Rated as the second most liveable city in Tajikistan, Khujand is a place where distinguished city style and impressive landscapes go hand in hand.
Imagine an urban environment where everyone lives within half an hour of beautiful beaches, hiking trails and a dozen enchanting holiday islands. Add a sunny climate, a background rhythm of Eastern culture and a passion for outstanding food, juice, and shopping, or you want to see numerous attractive ancient monuments which have survived medieval citadels and mosques you’re beginning to get the picture of Khujand, Tajikistan our largest and most diverse city. The most known are the mosque and the mausoleum of Sheikh Muslekheddin (17th-18th centuries.).
Khujand Sights
Close to the city is located the well-known Kairakum man-made lake. Khujand is one of the centers of mountaineering. Climbers prefer Ak-Su area located in one of the most picturesque corners of the country Khujand. This massif is distinguished by the beauty of wild nature and very tall rocks. More than just a city, Khujand is a whole region full of things to see and do. Best of all, with so many experiences close by it’s easy to jump from one adventure to the next.
A natural view
Khujand’s diverse landscapes provide countless opportunities to get immersed in nature. In the west, lush native picturesque views plunge down the hills to meet the banks of the river, while the east’s sheltered different types of parks are fringed with colorful-flowering and evergreen trees. The only difference of the city is that most of the places are unspoiled and need to be taken a picture of.
Pigeons and Doves
Tajikistan’s Khujand region varies with the dove watch place, which provides spectacular panoramic views. Once get surrounded by pigeons and doves which feels really free the mind it’s like a must not leave the place. A great view of the mosque with its memorable pigeons and doves is a special day trip destination for visitors and bird watchers.
Shopping and dining in Khujand
Khujand is a shopaholic’s paradise, with everything from top-end designers to open-air street markets. Discover the diverse range of cafes and restaurants offering cuisine from around the globe and check out the buzzing nightlife of the central city. The differences of the foods are in their taste and price with the polite service. You taste absolutely a special taste every time you try a new food.
Something else
Khujand’s history dates back to ancient times. In the opinion of historians, the legendary city of Alexander-Eskhata (Alexandria Extreme) was constructed by Alexander the Great on the place of the present Khujand (the 5th century BC) and become the city of highly developed culture, important commercial, and crafts center. It in many respects speaks it can be explained by its favorable position. Khujand stands at the entrance to the fertile Fergana Valley. Owing to this it was one of the main centers of the Great Silk way and enjoyed prosperity and richness. One of the ancient cities of the Central Asia Khujand has been known since the 7th century. In the 19thcentury Khujand became the center of the district of rapid industrial development allowing itself to become the center of cultural life. The city has 20 large enterprises, universities, cultural establishments.
Come and experience it for yourself. A few days in Khujand, building in a tour or two is the perfect beginning to your Tajikistan vacation.
The Muslim event of Eid al-Fitr takes place according to the Islamic lunar calendar, to celebrate the end of the Ramadan holy month of fasting. Festivities usually center on communal prayer, feasting, and family visits. Fasting is forbidden for Muslims on this day. Children are given sweets in the early morning, and the average household receives visits from more than seventy people in a day. It is also a time for gratitude and giving to charity.
Buzkashi is only in the countries of Central Asia. In the springtimes, Buzkashi may be held in all regions of the country. In Europe countries, to be scared people watch horror films but in Tajikistan people do Buzkashi. Always ask for the dates of this wonderful event, while planning your next trip to Tajikistan
The spring snowdrops are followed by tulip flowering. It falls on summer season when the mountains have been already covered with a carpet of emerald greens on which red, yellow, pink tulip flower-buds, as though embroidered with a skillful hand, are blossoming.
This is such an impressive eyeful that a whole festival is devoted to this event. The Tajiks call it Sayri Lola. It coincides with the time of first harvesting which means that the richer crop the more pompous festive tableful. By tradition the centre of the table is graced with a dish of pilau, women also bake brown griddle-cakes and spiced Samsa, the table is served with ripe vegetables and fruits.
The Tajiks expect not only tasty food on Sayri Lola festival but also the “gushtingiri”, the contests in Tajik national fight arranged by tradition on this day In former times this contest was the main and hot-tempered entertainment of the year. And today “gushtingiri” is rival in beauty and staginess to modern sports and gathers a great number of fans and fellows coming to Tajikistan even from abroad.
Art galleries are the window to Tajikistan’s soul. They reflect something of where we’ve been and where we’re going and there are hundreds to explore.
In major public art galleries – found in Dushanbe, Khujand, Khorugh, – you can browse historic collections that take you back to the 1800s when the country was undergoing its most significant transformation. Modern works are also featured – keep an eye out for works most acclaimed contemporary artists. Public galleries focus on regional artists, but they also have impressive national and international collections.
Dealer galleries can be found throughout the country, and they represent a chance to take home an enduring reminder of your Tajikistan holiday. Most galleries are more than happy to arrange safe shipping for your treasure. You should also look for road signs advertising artists’ studios – you’ll get to meet the artist and you might have the chance to watch art in the making.
20 km from Khujand there is one of the natural attractions of Sogdian region – Kayrakkum reservoir, stretching for 50 km to the east. This artificial lake was made in the 50-s of the XX century to build a hydroelectric station and control the Syr Darya runoff. The country’s inhabitants, having no access to the ocean, often call it the “Tajik Sea”
The statistics of the Kayrakkum reservoir in figures look quite impressive: its length is 55 km, width is 20 km, maximum depth is 25 meters, and the total water volume is 4.2 km3. The length of the dam is 1,205 meters and while the height is 32 meters. In addition, in cold winters the Kayrakkum freezes, and in summers the air temperature near the coast reaches 30-35 degrees Celsius.
An artificial lake has become a new ecosystem of the region: its waters are rich in fish species (pike, carp, catfish, perch, bream, etc.), moreover, it became a stopover for birds of passage, annually migrating from north Asia to India and other countries.
The Kayrakkum over its half-century history has become a popular holiday destination. It has various sanatoriums, recreation areas and children’s camps stretching along the coast. This is a great place for swimming and fishing. Its coast along the whole length is covered by numerous fruit orchards.
The celebration of Navruz in Tajikistan is an incredible eyeful in its beauty. On these festive days, spring comes entirely to the ancient Tajik land and it may be finally seen in its fine splendor.
The caressing sun cherishes the mountain peaks and lucid snowdrops fight their way through slobber. These first spring florets are the main harbingers of the festival. Traditionally, village children give them out as a symbol of the beginning of spring. Tajikistan prepares for Navruz in advance, first of all, spiritually: by paying debts and forgiving old insults. This day of the holiday, people put on clean clothing, symbolizing a complete expurgation. Rituals with fire dating back to Zoroastrian roots of the holiday are obligatory this day. All household should come round a bonfire or torch alight in the sign of good hope against the best. By lunchtime, hosts invite guests to the festive table, served with the dishes traditional for Navruz holiday: sumanak (concoction from wheat sprouts), sambusa (sausage roll from puff-paste or rissole with greens), sabzi (vegetables) and so on. All in all, there should be seven ritual dishes beginning with “S”. Navruz is widely celebrated both in cities and villages. This day everybody goes to the main square to watch festive shows participated with singers, dancers and musicians. It is impossible to imagine the celebration of Navruz in villages without horserace, national sports contests, cockfighting, flying the kites and pigeons, and traditional goat snatching (buzkhkasi).
Sacrificial Offering Festival
This is one of the most honorable religious holidays for all Muslims celebrated 70
days after the Ramadan month when all the believers observe strict fastening.
There is a legend about the roots of this
holiday in the Holy Scripture. It says that Allah did not allow the faithful Muslim name
Ibrahim to sacrifice his son, Ismail, by putting a ram on the Sacrificial Altar.
Since that it is customary to sacrifice animals as a symbol of the credo of God’s
omnipotence and bowels of mercies.
On Idi Kurbon the believers wear clean brows, go to mosques, slaughter a
sacrificial lamb or calf, give out the meat to the poor – a part of the meat is given to
poor relatives and the rest part is used to cook festive meals. This day it is
customary to visit friends and relatives and receive guests.
On the walls – stories from ancient legends, on the ceiling – old-fashioned patterns of wood, which are made mainly by masters from Isfara. Around the “Kokhi Navruz” is planted a garden: here and Sequoia, and fir, and plum, and chestnut, and maple, and evergreen and deciduous magnolia, and acacia, and pine, and cypress and birch. The height of the central building is 46 meters, and the area “Kohi Navruz” with 12 rooms, adjacent gazebos, trestles, and fountains – about three hectares. Initially, the complex “Kokhi Navruz” (Navruz Palace) was planned as a chaikhana, but during the construction, it turned into a real palace. In the “Kohi Navruz” – 12 unusual halls, each of which is made in its own special style. The complex has an art room, a banquet hall, a stone hall with carved decoration, a plaster hall with mirrors, two VIP halls. At the same time, it is ready to receive 3 thousand 200 guests. All rooms of the palace are decorated by local masters-craftsmen: there is wood carving, and Florentine mosaic from local semiprecious stones, mosaic of colored mirrors, painted ceilings.
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