Guliston is one of the most dramatic and beautiful parts of Tajikistan. Absorb the breathtaking treasures of this region by water, air or hiking.
The city of Gulistan is located in the Sughd region of Tajikistan. Here is located Kairakkum reservoir. This city together with other settlements in 1985 was very badly affected by the earthquake. The presence of several recreational bases on the shore of the reservoir has made the city an excellent place to rest not only the local residents but the entire region. The city itself is small, but several shops, a shopping center, post offices, and schools operate in the center. There are a recreation park and a central market, which operates daily. Also on the territory of Guliston, there is a long highway that connects the city with Dushanbe. Not far from the center is the railway station, from where you can get to the capital of Tajikistan. There you can see several hotels and recreation centers offering places to stay.
Located in Sughd region, Panjakent is heartland Tajikistan, offering an authentic view of Wood Carving expressing the culture of the East.
The city of Penjikent («five villages») is located in Khujand area of Tajikistan in a picturesque Zarafshon river valley. Quite possibly the five villages started the history of this remarkable city which originated in the 5th-8th centuries AD. Penjikent of that time was one of the most important cultural and crafts centers of Sughd. It was even named «Central Asian Pompeii». It was a superbly fortified well-organized city with a ruler’s palace, two temples, markets, rich dwelling houses decorated with numerous paintings, wooden and clay statues of ancient gods. Penjikent was the last city on the way from Samarkand in Kuhiston Mountains. It was a very favorable location since no caravan or person going from the mountains or returning to Samarkand could bypass Penjikent.
The ruins of this ancient city were found only in the last century. Today the tourists can see the remains of dwelling houses and office buildings, the citadel with the palace, the house of craftsmen, and fire worshipers church.
The guide will meet you at your hotel. You start the tour
from the nearest place to your hotel. Today you will visit:
| Tourists |
5 |
10 |
| Per person in USD |
56 |
28 |
| Included |
Guide |
(speaks your language) |
| |
Entry tickets |
All places |
| |
Transport |
One Minibus |
National Chaikhana “Sayohat”
Teahouse «Sayohat» is located near the tour hotel Panjakent built oriental style with the expression of the national designs
The mausoleum of the world-renowned poet Abu-Abdullo Rudaki, the ancestor of classical Tajik poetry was constructed in 1958. This historical paradox is in the fact that this famous poet’s biography had not been studied in full, and consequently, the place of his burial was not determined.
What known is that Rudaki who lived in the late 9th — early 10th centuries (during Samanids rule) had spent his last days in poverty and died in 941 in his native Panjrud village Panjakent. Some data testify that the poet died blind.
It was due to the laborious efforts of the famous Tajik writer Sadriddin Ayni hat some important facts from Rudaki’s life have been exposed. Having thoroughly studied all available historical manuscripts he managed to identify the great poet’s burial place, and the well-known sculptor — anthropologist Michael Gerasimov restored his appearance on the basis of the found remains.
Sarazm is a settlement dated the 4th -2nd millennia BC located near Panjakent with survived temples of fire, public and residential buildings, cult and palace structures. A lot of objects made of copper, bronze, lead, silver and gold; armor, jewelry related to 4th — 2nd millennia B.C. were found there.
The settlement stands on a height extending from west to east on the left bank of the Zarafshon River. The total area of the settlement exceeds 100 hectares. Sarazm was the ancient center of ores mining. Sarazm people exported the gold and silver found in the Zarafshon river valley to the countries of the Middle and Near East as well as West India.
Besides that Sarazm was one of the largest centers of metallurgy in Central Asia. There the fragments of foundry forms, melting forges, massive pestles and hammers for ore crushing, metal objects in the form of axes, daggers, knives, spears, pins, fishing hooks and ornaments were found.
During the excavations in Sarazm, the palace complex (the area of more than 250 square meters) was discovered. The complex included a big corridor, a vestibule, two or three halls and several auxiliary structures. All structures are connected by wide passages. One of the complex walls has windows for illumination and ventilation. The presence of circular altars in the center of the two halls might mean that it was not just a palace but also a place for cult ceremonials.
The center of the building hosts a spacious domed hall with a number of vaulted rooms on its left and right. The main facade of the mausoleum faces a small mountain river where you can get using the only available road. A clay Mehrob with graceful ornamental and calligraphic inscriptions towers in the center of the hall.
Muhammad Bashoro Mausoleum (11th — 14th centuries) is located in a picturesque Mazori Sharif village among juniper groves is the Mausoleum of Muhammad Bashoro who was an expert in Hadises (the legends of deeds and pronouncements of Prophet Muhammad and his associates). Originally the building had no portal. It was added only in the 14th century. The portal was distinguished by a special beauty: it had graceful and noble proportions and was decorated with carved terracotta of unique beauty and complexity. The portal is bicolor — pink patterns of terracotta are placed within the double frame of glazed turquoise bricks — and has the exact date preserved among the inscriptions (743 years of Hijri which corresponds to the years of 1342-1343).
The center of the building hosts a spacious domed hall with a number of vaulted rooms on its left and right. The main facade of the mausoleum faces a small mountain river where you can get using the only available road. A clay Mehrob with graceful ornamental and calligraphic inscriptions towers in the center of the hall.
The presence of Mehrob (a niche in a mosque wall indicating the direction to Kaaba — the main relic of Islam) testifies that originally the building might not have been a mausoleum but a mosque. This is not the only mystery of Muhammad Bashoro Mausoleum: another one is whether the remains of this notorious religious figure are buried there.
Hazrati Bobo-Architectural Complex
Not far from Panjakent within the limits of Sogd area is located Hazrati-Bobo architectural complex (kishlak Chorku, Isfara). Hence there is another name of the complex — «Chorku Mausoleum».
The complex consists of cult constructions and various structures. Although they were built in different times they have a single similarity: all of them are standing with their facadeк facing north. The main attraction of the complex is the mausoleum of a certain holy man whose name varies according to local residents: «Khast-i-Podsokh», «Khast-i-Amir», «Amir Hamza Sokhibkiron» (Sokhibkiron means «a Master of lucky combination of stars»). The local legend says that the mausoleum was erected in just one night to become the burial place of saint Hazrati-Bobo, the legendary hero, commander and king Amir Hamza Sohibkiron (Amir Hamza Hasti Podshokh).
The entire complex is considered a unique monument of medieval architecture and consists of two types of structures. The oldest building (the 10th -the12th centuries) is the wooden mausoleum (Mazar) with aivan (canopy) resting on the carved columns decorated with Kufi inscriptions and ornamental carving. There are seven carved wooden columns supporting this structure. They are of a unique form standing 2.5 m tall. Each column is made of a whole tree trunk and decorated with an ornament. The ornaments of all wooden details vary in character -they are vegetative, geometrical, zoomorphic figures and patterns. Besides, these wooden pillars are decorated with absolutely unknown kinds of animals which look like birds, snakes and fishes at the same time. Quite possibly this is due to the ancient Tajiks’ religious beliefs in reincarnation.
Mazar has two entrance doors: one is on the northern side with calligraphically written sayings from the Koran as well as the date of the repair works — 1321 of Hidzhra (1903-1904) above it. The door is fitted with a decorative lattice behind which the believers were to observe their rituals. The other door leading from southwest was intended for the sheikh. In the center of the room is the tomb of the «holy man».
The second type of Hazrati-Bobo structures are of later dates. The room with a four-columned aivan (to the left of Mazar) is dated the 18th-19th centuries. The walls and the ceiling also are painted and decorated. This place, apparently, was intended for pilgrims who could spend a night there. It was also used for some rituals such as — khudoi (sacrifice). In the yard of the complex there is a wooden minaret in the form of a three-tier tower. The complex of the buildings is surrounded by a pise-walled fence. According to the oldest local residents the Mazar yard was used as a cemetery. But in the mid -20th century nearly all tombs were razed to the ground as some of the church-goers who visited the mosque frequently fell into the graveyard pits.
In the suburb of modern Panjakent, the tourists can see the true picture from the past: the medieval citadel surrounded by dwelling buildings with wall paintings; near the ancient settlement center stands the necropolis.
The local residents call this place «Kainar» which is also the name of the nearby water spring. In 1946 archeological excavations were started there. As a result of a separately standing citadel with Divashtich (the last ruler of Panjakent) Palace, two temples with extensive yards, streets, shops, workshops, markets, fortifications, multi-room two- and even three-storey dwelling houses, the richest of which were decorated with wall paintings and wooden statues, were found.
But the most famous in the ancient settlement of Panjakent is the picturesque and colorful wall paintings which have survived in spite of their 1,300-year stay in ruins. The subjects of ancient Panjakent artists were different. There were cult ones showing heavenly bodies (the sun, the moon, other planets of the solar system), the reflection of ancestors’ cults, water element (river Zeravshan), Hinduist gods (Shiva).
The genre paintings display battle scenes, feasts, hunting, sports, playing musical instruments and backgammons, dances, distributions of harvest. Also found were the remains of carved wood and clay monumental sculpture in the ruins of temple buildings. The arts of ancient Penjikent, along with Byzantian, Indian and Persian borrowings, possessed their special original style.
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