Tajikistan 1) Top places to visit VARZOB Varzob Gorge is near the Tajik capital, which is the favorite place of the recreation of the town's people, with many centers and recreation zones. There are plenty of excellent choices for hikes in beautiful landscape. Varzob is known as a small district in the river basin of the same name intersecting a central part of a southern Hissar Slope Mountain Range. In the lower watercourse of the Varzob River, under the name of Dushanbinka comes a wide flatness, on which the city of Dushanbe is located, and lower, to the west of the capital, on the right it runs into the Kafirnigan River. The valley of the Varzob River from its riverhead, up to the outflow to the flatness makes 72 km. The flora and fauna of the basin of Varzob River is rich and diverse. The maples, archa Ouniper, apples, hawthorn, alycha (cherry-plum), walnut, arboreal- shrub vegetation are widely spread here. Varzob Lake - a dumpy water reservoir situated 11 km north of the city center - is popular with locals for swimming. Guzgarf Waterfall Near Dushanbe, in the right side of the gorge of the Varzob River, there is Guzgarf Waterfall, the most beautiful waterfall of Hissar Slope. The violent river has sawn through for many centuries a vertical rock wall and rushes down from 30 meters height. The multi ton mass of water is scattered below on myriad of drops, iridescent sparkling on the sun. The walking track to it begins from 21 kilometers of Varzob Gorge. It takes two-three hours walking (about 8 km) from here up to the waterfall. April - May is the best time for a trip to the waterfall. At this time there are lots of red tulips, the hedge roses and other plants flowering on slopes of mountains. Besides the Guzgarf Waterfall, the gorges along the Siama (55 km from Dushanbe), Ojuk, Kondara, Maykhura and Takob Rivers running into the Varzob River, are also very popular. All this gorges are unique and beautiful. Siama River It is famous for its light-blue, crystal pure water, birch groves and by currant bushes, which in autumn give abundant berries. The light-blue river begins at altitude of 3,300 meters from glacier the Medvejiy Castle and at a distance of 21-kilometer of its course makes a jump downwards more than two thousands meters. It is possible to trek in 3 or 4 days from the Siama Canyon to Iskanderkul Lake. 1 Karatag Mountain Considered "The Pole of Precipitation", it is located at an altitude about 3,000 meters in upper reaches of other inflow of Varzob -Maykhura. Perhaps this is the place with the highest snow avalanche activities in all mountains of the Republic. In winter the height of snow cover reaches up to three-five meters here. The remarkable locality of this gorge is the six-kilometer tunnel through the thickness of the mountain, the construction of which began some years ago. After completing the tunnel construction, it will allow all the- year-round use of the Dushanbe- Khudjand highway connecting central and northern parts of the Republic. Ojuk Gorge Slopes of Ojuk Gorge, stretching to north-east in tens of kilometers running deep into the mountains directly from the Varzob Settlement are twined with vines, and you can also see apples and alycha islets, but, certainly, the main sight of this gorge is numerous plane trees. The gorge has received its name from Ojuk inflow, running into the Varzob River. Moving up in gorge you can come to Semiganch Kishlak (village), which is glorified by the remarkable varieties of grapes. Semiganch means "Gold Treasure" in Russian. Takob Ski Base Locted in Safed Dara, meaning "white gorge" above Takob Kishlak is a center of mountain ski sports in the Republic, situated at altitude of 2,200 meters above sea level, about 60 km north- east of Dushanbe. The Takob ski base is situated 11 km further east near the Safed Dara Kishlak. Ski base operates during the winter month and has a small hotel. Snow lies here seven months a year. In winter it has clear, windless weather. There is a lot of sun. There are two primitive lifts. It is possible to go by public 4WD vans from Dushanbe's "Vodonasosny bazaar" to the base on Friday afternoon and back way to the city on Monday early morning. Except for winter months, the ski base is a starting point for an easy 4-5 hours hike to the beautiful Obi-Safed Canyon and its shepherd camps. From Obi- Safed it is two days hike and one pass to cross to the Romit Gorge. Khoja Bigarm Resort 42 kilometers from Dushanbe, a road from Gushary Kishlak goes to the left to Khojaobigarm resort (1,790- 1,960 meters above sea level). From the highway the resort cannot be seen. Main medical remedy of the resort is mineral water related to low mineralized nitric-silicic terms of sulfate-hydro-carbonate-sodium-calcium structure with temperature from + 65 up to + 96 degrees of Celsius, used for baths. 2 Another powerful medical remedy is high thermal (+ 92 degrees by Celsius) air vapor mixture with the radon contents. The important medical factor is also high-mountainous climate with moderate hot summer, snowy, but without severe frosts in the winter dry air. Over 30 varieties of medicinal plants grow in the territory of the resort, which are widely applied in medicine. Varzob is obliged its water riches to glaciers located at altitude up to four thousands meters in Hissar Mountain Range. There are public transport services from Dushanbe to Varzob Gorge departing from a bus stand well known as "Vodona-sosnaya" next to Varzob Bazaar in the north of the city. YAGNOB The valley of the Yagnob River situated about 100 km north from Dushanbe, at the border of mountains and deserted plains. The maximum absolute altitude comes to 5,145 m in the Zeravshan Range in the upper reaches of the Yagnob. The river-bed of the Yagnob is situated at the altitudes of 2,200- 2,800 m, the bottom of the valley being practically no discernible. The uniqueness of the Yagnob Valley is determined in many respects by its objective natural isolation. The relations with the outer world are considerably impoverished. The nearest locality equipped by electricity and having a dirt road accessible to vehicles is the Margib kishlak. Up the valley next to this kishlak, there are narrow canyons that practically divide the Yagnob and the outer world. The main roads linking the Yagnob to the outer world are mountain paths open only during the summer. In the winter, paths are covered with snow; furthermore, they are situated in a zone of permanent snow avalanches activity. Yagnobis stay completely isolated from the whole world during about eight months a year. The Yagnob Valley in its upper part is an example of an isolated peripheral area - refuge of the ethnos and its environment, of ancient cultural landscapes. The history of the people inhabiting Yagnob has common roots with well-known and formerly powerful Sughdiana - ancient Central Asian State (7 - 6 centuries B.C to the 7th century A.D), first of all because of closeness of the ancient Sughdian and Yagnobi languages. The natural isolation of the Yagnob Valley was conductive to give possibility to ancient Sughdians to stay (or perhaps to refuge) there. They appertain to the Eastern-Iranian language branch; in the course of historical processes they were assimilated step by step by peoples appertaining to the Western-Iranian language group, and after that by the Turkic-speaking peoples. Generally, the ancient period of development of Yagnob reveals itself in full measure in social and cultural population features remained until our days, the social forms of organization; family, clan, village community have an ecological character, they are engendered by the necessity of adapting to environmental conditions. Each settlement represents, as a matter of fact, 1-2 (sometimes 3) clans:- Avlods extending their genealogy to a certain well-known ancestor -founder of the clan. A rather important element of Yagnobis organization is the So-called "sada" or "makhalla", i.e. associations on the basis of neighborhood. Within the framework of "sada" many important economic problems were solved, preparing and organizing the festivities, construction and maintenance of buildings, etc. In Yagnob, it is not done for women to cover themselves by shawls, as it is accepted in Muslim countries. Men are disposed to come into contact, they like to talk politics over a cup of tea, to joke and they are very hospitable as a whole. 3 Dwelling houses are very tidy, but low, practically without windows, with a high doorsill, with a minimum of decorations and excesses. Yagnobis do not use alcoholic drinks in effect, they do not smoke, and various herbs growing in Yagnob are widely used in food. They fall ill very seldom. Ancient, pre-Islamic beliefs in holy rocks remained up to now. There is a column having cult significance in the kishlak Sokan. In 1970 approximately 3 thousand people were evicted from Yagnob Valley to the other parts of Tajikistan (Zafarobad rayon and to the vicinities of Dushanbe). The reason was acquisition of manpower in new-established cottongrowing districts. From the end of 1980- s the people have began to return progressively to their native land. For a long time their status was formally illegal there since they were registered in effect in other places. After publications in the media concerning the unique Yagnobi people and subsequent officials, homecoming to the Yagnob Valley became more appreciable in 1990.