• ARRIVAL DAY

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  Start of the tour: welcome of tourists on the territory of Tajikistan: from the airport of Dushanbe or from the northern border of the country – Penjikent/Samarkand
• Places to visit: ancient city Sarazm – Mausoleum and Museum of Rudaki

SARAZM - is the first World Heritage Monument in Tajikistan. This is the oldest settlement (IV—II millennium BC) located 15 km west of the district center of Penjikent, on the left bank of the Zeravshan River. Well-preserved palace and religious buildings, public and residential buildings are of great historical and cultural value. Metal and stone products were found at the excavation site, as well as numerous jewelries made of precious stones and processed seashells. The settlement is located within the Bactrian-Margian Archaeological Complex. The destruction of the settlement coincides with the invasion of this territory by nomadic Indo-Iranian tribes. The name "Sarazm" comes from the ancient Tajik word "sari zamin" (the beginning of the earth).

MAUSOLEUM / MUSEUM OF RUDAKI - is located on the territory of the village of Panjrud, about 60 km east of the city of Penjikent and is one of the most famous sights of Tajikistan. The mausoleum was built for the founder of Persian-Tajik literature - Abuabdullo Rudaki, who, according to historical data, lived in the late IX – X centuries, during the reign of the Samanid dynasty. Rudaki was not only a great poet and writer, but also a talented singer and musician. The founder of classical Tajik poetry wrote his famous works in the Dari language using the Arabic alphabet. The mausoleum of the great poet was erected in 1958. In 1940, two well-known archaeologists conducted a scientific and historical study and established the exact location of the burial of the great poet. With the participation of the anthropologist Mikhail Gerasimov, the remains were discovered, according to them and the objects that were in the burial place, it was possible to make an accurate identification, which confirmed that Rudaki was buried here.

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  12:00 – lunch (national cuisine)
• 18:00 – arrival in Dushanbe
• 19:00 – dinner (national cuisine)

Length: transit-500 km, 250 km, if from Penjikent; hike-1.5 km

• 07:30 – breakfast at the hotel
• 09:00 – welcome of tourists from the hotel; excursion in Dushanbe
• Places to visit: Ismoil Somoni Memorial Complex – National Library – Nation Palace – Arms Square – Navruzgoh Park – Flag Square – National Museum – Kokhi (Palace) Navruz – Istiqlol (Independence) Square and Monument – Iram Park

ISMOIL SOMONI MEMORIAL COMPLEX – in this complex houses the Ismoil Somoni Monument and Dusti Square. The monument to Ismail Somoni was erected in honor of the founder of the statehood of the Tajik people, Ismail Somoni. I. Somoni was the head of the Samanid state in the VIII – IX centuries. The height of the monument is 11.5 meters; the arch with a height of 40 meters is a symbol of the Eastern state.

NATIONAL LIBRARY – is the main library of the country specializing in the preservation of the cultural heritage of the peoples of Tajikistan. While the original state library in Dushanbe was founded in 1933 and named after the Persian-Tajik writer Firdousi, the new building of the National Library opened in March 2012 along with a new official name. The new building has 15 reading rooms and more than 20 departments. Currently, the library fund has more than 6 million copies of books, newspapers, magazines and other printed publications, audiovisual and electronic materials.

The NATION PALACE - is the official residence of the President of Tajikistan. The construction of the palace began in 2000. All imperative political events take place in the Palace, including the reception of high-ranking political figures, such as the reception of heads of states, presidents, heads of international organizations, ambassadors, etc.

COAT OF ARMS SQUARE – the area of the State Coat of Arms with a 45-meter stele is located on the left side of the Palace of the Nation, equipped with a variety of seedlings.

NAVRUZGOH PARK – was opened in 2014 in honor of the international holiday of Navruz and is located on an area of 146 square meters - between the Nation Palace and Navruzgoh. On 15 hectares of the garden, are planted such types of trees as pine, viburnum, lilac, cedar, fir, juniper, magnolia, sycamore, chestnut, red maple and other types of plants. Despite the fact that the park is located very close to the center, there is a completely different atmosphere here. Lots of greenery, trees and fountains. There is a waterfall – "Sharshara". This is a great option for families with children, and just a good place for walking, both on foot and on bicycles. In the evenings it is especially beautiful here.

FLAG SQUARE - is located in the center of Dushanbe, to the left of the Nation Palace. This flagpole is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest flagpole in the world. The height of the flagpole is 165 meters, the area is 1800 m2, the width is 30 meters and the length is 60 meters.

NATIONAL MUSEUM - is located in the center of Dushanbe. The museum consists of 22 large and small exhibition halls — departments of nature, antiquity and the Middle Ages, modern history, fine and applied arts. The exposition area of the National Museum of Tajikistan is 15 thousand m2. The new exposition of the National Museum of Tajikistan has collected items of material heritage, flora and fauna from all museums of the country. The number of exhibits exceeded 50 thousand items.

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  13:00 – lunch (national cuisine)
• 14:00 – continuation of excursion

KOHI (PALACE) NAVRUZ - is a new building consisting of 12 unusual halls, each of which is made in its own special national style. At the same time, it is ready to receive up to 3,200 guests. All the halls of the palace are decorated by local craftsmen: there are wood carvings, Florentine mosaics made of local semi-precious stones, mosaics of colored mirrors, painted ceilings. On the walls there are scenes from ancient legends, on the ceiling there are patterns made of wood in the old style. Navruz Palace impresses with its splendor and modern luxury, it is a representative palace where important political events of the country and international meetings take place. It was within these walls that the 14th SCO Summit took place.

IRAM PARK – this park is located in the northern part of Dushanbe. The garden area reaches 40 hectares; the main entrance to the garden starts from the east. The alley leads to a glass greenhouse, from where the alleys and paths of the Botanical Garden originate. 

ISTIQLOL (INDEPENDENCE) SQUARE AND MONUMENT– the Istiqlol (Independence) Monument and Istiqlol Square were opened on September 8, 2022 with the participation of the Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon. The 121-meter height of the Istiqlol complex is symbolic, that is, the lower part of the 30-meter complex is a symbol of the 30th anniversary of state independence, and the upper part - 91 meters – represents independence in 1991 of the last centuries. The total area of the symbolic complex "Istiklol" is 11900 square meters, the area of the object under construction is 4761 square meters. In the upper part of the complex there is an 8-meter crown made of titanium. In the symbol of Independence, the crown embodies the symbol of statehood, independence, state development and civilization, knowledge of the history of the ancient Tajik people. The base of the complex is an octagonal pyramid and consists of 7 entrances. When drawing up a project with the symbol "Crown", the designer relied on the symbol "Tree of Life" as a basis, which represents and embodies broad ideas.

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  18:00 – end of the day
• 19:00 – dinner (national cuisine), return to the hotel

Length: transit-100 km, hike-2 km

• 07:30 – breakfast at the hotel
• 09:00 – reception of tourists from the hotel;
• Places for visit: Bokhtar: Hill "Kurgan" – Museum Bibikhonum – Ajina-Teppe – Vose: Hulbuk Fortress

BOKHTAR (until 2018 — Kurgan-Tube) is a city in southwestern Tajikistan, the administrative center of the Khatlon region. It is located 100 km south of Dushanbe, in the center of a rich oasis in the valley of the Vakhsh River. According to ancient sources, the Kurgan-Tube oasis appeared during the Kushan Kingdom. It was already a big city that had its own currency. At the end of the VII century, it fell under the rule of the Arabs. Near Bokhtar, on the bank of the Vakhsh River, there are ruins of the city of the X—XIII centuries Lagman, probably together with Bokhtar, which was part of a vast oasis. In the middle of the 20th century, archaeologists discovered ancient water pipes, brick wells and fortifications with towers. This city was one of the largest settlements of ancient Bactria and occupied a relatively large territory of 43 hectares. This oasis was destroyed by the Mongol invasion of Genghis Khan.

BIBIKHONUM MUSEUM - is a city museum located in the center of the city of Bokhtar, created by the decision of the local government in 1999. Not only the exposition attracts visitors here, an interesting circular museum building with a tower in the middle is a subject of admiration and special pride of citizens. The museum's collection includes more than 1,500 exhibits reflecting the history of the formation and development of the city of Kurgan-Tube. Special attention can be paid to the exhibits of the ethnographic section, because here are presented the most beautiful dresses, various panels, jewelry and numerous samples of ceramic products and household utensils of the Tajiks of the XIX–XX centuries. In addition to visiting the exhibition stands, visitors are invited to climb the observation tower.

AJINA-TEPPE — the ruins of a Buddhist monastery of the VII–VIII centuries are located 20 kilometers from the city of Bokhtar. Shrines, stupas, images on the walls, cells, statues were found here. The most interesting find is a sculpture of a reclining Buddha, whose length reaches 12 meters. In 1961, archaeologists arrived here and began excavations, during which more than 500 pieces of art were discovered: statues, reliefs, wall images left over from the cult and living rooms of the monastery. Scientists who visited Kurgan-Tube (Bokhtar) came to the conclusion that this structure included two parts, namely the monastery and the temple. In addition, there were a couple of rectangular courtyards, around which buildings and thick walls towered. In one of them there was a large stupa. The monastery was incredibly beautiful, its vaults and walls were decorated with paintings.

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  13:00 – lunch (national cuisine)
• 14:00 – direction to the Vose district
• 16:00 – arrival in the Vose district, visit the Hulbuk Fortress and the Fortress Museum

HULBUK - is an archaeological complex in the Khatlon region. It is located in the village of Mehrobod of the Vosei district. The complex occupies a settlement area of 70 hectares, most of which is occupied by modern buildings. The structure of the settlement includes fragments of the settlement, a medieval fortress and its own palace.

The settlement is identified with the ancient city of Hishttepa — the capital of the Khuttal (Khatlon) region in the Ghaznavid empire. In the 9th-13th centuries, Hulbuk was the residence of the governors. The city was probably abandoned during the Mongol invasion. In the early 1950s, archaeologists were interested in this place. Hishttepa (Brick Hill), as numerous ceramic products, glass, metal slag and even more bricks were scattered around it. During the excavations that were carried out in the 1950s and 1960s, it was revealed that this place corresponds to the city of governors. More than 5 thousand artifacts were found. Today, Hulbuk is a historical museum-reserve that stretches over 16 hectares.

The citadel fortress is rectangular in plan (150x50 meters) and consists of two parts. The walls around the perimeter of the citadel are reinforced with round and square towers. The southern part (50x50) is surrounded by a wall up to 15 meters high. The northern one is larger in area, but its walls do not exceed 10 meters. There was a palace outside the walls of the citadel.

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  17:30 – end of the tour, departure to Kulyab
• 18:30 – arrival in Kulyab, accommodation in a hotel
• 19:00 – dinner (national cuisine)

Length: transit-275 km, hike-3 km

• 07:00 – breakfast at the hotel
• 08:00 – welcome of tourists from the hotel
• Places to visit: Kulyab: Mir Said Aliya Hamadoni Mausoleum – Museum of the 2700th anniversary of Kulyab

KULYAB - is a city in the Khatlon region of Tajikistan. It is located in the valley of the Yahsu River (Panj River basin), at the foot of the Hazrati Shoh ridge, 203 km southeast of the city of Dushanbe. Historically, the city of Kulyab arose 2,700 years ago and for many centuries has been an important political, trade, economic and cultural center of the vast Khatlon region. The city was located on one of the branches of the Great Silk Road and had close trade, economic and cultural ties with many countries of the East and West. During the Middle Ages, the city of Kulyab was an important political, economic and cultural center. A large number of schools and madrassas (higher educational institutions) functioned here. Various handicrafts and trade were developed, literary and scientific circles were active. In the XVII - XIX centuries, forty poets lived and worked in the city of Kulyab. The most famous of them were Naseh (Abdurakhmon Khoja), Khoja Husaini Kangurti, Bismil, Shokhin, etc. The found remains of buildings and mausoleums testify to a highly developed culture of architecture and construction.

MAUSOLEUM OF MIR SAYYID ALII HAMADONI. In the center of Kulyab, there is a memorial complex of Mir Sayyid Alii Hamadoni— a poet, philosopher and thinker of the XIV century. His son Muhammad, numerous relatives, as well as the former caretaker of the mausoleum and the mosque under him, Sheikh Shohi Tolikoni, are also buried here. The mausoleum building is a traditional medieval building. Initially, it had three portal entrances with a domed hall decorated with carved decor. This building dates back to the end of the XIV century.

MUSEUM OF THE 2700th ANNIVERSARY OF KULYAB – was established in 2006 in honor of the celebration of the 2700th anniversary of the city of Kulb. The complex includes the Local History Museum 2700th anniversary of Kulyab, the Museum of Literary and Written Heritage named after Mir Sayyid Alii Hamadoni and the House – Museum of the national poet Saydali Valizoda. The museum complex in total currently has more than 5,000 exhibits. The museum complex is designed to organize the collection, development and display of the historical and cultural heritage of the Tajik people. The main museum of the Complex is the Local History Museum of the 2700th anniversary of Kulyab, which has its own exhibition activities in five huge halls of a high building: the Department of History and Archeology, the Department of Ethnography (the richest and main hall), the Department of Art, the Department of Modernity and the Department of Nature of Tajikistan. More than 20,000 thousand visitors visit the museum annually.

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  13:00 – completion of the excursion in Kulyab, lunch (national cuisine) and departure to Darvaz/Kalai Khumb
• 19:00 – arrival in Darvaz/Kalai Khumb, hotel accommodation
• 20:00 – dinner (national cuisine)
• Length: transit–70 km, hiking–3.5 km

• 07:00 – breakfast at the hotel
• 08:00 – reception of tourists from hotels
• Places to visit: Darvaz: Kalai Khumb – the ancient city of Karon – Rushan – the village of Barchidev

DARVAZ - is an administrative district within the Gorno–Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan. The district center is the village (rural type settlement) of Kalai Khumb, located at an altitude of 1200 meters above sea level, near the confluence of the Obikhumbov River in the Panj, 368 km from Dushanbe, on the border with Afghanistan. "Darvaz" means "gate" and appeared in the IX—X centuries.

THE ANCIENT CITY OF KARON. The name of the city in translation from the Middle Persian language means "a place located at an altitude". Karon is located east of the village of Kalai Khumb in the historical region of Darvaz, on the ancient caravan road to Khorog, at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level, in the highlands above the Panj River, near the Tajik-Afghan border. The area of the city is 100 hectares. Karon was discovered in 2012 by archaeologist, academician Yusufsho Yakubov. According to opinion of Yakubov, the city was founded 4 thousand years ago. Since the discovery, archaeologists from Russia, Iran, France and Belgium have been involved in the excavations. Until the tenth century, Zoroastrianism was professed in the Crown. An altar of the temple of fire, a ritual pool, and a stone stand on which the holy book "Avesta" lay were found in the central square of the city. Islam came to Karon in the XII—XIII centuries. The complex of buildings is presumably a royal palace. The buildings are built of brick. The city had a water supply and drainage system. Workshops for firing bricks are located in the Crown, clay pipes were made. The city was abandoned in the XV century, probably due to the depletion of water resources.

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  12:00 – lunch (national cuisine)
• 13:00 – departure to Rushan district and transit to the village of Bardichev

RUSHAN - is an administrative district within the Gorno—Badakhshan Autonomous Region of the Republic of Tajikistan. Founded in 1932, the district center — the village of Rushan is also known as "Vamar", located 65 km from the city of Khorog. Rushan is a historical region in the southwestern Pamirs, consisted of three districts: Vamur, Payi Khoja and Bartang - Bek of the Bukhara Emirate.

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  19:00 – arrival in the village of Bardichev, accommodation in a hostel
• 20:00 – dinner (national cuisine)
• Length: transit-275 km

• 07:00 – breakfast at the hostel
• 08:00 – our hike starts from here. Hike to Sarez Lake (things can be carried by donkey or horse for 7-8 hours)
• Places to visit: Barchidev village – Sarez Lake

SAREZ LAKE – is one of the most beautiful lakes in Tajikistan, located in the Pamir. It was formed on February 6, 1911, after a strong 7-point earthquake, when the Murghab River was dammed as a result of a huge landslide, forming a natural dam with a height of 567 meters. The echo of the earthquake was recorded thousands of kilometers from the scene of the events - at the Pulkovo seismic station near St. Petersburg. The filled basin in the same year flooded the village of Sarez, which gave the name to the lake.

Sarez Lake stretches almost 60 km in length (55.8 km), and its depth is approximately 500 meters. This lake is called the pearl of the Pamir Mountains - it is so extraordinarily beautiful. The path to the lake from the valley of the Bartang River (Murgab) begins in the Nisur village and passes through the Zharnogdashttag pass to the Borchadiv village. From here, the trail leads up the left bank of the Murghab, then rising high above the gorge, then descending to the water itself.

Not far from the stream called Hurmacher, the trail turns right and rises steeply to the Usoysky blockage. Behind this blockage, the tourists first see Lake Shadau, and only then Lake Sarez. Shadow has the same history of origin as Sarez, but compared to the latter, it is small, and its length is only 4 kilometers. Shadow is in no way inferior in beauty to the Sarez Lake, the water in it is bright turquoise, while in Sarez it is dark blue. The shores of Lake Sarez are very steep, and it is extremely difficult to walk along them in still untrodden places. Therefore, tourists do not go to these places, but prefer to connect the bays and shores of Lake Sarez with routes through mountain passes.

In the north, Sarez is surrounded by the western tip of the Muzkol ridge, the maximum height of the peaks of which reaches 5900 meters. In the west and south, the lake is surrounded by the spurs of the Rushan and North-Alichur ranges; to this day, many of their peaks, with a height of 5800 meters, remain unconquered. In particular, the little-known highest point of the region, towering at an altitude of 5936 meters, remains among the unconquered. It is located 2.5 kilometers from the Sadmid pass, and its height exceeds the 5931-meter Kulin peak, which is located above the right bank of the Langar River.

Note: to visit Lake Sarez, you must have a special pass, since the territory of the lake is under protection.

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  12:00 – lunch (national cuisine), cooking by ourselves
• 17:00 – arrival in Lake Sarez
• 17:30 – completion of the hike, camp, overnight in tents
• 19:00 – dinner (national cuisine), cooking by ourselves

Length: hike-25 km

• 07:30 – breakfast
• 09:00 – continuation of the hike, trekking along the high shores of the lake
• Places to visit: Sarez Lake

Intense radial tracking along the high shores of Lake Sareza (altitude 3500 meters above sea level). On the contrary, the ice caps of the Muzkol ridge, and behind them the almost 6 thousand peaks of the North-Alichur ridge. All this under the sunset of the day against the background of a huge flooded valley. You also have the opportunity to go on a boat, go fishing, climb a mountain. You have one day to enjoy the monumental beauty of the highest mountains.

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  12:00 – lunch (national cuisine), we cook ourselves
• 17:00 – end of the day, return to the camp
• 19:00 – dinner (national cuisine), we cook ourselves

Length: hike-12 km

• 08:00 – breakfast
• 09:00 – here we finish our hike to Lake Sarez. Return trip, hike to the Village of Barchidev
• Destinations: Sarez Lake – Barchidev village

On the way back we can see the Fedchenko Glacier — the longest glacier in the world, outside the polar regions. The ridges of the Academy of Sciences, Vanchsky and Yazgulemsky converge some 30 km from our village.

The peak of Independence (Revolution) 6940 metro above sea level, rises 20 km from the "house in the village". This is the real Pamir, in which people manage to live, giving good warmth as if reflecting what has been sent down from the Almighty.

Many great Russian scientists and officers — researchers of the Pamirs have forever left a part of their soul in these mountains. Some lived in these places for a long time and left for a long time remembered this time as the brightest thing that was in their lives.

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  12:00 – lunch (national cuisine), we cook ourselves
• 16:00 – completion of the hike, accommodation in a hostel
• 19:00 – dinner (national cuisine)

Length: hike-25 km, average altitude above sea level 2800 m.

• 07:30 – breakfast
• 08:30 – return, direction to Kalai Khumb
• Destinations: Barchidev village – Rushan – Kalai Khumb
• 12:00 – lunch in Rushan (national cuisine)
• 18:00 – arrival in Kalai Khumb, hotel accommodation
• 19:00 – dinner (national cuisine)

Length: transit–275 km

DEPARTURE DAY

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  07:30 – breakfast at the hostel
• 09:00 – direction to Dushanbe
• Destinations: Kalai Khumb – Dushanbe
• 13:00 – lunch in Kulyab (national cuisine)
• 16:00 – arrival in Dushanbe, hotel accommodation
• Length: transit – 350 km

• 16:00 – continue of trip; direction to Penjikent (for tourists who intend to return via Samarkand/Uzbekistan)
• Destinations: Dushanbe – Penjikent (borders - Samarkand/Uzbekistan)
• 20:00 – arrival in Panjakent (border - Samarkand/Uzbekistan)
• Length: transit–250 km

During the day – departure of tourists from the Dushanbe airport