemetery (Центральный Городский No. 17: 82nd microdistrict - Ismoil Somoni Street - кладбище, русский кладбище)). The main Rudaki Avenue - Vodanasos Bazaar pravoslav church of Dushanbe. No. 29: Giprozem - Circus - Bus Station - 82nd microdis- trict - Ismoil Somoni Street - Barakat Bazaar (centre) 8.3.2 Museums

• Gurminj Museum of Musical Instruments 8.2.3 By taxi (Gurminj Museum, Музей музыкальных инструментов), Bokhtar Street , 23 (Located in the Within Dushanbe it is best to take a taxi, usually it should center of Dushanbe, a block east of Rudaki near the not be more than 30 Somoni ($6). Iranian Embassy), ☎ +992 372 2231076, +992 37 5731076, e-mail: [email protected]. 8.2.4 Orientation Daily 11.00-18.00. This small museum has an interesting variety of Central Asian musical in- Very few streets in Dushanbe are known by their names, struments as string instruments example: rubab, so it is important to know landmarks and how to navigate Pamiri rubab, tanbur, dutor, setor, qashqar, and with them. Every cab driver knows the airport, Somoni ghizhak. There are also number of drums such as statue, and opera-ballet, but beyond that, it is a toss-up. tabl, daf, and doyra. That alone is worth a peek if It is essential to know “straight ahead,” “to the left,” and you like instruments, but better still is to go when “to the right” in Russian or Tajik. a musical or cultural event is being held, or hope to catch the folk musicians who practice there and The center is basically one long street, with a few other can demo many of the instruments in the collection. main streets crossing it. Admission 10TJS. Dushanbe is an interesting city, but only for a few days. • Other than a few museum and monuments, there is not Museum of Antiquities (Национальный музей much here. The nightlife is not of a western standard. древности Республики Таджикистан) (on the There are three main clubs: Port Said, Dior, and Vastan main square near the Sadbarg shopping center). It (all on or near Rudaki Street). The clubs are pretty bad is quite old fashioned and includes a number of ex- and attract bad music, prostitutes, and are mostly filled hibits that detail the country’s history. It is great with men. If a man goes out with a Tajik women, he will for historians of contemporary Tajikistan and the be expected to pay for her. The streets are lined with current President, but only if they speak Russian or old and tall planetrees, so in the evenings a stroll along Tajik, as there are very few English signs. The mu- Rudaki is quite pleasant. Rudaki Park also features nu- seum is very poorly funded (there is a man who fol- merous fountains lit by coloured lights, and the Botanical lows you to turn off the lights after you are finished Gardens (behind the Chinese Embassy, somewhat north with an exhibit room) and rather underwhelming. along Rudaki) is the best place to escape the dust and One of the highlight is the statue of Khatlonskogo’s noise of the traffic for peace and quiet. Sleeping Buddha which height is 14m, found at the excavations in 1966 in south of the country.

8.3 See 8.3.3 Others

8.3.1 Holy places • Monument of Amir Ismail Samani (Tajik:Ҳайкали Исмоили Сомонӣ, Russian: • Haji Yaqub Mosque (Мечеть Хаджи Якуб), Арка и памятник Исмаилу Самани.), Prospekt Rudaki Ave (Close to Hotel Avesto). The largest Aiani (At the south rim of Rudaki Park). A monu- mosque in the CIS cost of 100 million dollars.It ment to the 10th-century founder of the Samanid has a crescent-topped minaret and burnished golden dynasty. This statue commemorates the one for dome. whom the currency is named. Apparently, the crown is 10 kilograms of tajik gold. Beware: the • Sari Osiyo Mosque (Мечеть Сари Осиё). A new police at the bottom may ask for money if you take one photos, so stand far back and use your zoom! (and • Ismaili Centre (Центр Исмаилизма), Ismoil don't encourage this bad behaviour!). Somoni Ave, (Close to Hyatt Regency Dushanbe). • Rudaki statue (Rudaki Park). Recently opened for • St. Nicholas Cathedral (Свято-Никольский the Shanghai summit, the new park on Rudaki Av- собор), Druzhby Narodov St (улица Дружбы enue has a huge statue of Rudaki, a new government 8.4. DO 23

palace, and enough fountains to drain the whole of look for it), ☎ +992 48 702 0020. Adult / Child Dushanbe. Go at night to see the lights. M-F 70/40, Sa-Su 80/40 (four hours); - After 17:00 (three hours) 50/30; - Tariff “VIP” admission to all • Rokhat Teahouse (Tajik:Rohat Chaikhona, Rus- areas! From sunrise to sunset! Adult 150 (all prices sian:чайханы «Рохат»,), 84, Rudaki Ave, ☎ +992 in TJS, valid in 2014). 90 793 1347. Old traditional teahouse located near central Dushanbe on Rudaki. Better to go for the • Bactria Cultural Centre interesting architecture, not the food. • Circus (Здание цирка), Karaboev Avenue, 1-3. • Dushanbe Flagpole (Located in front of the Palace (Ave. S. Sherozi corner). of Nations). The second tallest free-standing flag- pole in the world (162m). This flagpole flies a 1800 sqm flag of Tajikistan, weighing 700kg. 8.4.1 Parks

• Vahdat Palace (Palace of Unity, Tajik: Кохи • Botanical Gardens (Ботанический сад Rudaki Академии наук Таджикистана) (behind the ,107 ,(کاخ وحدت/Ваҳдат/Kokhi Vahdat Avenue (проспект А. Рудаки) (near Hotel Avesto). Chinese Embassy, somewhat north along Rudaki It is the headquarters of the ruling People’s Demo- turn left to Samad Gani St). This is the best place cratic Party and is also used to host international to escape the dust and noise of the traffic for peace conferences and quiet. A small forest with plenty of greenery. Usually the newly wed couples make photos here. • National Bank of Tajikistan (Бонки миллии Тоҷикистон), хиёбони Рудакӣ, 107A (Opposite • Dushanbe Zoo (Dushanbe Zoological Park, Ayni Opera and Ballet Theatre), ☎ +992 44 600 Tajik: Боғи ҳайвонот, Russian: Душанбинский 3227, fax: +992 44 600-3235, e-mail: [email protected]. зоопарк), Ismoili Somoni Avenue (Located in the Located in a nice monument building. center of the city on the Luchob river bank, next to the Pamir Stadium). The number of animals kept • Tajik State National University (Tajik: Don- is about 600 on the area: 67000sqm. This is the ishgohi Davlatii Millii Tojikiston, Донишгоҳи only institution of this kind in the country. Ani- миллии Тоҷикистон, Russian:Таджикский mals are indigenous and foreign species. Couple of национальный университет (ТНУ)), Rudaki Ave. the most exotic animals of its lion, jaguar and snow (хиёбони Рӯдакӣ), 17., ☎ +992 372 21-7711, leopard. The local fauna are represented by brown fax: +992 372 217711, e-mail: [email protected]. bears, black bears, Bactrian camel, donkey, wolf, On Rudaki an other nice building at #33 Tajik jackal, fox, raccoon, and some birds like owl, vul- Academy of Sciences ture, golden eagle, falcon. Also some reptiles, like snakes, caymans, lizards are displayed indoors.

8.3.4 Further afield • Park named after S. Ayni (Парк культуры и отдыха имени С. Айни,Tajik:Боғи фароғат ва • Fort Hissar (The cheapest way to get there is истироҳати ба номи С. Айнӣ) (Around Opera). taking local bus #8 (available from Rudaki ave.) to Zarnissor bazaar. From there you catch a • Victory Park (Парк Победы,Tajik:), Druzhby marshrutka (minibus) to Hissar village (2 TJS) where Narodov St (Turn left off of Rudaki at the TSUM and you can easily flag down a car for 1 TJS/seat. That pass the beer factory.). Hike to the top for a seasonal means a roundtrip is roughly 7 TJS/person. Alter- tiki-themed beer garden offering views of the city. natively you can hire a cab for around 80 TJS. - The truly brave can take the rickety gondola. Also 10 km out of town). Rebuilt 13th century fort and there is the Victory Memorial madrassa. It is a must see and includes small muse- ums of ancient Tajik culture. It was destroyed by So- viet troops in their hunt for Enver Pasha. Entrance 8.4.2 Theatres fees are 1 to 3 somoni.. • Ayni Opera and Ballet Theatre (Таджикский академический театр оперы и балета имени С. 8.4 Do Айни), Nisor Muhammad St and Rudaki Ave cnr. (Center), ☎ +992 37 2213494. Tu-Su 09:00-12:00, 13:00-17:00. regularly has free or cheap concerts • Aquapark Dolphin (Аквапарк Дельфин), Bo- sponsored by embassies and traveling companies. goutdinova (Богоутдинова), 7/2 (West of City cen- ter. Take bus 8, 22, 25, 28,17 to '101 mikrorayon', • Lahuti Drama Theatre (Таджикский after Saodat Shopping Center the next street turn to- академический драматический театр имени ward south (left) and walk ten mins on the right side А. Лахути), Rudaki Ave,. 24 CHAPTER 8. DUSHANBE

• Mayakovsky Theatre authentic Turkish breakfast. It is on Rudaki next to Orima supermarket. • Padida Theatre • Salsa. The only Ecuadorian restaurant for hundreds • Puppet theatre (Государственный театр кукол of miles. It is a reasonable imitation of Latin cuisine Лухтак). and popular with Europeans. It is located just off the • Parasty Theatre, Rudaki Ave, (Next to Lohuti north end of Rudaki near Starry Night (Zvezdnaya Drama Theatr). Noch) billiards. • Summer theatre (летних амфитеатра). • Tiflis. One of two Georgian restaurants in the city with some of the best meat dishes in the city (and a • Youth Theatre named after M. Vahidova substantial wine list). It is located behind the opera- (Государственный молодежный театр имени М. ballet, across the park. Вахидова -), Karaboev Avenue, 21-23. • Georgia Cafe. the other Georgian restaurant, lo- • Various Concert Halls cated about a block north of the Opera Square on Rudaki Avenue. It has simple and tasty dishes, good cheap house wine, and a nice friendly atmosphere. 8.5 Buy Be sure to either book or come early, as the seats go fast. • Korvon Bazaar, A384 road (Far away and is • very large (Marshruktas with "Корвон" signs on their La Grande Dame. The only French Restaurant in dashboards will get you there for 3 somoni, or less town. It serves great steaks and other food at a hefty than a dollar). - South of Park Druzhby). Kor- price. It is, however, popular with consultants with von has a massive indoor clothing and shoes sec- hefty per diems. The place offers a good taste of the tion as well as a smaller food section. It is also the West for those missing their homes. On the corner place to go to find fabric rugs, although all of the of Bukhoro and Shevchenko. rugs come from Turkey, not Tajikistan. Somewhat • Kellers. A nice, well-hidden restaurant that serves cheaper than Shakhmansur. European and Chinese style food (although the lines • Shakhmansur Bazaar (Green Bazaar, Зелёный between the two are often blurred). Also, the home Базар), Lohuti Street (East of Opera). This is the made beer (3 som.) is well worth trying. It is on the biggest bazaar in downtown Dushanbe and has a left side of Somoni street near Rudaki end, at the huge variety of foods (very cheap by Western stan- side of a block of flats. dards), including dried fruit, nuts, fresh fruits and • Steakhouse (The Steakhouse). Despite the name, vegetables, spices, meats, and bread, as well as an Steakhouse is one of the only places in Dushanbe odd assortment of tools and household products. It to get sushi. Other meals include steaks, pasta, and is possible to see the entire bazaar in an hour or two. other American style cuisine. Live entertainment The locals always charge foreigners more, so do your nightly. Try the mojito. best to strike a bargain. • Segafredo, Rudaki Ave (Near the corner of Rudaki Ave and Ismoil Somoni Ave, across from Hotel Tajik- 8.6 Eat istan). Western food -- sandwiches, soups, chicken dishes. Great place to get coffee or a snack (one • Cafe Merve, 92 Rudaki Avenue. Excellent Turk- of the only places in Tajikistan to get Iced Cof- ish owned Restaurant: Kebab, Pizza, salads, french fee?). Try the salmon, its surprisingly good and fries, cakes, coffee and delicious breakfast (feta with fresh. Downside: Smokers. You will see many for- olives). Loved by local people. eigners here. • Delhi Darbar, Rudaki Avenue (near the Pedagog- ical Institute.). The most well-known (and possi- 8.7 Drink bly the best vegetarian food in all of Tajikistan) of three local Indian restaurants serves excellent butter • chicken and spinach. It also offers private “family Irish Pub: A brand-new, Irish pub serving Guin- rooms.” ness in a can with Irish charm (considering this is Central Asia). Unfortunately the enterprising own- • Merve. Happening, casual Turkish cafeteria always ers of this restaurant have discovered that foreigners packed with students and young locals. Have several are willing to pay absurd amounts for a Guinness, choices in mind, as they never ever have everything and now one can costs 40 somoni, or close to $10 on the menu, no matter how basic. It also serves an (other beers cost around 10 somoni) To find it, go to 8.8. SLEEP 25

the Gurminj museum, head south to the corner and • Mercury Hotel (Гостиница Меркурий), 9, Lev turn left. Tolstoy Str (ул. Л. Толстого) (Near to the Botan- ical Garden), ☎ +992 37 2244491, +992 44 • Small Restaurants in front of the Opera (At the 6400666, +992 44 6400777, +992 918 888889, small square in front of the Opera, just off from +992 918 882222, fax: +992 37 2244137, e-mail: Rudaki.). There are about 6 small restaurants selling [email protected]. Standard Sgl /Dbl: $70/90, shashliks, beer and softdrinks in front of the opera. Suites $100 (2014). Pick a table in the shade and watch people walk by while sipping your cold beer. beer: 3 somonis. • Hyatt Regency Dushanbe (Хаятт Ридженси Душанбе), Prospekt Ismoili Somoni 26/1 (in City Park, near Lake Komsomol), ☎ +992 43 8.8 Sleep 377 1234, fax: +992 48 702 1235, e-mail: [email protected]. A five star hotel with • Adventurer’s Inn, ul. Pulod Tolis (ул. Пулод 202 rooms and suites. Amenities: floor-to-ceiling Толис) 5/11 windows, sitting area, heated bath floor, iPod dock- ing station, wireless internet and free access to pool • Atlas B&B (Гостиница Атлас), 63, Mirzo Rizo and health club. Regency Club Lounge for free con- (ул. Мирзо Ризо), e-mail: [email protected]. Very tinental breakfast and evening cocktails. From US good Tajik Guesthouse... US$ 80. $212 (2014).

• Almos hotel, 6, Mirzo Rizo str (ул. Мирзо • Lotus Hotel (Гостиница Лотус), Perviy Proezd Ризо), ☎ +992 93 8177272, +992 93 525 6666, Lokhuti (Первый проезд Лохути), 5 (Half km east +992 44 625 7373, fax: +992 37 2272731, e- of Opera), ☎ +992 48 7018800, +992 48 7019900, mail: [email protected]. Services: Sauna & Swim- +992 918 847777, fax: +992 37 2232326, e-mail: ming pool, Billiards & Table tennis, Fitness saloon, [email protected]. Free WiFi, a fitness centre Professional masseuse’s services, Fully equipped From $80. conference-room, Wi-Fi Internet, Disco-bar with variety of beverages, Transportation services, Dry • Guesthouse Firyz (Гостевой дом Фируз), cleaning and storing the luggage, Reservation Proezd Muhammad (проезд Н.Мухаммад) 6/3, and obtainment of tickets Single /Double from ☎ +992 44 6409559, +992 93 8115555, e-mail: USD80/120 to 150 (2014). info@ghfiruz.tj. Tajik kitchen open 08:00-20:00.. Twelve rooms. All rooms have private bathroom, • Avesto (Гостиница Авесто), Ave. Rudaki (пр. telephone, TV, mini-bar, air conditioning, hair Рудаки), 105 А, ☎ +992 37 2211280, +992 44 dryer, and we have tried to provide all the other stuff, 2215252. that is, a bathrobe and clothes brush. - “Lux”, “Ju- nior Suite” rooms Tpl $90. • Guest house Bakhor (Гостевой дом Бахор), Ul. Karamova (ул. Карамова) З, ☎ +992 37 2241155. • Istiqlol Hotel (Гостиница Истиклол), 12, Sportiv- • Guesthouse Comfort (Гостевой дом Комфорт), naya str (Улица Спортивная), ☎ +992 44 6008150, 59 Lva Tolstogo str. (Ул. Льва Толстого, ул. +992 44 6008151, +992 37 2363888, fax: +992 Хамза Хакимзаде) (Near to the Botanical Garden 44 6008150, e-mail: [email protected]. Sgl /Dbl from and the Hotel Mercury), ☎ +992 37 2246904, +992 $161/185. 44 6012206, +992 918 654064, +992 918 621119, • Komron (Гостиница Комрон+П), Karabaeva (1 e-mail: [email protected]. 24 hours room service, проезд Н.Карабаева) 11, Apt 3 (кв.№3), ☎ +992 breakfast, bar, Dinner and Conference halls, laundry 37 233-1111, +992 93 506-9999. , transportation, Wi-Fi, telephone services, copying, scanning, printing. • Marians Guesthouse (Гостевой дом Marians), Shohtemur St (ул. Шотемур) 67/1 (Close to the • Gulistan Tour Hotel, ul. Bukhoro (ул. Бухоро) Children’s Park). 78, ☎ +992 44 620-9191, +992 44 620-9393, +992 93 488-8004. $90-120 per room (2014). • Hotel Oriyo, ul. Karamova (ул. Карамова ),4, ☎ +992 37 224-2445, +992 37 224-2474. • Hotel Complex Kayon (Гостиничный Комплекс Каён), Bokhtar Street (улица Бохтар), 7 (Center), • Poytakht Hotel (Пойтахт ***), Rudaki ave. ☎ +992 37 2271469, +992 37 2216229. Offering (Проспект Рудаки) 7. - T.: +992 44 600-3448, an indoor pool, bar, sauna, beauty salon, Confer- +992 37 221-9655, F.: +992 44 600-3494, +992 ence hall, billiard table and a restaurant. - 24-hour 37 223-2019 front desk, Internet Wi-Fi, a garden with barbecue facilities, a ticket service and luggage storage. - Ten • Yeti Hostel, Gafurova Street (ул. Гафурова), rooms. Sgl with shower $90, dbl with full bath $160. 34, Bldg 1 (Located 7 km northwest from the city 26 CHAPTER 8. DUSHANBE

center, near to Aquapark “Dolphin”), ☎ +992 987 at the reception (sometimes). dm: 60 TJS, d: 120 133005, +992 987 360004, +992 987 133005, e- TJS ste: 180 TJS. mail: [email protected]. Two four bed rooms, one eight bed room. 24 hour front desk staff, free • Vefa Center Hotel (Апарт Отель VEFA), Bokhtar WiFi, free safety box, non-smoking policy, airport str.(ул. Бохтар), 37/1, ☎ +992 47 4410702, +992 pick up/drop off service Dm $20. 47 4410703, +992 48 7011505, +992 93 4441515, e-mail: [email protected]. 24 rooms. Services: • Serena Hotel (Отель Серена), Rudaki Air/con; Free in-room breakfast with menu; Ca- ave. (Проспект Рудаки) 14 (Next to Na- ble and satellite TV; Free Internet (Wi-Fi), Under- tional Museum), ☎ +992 48 7014000, e-mail: ground Parking; Laundry; Transfer, rent a car; 24/7 [email protected]. Deluxe $230, presence of the staff, Security and video surveil- Executive $280, Executive Suite $360. lance 24 hours; Daily room cleaning; Medical care; Mini bar. Standard room US $180, Luxury apart- • SAAF (СААФ **), (ул. Профессора Хусейнзаде) ments US $200, Family Cross-bedroom apartment 1, T: +992 37 223-13-52, F.: : +992 37 223-13-51 US $220, Double lux US $240 (2014). • Hotel Sino (Гостиница Сино), Shevchenko Street ( ул. Шевченко), 75-26, ☎ +992 372 27 0092. Sgl/Dbl: from $92/115 (2014). 8.9 Stay safe • Hotel Taj Palace (Asia Grand Hotel, Гостиничный комплекс Тадж-Палас), Mirzo In general, Dushanbe is safe but robberies and street Tursunzoda Street (Улица Турсунзаде) 21a,b (NE crime do sometimes occur even in broad daylight al- two blocks from Opera), ☎ +992 48 7017171, fax: though this is rare. The police force can sometimes seem +992 48 7011518, e-mail: [email protected]. Price a little ineffective. Avoid attracting police attention, as (USD) Standard sgl/dbl 120/150, Junior sgl/dbl the law enforcement officials are primarily concerned 150/180, De luxe 250. Breakfast 6-7, lunch 15-18.. with augmenting their small income. People tend to be private and conservative but with a little effort they can • Takhti Shohi Hotel (Гостиница Тахти Шохи), be incredibly welcoming and genuine. 3, Loiq Sherali Str. (ул. Лоик Шерали) (Close to Botanical Garden), ☎ +992 44 600-9933, +992 44 600-9494. 6 Standard Rooms; 22 Superior Rooms Standard Sgl /Dbl $72/ 96, Superior Sgl /Dbl 8.10 Stay healthy $84/108. Never drink the water from the tap, nor use the water • Tajikistan Hotel, 22, Shotemur Str. (City center: to brush your teeth. Always wash fresh produce, espe- 1km). Sgl /Dbl: from $196/380. cially when bought from the local bazaar. Some melons— although they are incredibly fresh and sweet—can be ir- • Tadzhikmatlubot (Таджикматлубот **), Rudaki rigated and fertilized with manure, so sometimes wash- ave. (Проспект Рудаки) , 137, ☎ +992 37 224- ing them will not help. As a rule of thumb all foreign- 6487. ers from developed countries will get sick at least once • Hotel Twins (Гостиница Твинс), Adkhamova while in Tajikistan, but this can be delayed by avoiding Street (ул. Адхамова), 21 (NE half km from unwashed/unpeeled fruits and vegetables (be especially Shahmansur Market), ☎ +992 37 2213300, wary of this in restaurants). +992 37 221-4414, e-mail: [email protected] [email protected], [email protected]. Wide- screen TV, Discount for 3 days+ orders, Free WIFI 8.11 Cope internet Deluxe Single/ Double/ Double+ From $94/110, Grand Business /Superior Suite From $160. 8.11.1 Embassies

• Gastnitsa Vakhsh, Rudaki ave. (Проспект • Germany, 59/1 Ismoili Somoni Street, ☎ +992 Рудаки), 24 (Just next to the opera), ☎ +992 37 37 2212189, +992 43 3773000, fax: +992 43 227-8188, +992 37 221-4031. Check-out: 12:00. 3773080, +992 43 3773081. A nice, clean and very centrally located hotel. The staff might try to sell you to more expensive room • Russia, Abuali Ibn Sino (ул. Абуали ибн Сино) first but ask for the more economical options. All 29/31 (Ismoili Somoni Avenue off), ☎ +992 37 rooms have a bathroom and a tv while some of the 2359827, +992 37 2357065, +992 37 2350906, rooms have nice balconies toward the square in front +992 37 2362253, +992 37 2352733, fax: +992 37 of the Opera. Some English and German is spoken 2358806, e-mail: [email protected]. 8.12. GO NEXT 27

• Turkey, Rudaki ave. (Проспект Рудаки), 17/2 (South of Tajik National State University), ☎ +992 48 7024108, fax: +992 48 7024109, e-mail: [email protected]. • United States, 109-A, Ismoili Somoni Avenue (Zarafshon district) (West), ☎ +992 37 2292000, fax: +992 37 2292050, +992 37 2360430, e-mail: [email protected]. Hours: M-F 08:00- 17:00. Closed on U.S. and Tajik national holidays.

• United Kingdom, 65 Mirzo Tursunzoda Street (Two blocks north of the Children’s Park), ☎ +992 37 2242221, fax: +992 37 2271726, e- mail: [email protected]. Hours: M-F 09:00-17:00..

• Uzbekistan (Take the small street off from Rudaki just next to hotel Avesto (Rudaki 105) and walk un- til the bend.). 9:00-12:00. Visas to Uzbekistan can be obtained here. You need to bring a passport size photo, a copy of your passport and your Tajik visa in addition to your passport. Some nationalities (in- cluding Finnish), need to bring an invitation. The visa is issued on the same day you submitted your application so that the processing takes, depending on how busy it is at the embassy, about an hour. The staff is neither friendly nor helpful. 62 USD.

8.12 Go next

There are many drivers for hire who will take you to lakes and mountains nearby. Varzob River also has some vaca- tion areas with raised platforms above the narrow river, which is quite refreshing on a hot day. Be aware that the drivers will most likely not speak English, so a working knowledge of Russian or Tajik is advisable, as are hag- gling skills. Chapter 9

Hisor

9.8 Drink

9.9 Sleep

9.10 Connect

9.11 Go next

Hissor fortress, main gate

Hisor is a town in Tajikistan, quite close to Dushanbe.

9.1 Understand

Hisor is a small town. It is noted for a historical fortress (which is actually a Soviet-era replica of the original). Well worth a short day-trip from Dushanbe.

9.2 Get in

Taxi can be arranged from Dushanbe.

9.3 Get around

9.4 See

9.5 Do

9.6 Buy

9.7 Eat

28 Chapter 10

Pamirs

• Qarabolaq

10.2 Other destinations

The Pamirs are at the junction of other ranges

The Pamir mountains, or Pamirs or Pamir Knot, is a large region of high ground at the junction of sev- eral other mountain ranges. The terrain is difficult and Ariel view of the Pamirs the population sparse. There are several mountains over 7,000 m and some large glaciers. The Pamir Mountains are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Nearby regions with relatively flat land and denser pop- ulation are the area around Kashgar to the east, the Ferghana Valley to the north, and Bactria to the west. • Ismoil Somoni Peak Central Afghanistan is to the south, across the Hindu • Lake Kara-Kul Kush range.

The Pamir River starts in the Pamirs and leads down to • Pamirsky National Park Bactria where it joins several other tributaries to form one of the region’s greatest rivers, the Amu Darya or Oxus. • Sarez Lake

This article covers only the part of the range in south • Wakhan Valley; see Wakhan Corridor eastern Tajikistan, near the border with Afghanistan. However, the Pamir range extends across borders; see Northeast Afghanistan and Northwest Pakistan for the parts in other countries. 10.3 Understand

10.4 Talk 10.1 Cities 10.5 Get in • Karakul - next to the lake of the same name

• Khorugh You could take a flight from Dushanbe to Khorog. There is a 14 seater flight every morning to Khorog, but its de- • Murghab parture depends on weather conditions and the number of

29 30 CHAPTER 10. PAMIRS passengers. Tickets to the flight are sold a day in advance • Mountain climbing. at the Dushanbe airport. • Hiking and trecking. The Pamir Highway is the main road through the region; it runs from Dushanbe to Osh via Khorog. You could • Skiing. share/hire a jeep from the jeep stand near the airport in • Dushanbe to Khorog. This will take between 13 and 21 Be a part of a very expensive tour group. (Or travel hours and privately hiring a jeep costs around $400. on the cheap and hitchhike.) From Khorog you can hitch on a fuel tanker or truck on • Sit an enjoy the silence and views. its way back to Kyrgyzstan, or hire your own vehicle from Khorog. Its also possible to get an occasional shared van to Murghab and from there to Osh. Most days will also 10.9 Eat see a jeep or share taxi head towards Ishkashim. Hitch- hiking on the Pamir highway requires patience. The first Rice, eggs, snacks, yak butter, bread, mutton, Pamiri tea vehicle with space will give you a ride, but as with many (sheer-chai), freshly made warm bread (non). places in the former Soviet Union you are expected to pay for the ride. It can take anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days to get a ride. There many only be 2 or 3 vehicles going in your direction each day. 10.10 Drink The Kulma pass is the only border crossing between Tea, surprisingly good coffee, and vodka. Yak milk. China and Tajikistan. Although the pass is officially open for nationals of all countries, travelers repeatedly reported they were not able to cross through the borders. The Chinese side is downhill 14 km away, right next to 10.11 Sleep the Karakorum Highway. There are a number of homestays in most villages on the The Wakhan Corridor is an old trade route leading across Pamir highway. They are usually in homes built in tra- the southern edge of the Pamirs from Afghanistan to ditional Pamiri style. They are made with wood, with China. However, it was never a major route because the five pillars, a sky light and richly decorated with carpets. terrain is difficult and the hill tribes can be. Since it is all You are ensured great hospitality and simple but delicious in Afghan territory, it is almost certainly too dangerous meals. for travel today. Zong Village - Homestay of Mavluda. $12 per person per night incl dinner and breakfast. 10.6 Get around Alichur - Ask for the English Teacher, meet her family, and you decide how much money to leave behind. Same as getting in. 10.12 Stay safe 10.7 See A zealous policeman in Murghab may want to register you • Lake Karakol -A crater lake near the Kyrgyz and with the police or complain if you were taking photos. Chinese Border it is frozen half the year This isn't a problem, registration should be known well enough simply getting to the area. • Khorog There is some risk of altitude sickness. • Wakhan Valley - a beautiful detour from the Pamirs • Lots of mountains 10.13 Go next • Murghab's very small bazaar • Weekly Ishkashim Afghan Bazaar Go to Khorog or onto Kyrgyzstan. There is the border crossing at Kulma Pass into China open year round, offi- • Old fortresses in the Wakhan Valley cially open now also for foreign nationals - but have wads of US dollars handy to facilitate your passage. 10.8 Do

• View the wild life like the Marco Polo Sheep. Chapter 11

Karakul

Karakul is a small village on the Pamir Highway sur- rounded by a large Crater lake. It sits on a desolate high plain. If you are coming from Kyrgyzstan beware of pos- sible altitude sickness. There is a rest house for truckers that will serve a hearty dinner, its cheap but don't go expecting it to be pristine clean.

11.1 Understand

11.2 Get in

11.3 Get around

11.4 See

11.5 Do

11.6 Buy

11.7 Eat

11.8 Drink

11.9 Sleep

11.10 Connect

11.11 Go next

31 Chapter 12

Khorugh

Khorugh (also spelled Khorogh, Khorog, Xoroq, Tajik 12.3 Get around Cyrillic: Хоруғ) is a city in the Pamirs of Tajikistan. There are a series of parking lots, each with vehicles heading to somewhere in the Pamirs. Vehicles arrive in town around 8-9AM and begin departing 10-12ish, whenever they get a full load. Most villages go for 1-3 12.1 Understand TJS a seat. In town you can just walk or catch a local marshrutka for Khorugh, the capital city (town) of Gorno Badakhshan 1 TJS. Oblast (Province), is situated in a steep river valley sur- rounded by the Pamir mountains. The nearby river Panj (aka Oxus) is the border between Tajikistan and 12.4 See Afghanistan. The town has enough bustle to be interest- ing but certainly isn't overwhelming. There are a plethora • Mountains. Just climb one and you will have spec- of NGO’s working in the area. tacular views. The Pamir Eco-Culture Tourism Association (PECTA) • has an office at the edge of the city park (37.49N x Julandee (towards Murghab) High altitude, hot 71.548E) where you can get a map of the Pamir moun- spring resort, and wonderful climb behind the tain region of Tajikistan, as well as books about the local springs. The rooms are quite nice and very afford- culture, advice about home-stays, etc. able. USD 10-15ish. Food is available, but ideally you should bring along some bread, potatoes, and carrots. They will cook, but they have trouble get- ting the food up there. Very good spot to spend the night before proceeding to Murghab... high enough altitude to see if you get sick. If you are not used 12.2 Get in to high altitudes, take aspirin to mitigate altitude headaches. Much easier to evacuate from. From Dushanbe: Airplane usually flies 1 flight a day, • when the weather is good during the summer. Spectacu- Vanj valley is spectacular. If you can get a good lar flight, for about USD 85. vehicle... go to the top. There is the famous “Bear” glacier calving into the valley. The village up there Vehicles run constantly to Khorugh. Best to get there is (Poy Mazur) will gladly put you up as a guest. (Give very early in the morning, maybe 6-7AM. Vehicles leave them a gift... $10-15 and INSIST, as the villagers from a lot tucked away near the airport. Most people in are very poor.) the capital are unaware of its location. When heading to the airport from the north you go into a dip going under a • Garm Chashma (towards Ishkashim) -- hot spring big road. Just before that there will be a dead end road on and resort-like area. your right. Get out of the car and walk through a big gate (lots of people heading that way.) Just repeat “Khorogh” • Hop in a marshrutka and get out at a random village. to everyone, and sooner or later someone will know what They will put you up, no questions asked. They will you're talking about. Price is anywhere from USD 40-60, feed you, etc. Just bring a bit of money $10-15 to depending on the vehicle. cover their food costs and to help them out. Make Get a good vehicle. A good vehicle usually means a good sure you insist. For cultural reasons, they will refuse driver. The trip takes between 15hours to two days. at first, but it’s culturally legitimate for you to insist.

32 12.8. DRINK 33

12.5 Do • Varka Russian food. Reasonable price. You may get sick, although not too bad. Much more local in • Mountain climbing, hiking, cultural immersion, etc. flavor. In front of the Red Crescent Compound. Ask locals for “Varka”. They all know it. • Beautiful botanical garden. It’s out of town to- wards Roshtkala. Just say “botanical” and people • Serena Inn Continental kinda food. USD 12-15 will understand. Some of the local marshrutkas turn a plate. Pricey, and not all that impressive. Also around in front of it. Just go up the hill. Closed on the Serena has a restaurant in the Khorog city park Sundays, usually. Saturdays are iffy. Lots of free (37.49N x 71.548E) with an indoor dining room as fruit in the fall. Don't try taking any out... gotta buy well as a roofed open-wall dining area on the bank of it. the river (very nice place when the weather is warm).

• Rafting would be amazing. Gunt Valley, Roshtkala Hit the bazaar around noon for osh (pilaf), eggs, and pota- Valley. Both have marshrutkas running up and down toes, or all variety of fried pastries. Head up the place them. The road follows the river, except for maybe where they sell bread in stacks on the main road. 3- or 400-meter patches. Class 4s at least, con- stantly for 20-30 km. No waterfalls. There are some places with 6-8ft. standing waves. Really serious 12.8 Drink during June and July. Other times may be too low. You may be able to get rafts in Dushanbe but will Be careful with the water as always but the water here have to drive them out. (sell/donate it off to a local is not nearly as bad as in Dushanbe. Most water sources organization) (*****MAJOR DISCLAIMER****) in the villages are contaminated by cattle and people up- NEVER BEEN ATTEMPTED!! The Panj River is stream. a bad idea as it is the border to Afghanistan. Nice water, though. • Khorog Park (Chorbogh)(near the stadium and 12.9 Sleep main bridge). amazing stonework emphasizing lo- cal traditional resources... • Several inns and lots of homestays available. • Trekking/Travelguide Jusuf • Pamir Lodge - Cheapest place in town. Rooms 7-8 USD per person. Kind of a shower, sometimes hot. Jusuf speaks very good English and can arrange any kind Hole place is a bit untidy... Quite far up the hill. of trips in Wakhan and Afghanistan. He also has an (un- signed) Homestay at his village „Khaskhorugh“ 35km on • the way from Khorog to Iskhashim. Mobile: 935451852 Parinen Inn (near the new bazar).

• Lal Inn (Lalita Inn). 12.6 Buy • Laalmo Pamir Home Stay (Close to school #7, up the hill from the Barka restaurant), ☎ (+992) 93 508 • A hat. They are pretty cool. Make sure they fit, 6999. Laalmo is a very nice lady who runs a homes- though. Western heads are notoriously large. tay in her house. Nice meals are available too. Very clean (no bugs!) and western toilet and shower with • There are other crafts available at several craft stores hot water. Good place to stop on your way in and downtown and in the Serena Inn’s common area. out of the higher places. Breakfast is extra, but it has hot showers, western toilet. $10. • Seasonal fruits are available in the bazaar, as are staples of travelers -- Ramen noodles, canned corn, • Serena Inn Very nice but pricey, in the $100+ canned peas, hotdogs, bread, etc. range. The Inn has en-suite bathrooms (toi- let,shower,sink, hot water as in any good hotel). It is 2.2 km north from the Khorog airport, on the 12.7 Eat west side of the main road at 37.525N x 71.506E. Built by the Aga Khan Foundation in-order to en- • Deli Dharbar is a great little Indian food place. courage tourism in the region. Built in typical USD 5-7 for a filling and tasty meal. It’s between Badakshani style and situated right next to the river, the bazaar and the only stoplight in town, on a side it is very luxurious. Telephone: (+99235222) street. Ask locals for MicroFinance Bank. It’s 3228. http://www.serenahotels.com/serenakhorog/ across the street. default-en.html 34 CHAPTER 12. KHORUGH

12.10 Connect

12.11 Stay safe

If you need treatment, you need to evacuate. There are some expat docs in Dushanbe, who know what they are doing. Broken bones can be dealt with in Khorugh. The hospital (a huge compound) is near the lowest walking bridge, on the non-bazaar side. The Aga Khan Foundation has access to a helicopter for emergencies. Flag down a vehicle with one of the logos.

12.12 Go next

• Murghab In the bazaar, there is a very big vehicle market. You can get a private taxi to Murghab there. USD 200-100 is a fair price. Towards the main town from the bazaar there is a water spigot on your right, maybe 100 meters away from the bazaar. Anywhere within 100 meters of where you're standing is fair game for the Murghab marshrutkas to be -- behind buildings, on the road, on the sidewalk, etc. USD 15 is a fair price for a big vehicle -- more for a smaller one. It probably leaves around 10AM, or maybe earlier, depending on when the seats get filled. Get there no later than 8:30AM.

• Dushanbe USD 40-60 by land and USD 85 by air.

AIR - Go to the airport. Try to give your passport to someone. If they take it, that means you might get on the list. Ask... there might be some English speakers there, but all speak Russian. (“Samaliot” = airplane). Once the airplane takes off from Dushanbe, they will begin selling tickets in the BACK of the building... walk around. Tiny hole in the wall... listen for your name. 1hr flight. LAND - Arrive at the bazaar no later than 8AM. The place will be mostly deserted, except for a few men stand- ing around cars. They are going to Dushanbe. Pick a very good car. Once their vehicle filled, they will leave. 14- 24hrs, provided no problems. ASK IF 1 DAY OR 2-DAY TRIP! 1 day trip is brutal... 2 days is much more relax- ing. Your food may very well be covered in the fee. Be careful at the roadside diners. Often the soup or food has been sitting out for days. Eggs and hotdogs are safest be- cause they cook them then. Your driver probably avoids the worst health code offenders for his own sake -- unless his relative owns a shop... Chapter 13

Murghab

Murgab is a village in the Pamirs of Tajikistan. It is on that it is a Kyrgyzstan car, or the driver has all necessary the Pamir highway, 311 km from Khorog and 417 from papers for border crossing. Osh (Kyrgyzstan).

13.1 Understand 13.3 Get around

13.2 Get in No public transport in the town, but given that it is fairly small there is no real need for it. You could just flag down any car on the street, most would be happy to bring you There are shared vans/jeeps to Khorog almost everyday around the town for 2-5 somoni. from the bazaar, 100-120 somoni per seat (May 2012). They wait for passengers and depart when full. There are fewer passengers on weekends, though. Small Chinese vans should be cheaper, since they spend less fuel than normal jeeps. If you want go to Dzhelondy, Khargush, 13.4 See and similar places, the drivers would nevertheless ask the full fare to Khorog, so hitchhiking may be a better option. Just head south along the highway, cross the bridge, walk 13.5 Do up to the check point (3-4 km from the center). You can hitch the trucks coming from China or some vans, 40- In town there is nothing to do. Internet is available for 10 50 somoni to Dzhelondy or 60-80 to Khorog should be somoni per hour at ACTED during weekdays. enough. The surroundings are really beautiful, and several trips Shared jeeps to/from Osh are less frequent and depart can be made from Murgab. Most require your own trans- only when they find enough passengers. Normally, there port or many dollars. are 1-2 jeeps every day or every second day. The price is 150 somoni to Osh. You have to be at the parking lot For those keen on walking, you can walk to Gumbezkul ('stoyanka') at the bazaar at 7-8 am, as sometimes they in the Pschart valley (35 km), sleep there in a yurt (25 start early. Arranging with the driver in the evening of somoni), hike up the pass (4731 meter) and walk all the the previous day may be even better, but don't rely on one way back to Murgab (31 km) driver, who will likely 'promise' you that he will find the remaining passengers tomorrow. He may find them, or may not find and eventually not go. It is better to wait at the parking lot, because there is some occasional trans- 13.6 Buy port every now and then. Hitchhiking is also possible. Some cars start or terminate at small settlements between There is a mobile network in Murghab available. For Murghab and Kyzyl-Art. Each 40-50 km there are settle- internet, you can buy Beeline’s sim 'internet' (on others ments or road worker’s houses along the highway, where promotion internet is too expensive!). Then apply for you can sleep or have tea. You can walk from Tajik bor- monthly 3GB package just for 6$. (Recharge your ac- der post to the Kyrgyz border post in 3-4 hours, all the count, then issue USSD-code "*110*820#"), wait until way down, nice walk. And from the Kyrgyz border post 1:00 am for activation. It’s better to have Indigo sim also, it is a bit longer hike over 25 km, across Alai valley to since some areas in Pamirs are better serviced by Indigo. Sary Tash with abundant transport to Osh. Sim cards should cost 1-10 somoni, depending on how If you are hiring a car all the way to/from Osh, make sure much money it already charged.

35 36 CHAPTER 13. MURGHAB

13.7 Eat

There are only basic food supplies in Murghab. You can buy rice, flour, oil, alcohol, sugar, potatoes, onions, some dried fruits, simple candys and cakes in bazar. But not much more. Few basic restaurants around bazar are open only in daytime. Most hotels and homestays could pro- vide meal, which is often included in the price (1-5$ per time per person).

13.8 Drink

13.9 Sleep

There are both homestays / guesthouses and hotels. Prices can be bargained for, depending on the inclusion of food and time of year. Expect to pay somewhere between 4 and 20 dollars. Sukhrob Guest House. Friendly and hospitable fam- ily (English spoken) where you have the option between dorms in tajik style (mat), kyrgyz style (yurt) or ordinary style (beds), or a family room. The place is not far from the bazaar (Samoni street), on the other side of the main road (uphill). Just ask around for Sukhrob! Homestay of Talay. £12 per person per night incl dinner and breakfast. There are few homestays and guesthouses around the town, marked in English. Cheaper, option are local ho- tels. One is not so far from bazar: go up to the main highway, cross it and walk more about 100-200 metres up. Then you will see some empty area, behind that there is a hotel on a left hand side. It has no signs even in rus- sian, but if you ask for 'gostinitsa' people around know it. In May, 2012 they asked for 10-15$ at first. But finally agreed for 32 somoni (7$). This did not include food, shower, or room heating. Either of these costs few dol- lars extra.

13.10 Connect

13.11 Go next

From Murghab to Khorog there are, on average, more than 10 Chinese trucks daily (if the border is open) as well as few other cars. However, the Khargush-Langar road may have no traffic for days. Dzhelondy really deserves a stop for at least few hours to soak in nice hot springs; they are so pleasant after cold and windy Eastern Pamir. There are few hot springs in the Dzhelondy area, most can also provide food and basic accommodation. Then it is not hard to find onward transport in the direction of Khorog. 13.12. TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES 37

13.12 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

13.12.1 Text • Tajikistan Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Tajikistan?oldid=2949908 Contributors: (WV-en) ImportBot, Wrh2, Jpatokal, Syced, Peterfitzgerald, Atsirlin, Jc8136, Dguillaume, Sumone10154, W. Frank, Ypsilon, Shaundd, AHeneen, Vidimian, Inas, JamesA, Pashley, Tsandell, Globe-trotter, Yann, Cacahuate, Saqib, Romaine, ClausHansen, (WT-en) Huttite, (WT-en) Tatatabot, (WT-en) Burmesedays, (WT-en) Bill Ellett, (WT-en) Episteme, (WT-en) DorganBot, (WT-en) InterLangBot, (WT-en) Abi, (WT-en) Jake73, (WT-en) Adigax91, (WT-en) Travelbird, (WT-en) Bijee, (WT-en) SurfingSpider, (WT-en) BigHaz, (WT-en) MMKK, (WT-en) CIAWorldFactbook2002, (WT-en) MarcoPolo, (WT-en) Cpopa, (WT-en) ManhattanAnne1, (WT-en) Tim Barnes, (WT-en) Dkm5010, (WT-en) Sophieamelia, (WT-en) Dave07905, (WT-en) Rachana, Ikan Kekek, The Anomebot2, Andrewssi2, Sumone’s bot, CarsracBot, Andyrom75, Texugo, -Lo Ximiendo, Inasbot, Traveler100bot, SteveRBot, Wrh2Bot, Qdiderot, Addbot, Amalave96, Zen ,ויקיג'אנקי ,ChubbyWimbus, BD2412 wort, Prof tpms and Anonymous: 80 • Ferghana Valley (Tajikistan) Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Ferghana_Valley_(Tajikistan)?oldid=2953409 Contributors: Wrh2, Peterfitzgerald, LtPowers, Pashley, Eco84, Texugo and Traveler100bot • Khatlon Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Khatlon?oldid=2941639 Contributors: Gobbler, Peterfitzgerald, LtPowers, Texugo, Trav- eler100bot and Matroc • Khujand Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Khujand?oldid=2633605 Contributors: Atsirlin, Pashley, Eco84, The Anomebot2, Tex- ugo, Inasbot, Traveler100bot, SteveRBot and SamoaBot • Panjakent Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Panjakent?oldid=2941500 Contributors: Wrh2, Gobbler, Peterfitzgerald, LtPowers, Pashley, Saqib, (WT-en) Travelbird, (WT-en) Schlauer Adler, (WT-en) Cpopa, Eco84, The Anomebot2, Texugo, WOSlinker, Lo Ximiendo, Inasbot, Traveler100bot, Wrh2Bot, Matroc and Anonymous: 4 • Zeravshan Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Zeravshan?oldid=2941487 Contributors: Wrh2, Gobbler, Peterfitzgerald, Ypsilon, Lt- Powers, Inas, ClausHansen, (WT-en) Dageshi, Eco84, The Anomebot2, JuliasTravels, Traveler100bot, Wrh2Bot, Matroc, Doostdar and Anonymous: 6 • Karategin Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Karategin?oldid=2301919 Contributors: Peterfitzgerald, LtPowers, The Anomebot2, Gorilla Jones, Traveler100bot and Anonymous: 1 • Dushanbe Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Dushanbe?oldid=2901131 Contributors: (WV-en) ImportBot, Jpatokal, Peterfitzgerald, Atsirlin, Dguillaume, AndreCarrotflower, Ypsilon, LtPowers, Vidimian, Inas, Romaine, ClausHansen, (WT-en) Morph, (WT-en) Maj, (WT-en) Burmesedays, (WT-en) Bill Ellett, (WT-en) Episteme, (WT-en) Cardboardbird, (WT-en) Jjtk, (WT-en) Rouge, (WT-en) Lime, (WT-en) Christiantc, (WT-en) Joelf, (WT-en) Tristram Shandy, (WT-en) J-P, (WT-en) Svyatoslav, (WT-en) ManhattanAnne1, (WT- en) MatthewVanitas, Thehelpfulbot, Ikan Kekek, Jonte--, The Anomebot2, Marek69, Traveler100, Gorilla Jones, CarsracBot, Texugo, Traveler100bot, DaGizza, SteveRBot, Wrh2Bot, Matroc, Addbot, Globetrotter19, Prof ,ויקיג'אנקי ,ChubbyWimbus, Hughr, WOSlinker tpms, AntonBryl, MargNely and Anonymous: 53 • Hisor Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Hisor?oldid=2445883 Contributors: Ikan Kekek, Traveler100, Texugo and Soman • Pamirs Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Pamirs?oldid=2941659 Contributors: Wrh2, Gobbler, Peterfitzgerald, W. Frank, Ypsilon, LtPowers, AHeneen, Vidimian, Pashley, Elgaard, Saqib, ClausHansen, (WT-en) Huttite, (WT-en) SurfingSpider, Ikan Kekek, Jjtkk, Saip- puakauppias, Lo Ximiendo, Traveler100bot, Matroc and Anonymous: 13 • Karakul Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Karakul?oldid=2489107 Contributors: LtPowers, Pashley, Globe-trotter, ClausHansen, The Anome, The Anomebot2, AmaryllisGardener, Inasbot, Traveler100bot and Anonymous: 1 • Khorugh Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Khorugh?oldid=2920930 Contributors: Wrh2, Peterfitzgerald, Ypsilon, LtPowers, AHe- neen, Vidimian, K7L, (WT-en) Travelbird, (WT-en) Cpopa, (WT-en) Yedi, The Anomebot2, LilHelpa, Inasbot, Traveler100bot, Behrooz~enwikivoyage, Wrh2Bot and Anonymous: 4 • Murghab Source: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Murghab?oldid=2594830 Contributors: Peterfitzgerald, Atsirlin, LtPowers, (WT-en) Mosafer, The Anomebot2, Wakefieldgdm, Inasbot, Traveler100bot and Matroc

13.12.2 Images • File:Ajina-Tepa.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Ajina-Tepa.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contribu- tors: Own work Original artist: Danny Roper • File:Ambox_warning_red.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Ambox_warning_pn.svg License: Public domain Contributors: This vector image was created with Inkscape. Original artist: penubag • File:Ayni_zarafshon_river.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Ayni_zarafshon_river.jpg License: CC BY 2.5 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Ibrahimjon • File:Bread_Market_Dushanbe2.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Bread_Market_Dushanbe2.JPG License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: By permission of Mr. Gadi Zafrir Original artist: Mr. Gadi Zafrir • File:Dushanbe_Airport_(DYU).jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Dushanbe_Airport_%28DYU% 29.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: Ds02006 • File:Dushanbe_Opera_Theatre.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Dushanbe_Opera_Theatre.jpg Li- cense: CC BY 2.0 Contributors: Streets of Dushanbe, Tajikistan Original artist: Veni from New York, USA • File:Fanski.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Fanski.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: User: (WT-shared) Doemz at wts wikivoyage • File:Ferdowsi_Park_in_Dushanbe_Tajikistan.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Ferdowsi_Park_ in_Dushanbe_Tajikistan.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Ferdowsi Park. - Abulkosim Firdavsi Street, Dushanbe Original artist: Zack Knowles 38 CHAPTER 13. MURGHAB

• File:High_Asia_Mountain_Ranges.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/High_Asia_Mountain_ Ranges.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: This file was derived from Hindu Kush satellite image.jpg: Original artist: Hindu_Kush_satellite_image.jpg: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC • File:LocationTajikistan.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/LocationTajikistan.png License: Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: ? • File:Map_mag.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Map_mag.png License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Designer: FatCow Web Hosting (Transferred by TarzanASG) Original artist: The original uploader was Mey2008 at German Wikipedia • File:National_Library_of_Tajikistan.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/National_Library_of_ Tajikistan.JPG License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Шухрат Саъдиев • File:Pamir_Mountains,_Tajikistan,_06-04-2008.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Pamir_ Mountains%2C_Tajikistan%2C_06-04-2008.jpg License: CC BY 2.0 Contributors: originally posted to Flickr as Flying over Pamir Mountains Original artist: Irene2005 • File:Rudaki_Avenue_sidewide,_Dushanbe.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Rudaki_Avenue_ sidewide%2C_Dushanbe.JPG License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Soman • File:Sarazm,area11-2.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Sarazm%2Carea11-2.jpg License: CC BY- SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Bertramz • File:TJ-Botanical_Garden,_Dushanbe_(4).JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/TJ-Botanical_ Garden%2C_Dushanbe_%284%29.JPG License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Soman • File:TJ-Hissar_photo_(5).JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/TJ-Hissar_photo_%285%29.JPG Li- cense: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Soman • File:Tajik_Technical_University.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Tajik_Technical_University.jpg License: FAL Contributors: Tajik Technical University Original artist: Содик Ёкубов , Студент ТТУ • File:Tajikistan-TouristVisa-NGAOPermit-2014.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/ Tajikistan-TouristVisa-NGAOPermit-2014.jpg License: CC BY 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Zenwort • File:Tajikistan_regions_map.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Tajikistan_regions_map.png Li- cense: CC BY 3.0 Contributors: :Image:Tajikistan regions map.svg Original artist: Peter Fitzgerald • File:Проспект_Рудаки._Душанбе._2008.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/%D0%9F%D1%80% D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%82_%D0%A0%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B8._%D0%94% D1%83%D1%88%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B1%D0%B5._2008.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: SaidBahrom

13.12.3 Content license

• Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0