A rugged, mountainous country, with lush valleys to the south and north, this beautiful region has scarcely glimpsed the wider world since the fall of Communism not least because it was racked by civil war until 1997.
The Pamir Plateau was once a key route from China through to Afghanistan, and was used by Marco Polo on his odyssey to the court of Kublai Khan and countless traders carrying silk and spices. Its scenic highlight is the ‘Pamir Knot’, where the mountains of the Tian Shan rear up in a dramatic landscape as grand as any found in the Himalaya. Among the peaks is Pik Communizma, at 7,495 metres the highest peak of the former Soviet Union, whilst the ancient Silk Road routes, incorporating some of Tajikistan's most stunning landscapes, offer a glimpse into a more prosperous era including Khojand, a largely Uzbek town related culturally to the Fergana Valley just across the border, and historic Penjikent.
The Tajiks come from an ancient stock – the inhabitants of the Pamir Mountains claim to be the only pure descendants of the Aryan tribes who invaded India over 4000 years ago. Tajikistan’s inaccessibility has protected it from most invaders, although Alexander the Great founded a city on the site of modern-day Khodjent, calling it Alexandria Eskate (Alexandria the Furthest).
Group Adventure Tours, Horse Trekking and Tailor-Made Holidays in Tajikistan.
WILD FRONTIERS runs two trips to Tajikistan – the Silk Road Odessy passes through Khodjent and Penjikent where you will get an opportunity to stay in traditional Tajik homes and get feel for the Tajik culture; and in 2008, we are running a recce tour trekking through Tajikistan’s, High Pamir.
