Tailor Made Holidays in Tajikistan: Highlights

Explore ancient Penjikent

Close to the border with Uzbekistan, ancient Penjikent was once a major Sogidan trading town and lies in present day Tajikistan. At its heyday in the 5th Century, Penjikent was one of the busiest Silk Route cities. The area was abandoned 300 years after its foundation. All that survives today are the foundations of the main street and number of houses, temples and a citadel on the outskirts of the former town. Penjikent can be reached as a day trip from Samarkand, or is a gateway into the high Pamirs.

Read more about: Tajikistan
 
Find the Sogdian Rock

The Sogdians must have felt sorely cheated by fate. In 327 BC Alexander the Great rampaged through Central Asia in an attempt to create a global empire, and the Sogdians were, put simply, in the way. The King of the Sogdians, Oxyartes, sensibly placed his wife and daughters in the fortress known as the Sogdian Rock near Penjikent - known as such because of its supposedly impregnable position - but Alexander conquered it anyway, creating his own myth whilst doing so. He eventually married one of the daughters, Roxana. Nobody is quite sure of the location of the rock, though Colin Thubron in his book The Lost Heart of Asia found some plausible candidates. If you do manage to find it, do let UNESCO know.

 
Take a journey along the spectacular Pamir Highway

Take the Pamir Highway through Tajikistan, one of the most spectacular roads in the world. At 4,655 meters it is also the second-highest highway in the world. The route of the Pamir Highway has been in use for millennia and once formed one link of the ancient Silk Road trade route.

Read more about: The Pamir Highway
 
Visit the Academy of Shashmaqam in Dushanbe

The Muqam is a Central Asian music tradition, originating with the Uighurs of western China, whereby a collection of musicians, on local instruments such as the dutar, rabap, tambur or gizhak improvise along set melodic patterns. The Shashmaqam Academy in Dushanbe is a renowned centre for Central Asian music, sponsored by the Aga Khan, and is gaining a worldwide reputation for preserving ancient forms of regional music.

Read more about: Dushanbe and the North
 
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