Other places of interest in Tajikistan

Dushanbe: The capital of Tajikistan. It, lies in the Hissar valley in the southwest of the country and is only three hours from the border with Afghanistan. The name is derived from the Tajik word for "Monday" and the city is famous for its Monday market. No more than a village until the Trans-Caspian Railway reached it in 1929 and the city was renamed Stalinabad and proclaimed capital of the new Soviet Socialist Republic of Tajikistan. It was from here that Brezhnev launched his invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The main points of interest all lie on, or are close to Prospekt Rudaki, which runs from the railway station in the south to the bus station in the north. As well as the principal mosque, this area boasts a synagogue that dates back to the late-19th century, a Russian orthodox church and a columned opera house. Other features in the city include the Tajikistan Unified Museum, situated just north of the railway station in Ploshchad Aym, which has stuffed snow leopards and Marco Polo sheep amongst its exhibits. The ethnographic museum is on ulitsa Somoni, not far from the Hotel Tajikistan.

Some 16km to the west of Dushanbe lies Hissar Port, a site built between the 16th and 19th centuries which contains, among other things, a ruined citadel, two madrassahs (Islamic seminaries), a caravanserai and a mausoleum.

Kara-Kul Lake:, in the north of the Pamirs, this lake was formed by a meteor which fell to earth 10 million years ago. It is 3915m above sea-level and hence too high for any aquatic life.

Khorog: Khorog lies in a narrow, steep sided valley at an altitude of 2100m, at the confluence of the Gunt, Shakhdara and Panj rivers. (The Panj river later forms the border with Afghanistan). Before 1900, when the Russians moved ther headquarters of the local boder gaurds here from Mughab, this was a small village of about 20 households. Now, it is the only urban center in Gorno Badakshan with a population of 30,000 and road connections with Dushanbe, Murghab, Osh and the neighbouring valleys. Ther are occasionally flights to Dushanbe, (but the flight into Khorog from the Tajik capital is sometimes said to be "the most difficult in the world"!). Despite the altitude and the severe winters, the vegetation is lush and a wide variety of fruits are grown in the area. Sites in the town include: a Botanical Garden (the world’s second highest – covering about 200 hectares); Historical Museum; the theater and the tomb of Sultoni Vali. Nearby, there are three hydro electric plants – the first was built on the River Gunt in 1940. Not far from Khorog are the Hot Springs of Garam Chasma. Up the Gunt valley is the “Fortress of the Infidels” at Kafir Kala (and a cascading waterfall), The Bartang valley has a trekking route to the Sarez Lake.

Kurgan-Tyube: in the south of the country, where there are remains of Buddhist temples from which the biggest Buddha in Central Asia was recovered and is now stored, ignominiously carved up into 60 pieces, in Dushanbe.

Muragazor Lakes: West of Penjikent, a system of seven lakes of differing colours that change as the light alters.

The Pamirs: Often described as the "Roof of the World", these mountains attracted climbers and hunters from the former Soviet Union for years, but only now are they opening up for the rest of the world. The bulk of the Pamir range lies in the semi-autonomous region of Gorno-Badakhshan .

Peaks Lenin and Communism (now known as Mount Garmo): are to the northwest and west respectively of Lake Kara-Kul. Over 7000m these two peaks tower over Tajikistan and the neighbouring republic of Kyrgyzstan to the north.

Penjikent: on the Uzbek border, lie the remains of a Sogdian fort that are only now being excavated. The frescoes in Penjikent are reputed to be extremely fine.

Sareskoye Lake: in the heart of the Pamirs, was formed in 1911 when the side of a mountain was dislodged by an earthquake and fell into the path of a mountain river.