Tajikistan
The information below is provided by Lonely Planet readers and is not verified by Lonely Planet. For the official lowdown, contact your nearest embassy or check out our Travel Links.
Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
The Tajik visa is not very easy to get. You have to be sponsored by a local travel agency or by an international agency working in the country. The customs at the airport don't issue any visas. To enter Tajikistan you must have a valid visa. A visa, at the Tajik Embassy of Berlin, for 1 month and can be issued in 1 week. After arrival at Dushanbe Airport, all the people have to give their passports to the customs officials at the aeroplane exit. After that, people will be sent to the airport's hall to wait to be called by customs. Finally, you are free to go outside the airport and get your taxi to the city centre.
Piergiorgio Pescali, Italy (Sep 03)
Travel Tips
As of March 1, 2006, Dushanbe landline telephone numbers have seven digits. All telephone numbers dialed within Dushanbe
require an extra 2 dialed before the old number. This does not affect calls from outside
Dushanbe. The old city code 372 plus the old six digit numbers will work.
Eli Feiman, USA (May 06)
Don't leave Tajikistan with too many dollars on you. The customs officers will 'fine' you for having too much foreign currency in your possession. Tuck them in your shoe or somewhere obscure, and leave some sterling and local currency in your wallet.
Paul Skeet (Jan 05)
Ironically, detailed maps of Tajikistan (1:50,000 to 1:200,000 scales) are much easier to get at the Zher Cartographic Agency on Töle Bi köshesi in Almaty, Kazakhstan, than in Tajikistan itself. Book stores in Dushanbe -- there are a couple on Rudaki near the intersection with Fateh Niazi -- only sell 1:1000,000 administrative and geological maps of Tajikistan, a large 1:750,000 physical map of the country and city plans of Dushanbe. The glossy city plan 'Dushanbe Map-Circuit 2000' has lots of flashy pictures but is practically worthless. The 'Dushanbe-1,100 Years of Samanid State' printed on yellow mat paper in 1999 is better.
Bruno De Cordier, Belgium (Jun 02)
Moving About
Northern Tajikistan: Khojand has two bus stations. South-bound transport for Istaravshan (ex-Uroteppa) leaves close to the centre at kuçai Kosmonawti. From Istaravshan you can take shared taxis for Penjikent and Dushanbe. Eastward transport for Isfara, Kanibadam and the Kyrgyz town of Isfana goes from the main bus station which is between Khojand and the industrial settlent of Chkalovsk. To get there, take any Chkalovsk-bound minivan from Khojand's Panjshambe market. The easiest way to get to/from Khojand from/to Kyrgyzstan is to go to Isfara first, then take a shared taxi to Batken from there. One interesting detail is that drivers in Isfara quoted their first price in Russian rubles rather than Tajik somani, so check the currency first.
Bruno De Cordier, Belgium (Oct 03)
Gems, Highlights & Attractions
Iskandar Lake is one of the most beautiful trips you can do in West Tajikistan. It lies at the end of a 24 km dusty road, departing from the main Dushanbe-Penjikent road. The lake lies at 2195m above sea level and it covers an area of 3.41sqkm. Medium temperature in January is -5.1 C and in June 12.5 C. There is a spartan resort along the lake. It costs a few somoni to sleep there, but take food with you. There is no public transportation to the lake from anywhere.
Piergiorgio Pescali, Italy (Sep 03)
Kuhistani Badakhshan (the Pamirs): In the Rangul and upper Ak Suu areas near Murgab you might have a chance to see Marco Polo sheep and ibex so bring binoculars if you are interested. Usually living at altitudes around 4,000 meters, the unique Marco Polo argali (ovis amon poli) can be found in the eastern Pamir in Tajikistan and China, the Afghan Wakhan strip and as far north as the mountains of Naryn and At-Bashy in Kyrgyzstan. An adult male Marco Polo is about 120 cm high an weights up to 135 kg, with females being considerably smaller. The argali is especially known for its spectacular curled horns, each of which can be about 1.5 meters long. The number of Marco Polo in the greater Pamir area is currently estimated at about 12,500. Though hunting is strictly regulated, poaching by impoverished border guards and locals as well as wealthy foreigners splashing up to US$30,000 for a hunting safari has reduced their numbers over the last few years.
Bruno De Cordier, Belgium (Aug 03)
Badakshan-the Pamir Highway: On the road from Murgab to Karakul, have a look at the remarkably well-preserved and solidly constructed Russian Pamir posts ('kozakskii posta' in Russian). One is at Rabat 46 km north of Murgab; another, built in u-shape, is a bit off the road embankment at Muskul, 91 km from Murgab. These premises are now used as stables, but are one of the few tangible remains of 'the Great Game', the murky strategic play where Russia, Britain and, to a lesser extent, China vied for influence in Central Asia for the second half of the 19th century.
On June 2, 1892, some 1,500 Cossacks and Russian military constructors left the garrison town of Novii Margilan (now in Uzbekistan) for the mountains of the Alay region and Badakshan. Led by colonel Mikhail Ionov, the 'Pamirskii otryad' ('the Pamir section', as the troops were called) were to set up and man a stretch of military posts along the frontier with China and Afghanistan, and thus secure Russian influence in the region. Order ? 289 specified that the troops had to "bring stability in the Pamir region and protect the indigenous population from brigands and looters."
The move marked the beginning of the end of what the Russians called, more poetically, 'the Tournament of Shadows'. In 1894, the Swedish explorer Sven Hedin stayed at the Cossack fort 'Post Pamirskii' in present-day Murgab. The next year, Britain and Afghanistan recognized the border and Badakshan was to stay in some form of Russian empire for the next century.
Bruno De Cordier, Belgium (Sep 02)
When you are in northern Tajikistan, definitely have a look at the town of Istaravshan. Istaravshan was called Uroteppa until a couple of months ago, and lays some 80 km south of Khojand. Like almost everywhere else, its center and main street are built in the typical ugly-concrete Soviet style, but once you are beyond that facade, there is the remarkably well-preserved old town. Situated uphill west of the Kattasai river, the shaar-i-kuhna or old town is a maze of small alleys that wind through neigborhoods of shady, mudwalled Central Asian homesteads. It has a quite specific character. Sights include the fifteenth century Kök Gumbaz (aka Abdulatif Sultan mosque), the nearby Hafz-i-Sangin mosque and the eighteenth century Hazrat-i-Shah mosque and mausoleum complex, all of which are splendid examples of artistic Central Asian wood cutting and -painting. There are some interesting neighborhoods east of the river as well.
Istaravshan is also a handicrafts center, especially wood cutting, traditional construction and the production of 'ghort', the typical Central Asian knives that you also find in Uzbekistan and Xinjiang. If you want to visit an 'ustokhana' or artisans' workshop, ask the people who sell the knives at the bazaar (in Russian: 'mozhno paseshat masterskaya?'). There are regular minibuses from Khojand to Istaravshan and back.
Bruno De Cordier, Belgium (Aug 02)
Dushanbe's main Islamic site lies about 9 km from the centre in the village of Gulistan. The blue-domed mosque, mausoleum and madrasa complex of Mawlana Yakubi Charki is a popular pilgrimage site and has a nice, lush garden with lots of birds in the late afternoon. Mawlana Yakubi Charki was an Afghan-born fifteenth century Sufi teacher who studied in Bukhara and was sent to Gulistan (then called al-Hatun) to organize religious teaching in the eastern Hissar valley. The brick Kulo-i-Surkh mosque was restored and expanded between 1982 and 1990 thanks to influential notables from Hissar. Take marshrutka ? 9 or 18 at the stand close to Hotel Dushanbe. From the main road, it's a 15 minute walk to Gulistan and the mosque. Try to go on a Friday.
The two-floor fortified mansion at kuçai Karamov 16 (near the Faculty of Agriculture) in Dushanbe was the house of the legendary Afghan commander Ahmad Shah Masood. Tajikistan backed Massood's Jibha-i-Muttahid (aka Northern Alliance) against the Taliban. Massood and his family used to stay here when they were in Dushanbe. It was also here where he was taken when he was deadly injured by the August 2001 bomb attack.
Bruno De Cordier, Belgium (Jul 02)
About 50 km north of Dushanbe lays a mountainous area called Kohistan, which is Farsi for highlands. The highlands are the Fan mountains with their 4000-plus peaks like Bielaïa Piramida and Varzobskaïa Pila. The 'center' of this area is the village of Varzob, situated 56 km north of Dushanbe. In the Soviet days, the canyons of the Varzob river and its tributaries were a favourite area for 'Dushanbinsti' who wanted to hike, fish or ski or simply seek relief from the heat in town in the week-ends. Most of the Soviet sanatoria, baza otdukha and base camps are now run-down and pretty ugly anyhow, but once you go beyond them there are plenty of good possibilities for hikes in beautiful landscape. It is possible to trek in 3 to 4 days from the Samai river canyon to Iskanderkul lake. Takob has a ski base that is still operating.
Bruno De Cordier, Belgium (May 02)
Shortly after the Taliban had blown up the Buddhas in Bamiyan, a Dushanbe newspaper came up with a scoop when it revealed that an 14m long sleeping Buddha statue was kept hidden in a basement vault of the Tajik Academy of Sciences since 1966. The 1600 year old statue was uncovered by Soviet archeologists at Ajina Tepa, 12 km from the southern town of Kurgantepe and 300 km north of Bamiyan. Ajina Tepa — which means 'the devil's hill' in Arabic — was on a Silk Road branch connecting Central Asia with India. It was also a center of the widespread Mahayana Buddhist renaissance and culture in Central Asia and Xinjiang under the Kushan kings, who ruled central Asia between 140 BC and the sixth century.
Since the Taliban destroyed the largest Buddhas in Central Asia, the 'Tajik Buddha' is one of the largest ancient Buddha statues in Central Asia. The statue is now at Dushanbe's National Museum of Archaeology next to the Ministry of Finance. This museum also has displays on the Zoroastrian and Buddhist Penjikent and Öratepe civilizations. Another highlight is the Sangin-i-Babur, a rock where Babur -- the founder of India's Moghul dynasty -- reportedly carved four lines of a poem of Sa'adi Sherozi when he was on his way to India in 1511. In principle, the museum is open daily though they might not open the entrance if they do not expect groups. In that case, open the gate yourself and ask the caretaker in the house on the right of the museum to let you in the museum. Admission is 8 Somani.
Bruno De Cordier, Belgium (May 02)
Kara-Kul lake and the surroundings of Murgab in the Tajik Pamir province of Kuhistan-i-Badakhshan are wonderful. The high, barren plateaus, the yak herds and the eerie atmoshpere make one understand why this is sometimes called 'little Tibet'. The trip can actually be done as a side-trip from Kyrgyzstan, for instance from Osh or Pik Lenina.
Bruno De Cordier, Belgium (Apr 02)
Yarns, Fables & Anecdotes
Southern Tajikistan/the Vakhsh Valley
About 7 km south of the town of Jilikul lays one of the holiest sites of Central Asian Islam: a mausoleum and 18 metre long tomb that locals claim to be the last resting place of Zeyn al-'Abedin.
Ali Zeyn al'-Abedin al-Sajjad (his middle name means 'ornament of the devout') was born in Medina in Arabia in 659. He was the son of Hussein (himself the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad) who died in the battle of Kerbala in present-day Iraq in 680, an event that marked the split of Islam into Shia and Sunni branches. Having escaped his father's fate, Zeyn al'-Abedin fled to this remote outpost of Khorassan (of which this part of Tajikistan belonged at the time) waiting for better times at home. Nevertheless, the caliph of Baghdad had him poisoned in exile in 713.
Legend has it, that there used to be a small town at the site of Zeyn al-'Abedin's grave. After his murder, the nearby Vakhsh river broke out of its banks and washed the town away to punish the inhabitants for their treason. Although it is more probable that Zeyn al'-Abedin is buried in Iraq, Jilikul is a pilgrimage site for Central Asian Shias and Sunnis alike and is particularly visited on Wednesdays. The 18 metre long tomb is indeed intriguing. There is no entrance fee yet, but a donation in the 'sunduk karama' is appreciated.
Bruno De Cordier, Belgium (Sep 03)
The M-41 Pamir Highway: Once upon a time, there were up to 30 checkposts along the Pamir Highway. Now there are 9 left: one between Dushanbe and Kofarnigan; right before Qala-i-Kum; at Suchan 11 km after Khorog; at the entrance of Murgab (all manned by the Tajik KGB and traffic police); 28 km before lake Karakul (DBA, the Tajik traffic police); at lake Karakul (Tajik KGB and anti-narcotics brigade, and the Russian 201st Division); the Kyzyl-Art pass (Tajik Border Guards and customs); Bar Döbö (Kyrgyz customs and sanitary-epidemological inspection) and Sary Tash (Kyrgyz Border Guards and anti-narcotics brigade).
Bruno De Cordier, Belgium (Jul 03)
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