Travels in Tajikistan
Tajikistan
My trip to Tajikistan didn’t start too well. We had to be at the airport for 9am for an 11.10am flight. However, the 11.10am flight had changed to a 12.30pm flight which was then delayed till 3.30pm, so 6 and a half hours at the airport! Food and drink at the airport was extortionate £7 a pint. I went for a walk outside the airport and found a small shop that had beer for 70p. We got to the hotel with half an hour to spare before dinner. Such a shame as the hotel had a sauna and a pool and a lovely balcony, I had 15 minutes on it. Still dinner was delicious.
I was on a G Adventures tour of the 4 stans, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The theme of parks, statues and fountains continued. Dushanbe museum was wonderful. There were antiquities from all eras 4-5th century onwards. There were remnants of Greek temples, ancient burials and forgotten tribes. It was sad that so many cultures had flourished but so much had been destroyed during the Islamic invasion. All statues were beheaded, cities and temples destroyed. Buddhism, Christianity and local religions were all practised. Now 97% of the country follows Islam.
There was also a period when Tajikistan was threatened by extremist Islamists from Afghanistan. The Soviet Union stepped into the fray . The Soviets later invaded Afghanistan. In the 90s a civil war broke out with moderate Islamists and regional groups challenging government forces. Thousands were killed and between 10-20% of the population were displaced before an uneasy truce was signed.President Emomali Rahmon has been leader of the country since the early days of the 1992-97 civil war.
The country is poor, corruption is rife. Many migrant workers are in Russia. I learnt so much at the museum which is well worth a visit. The dug up skeleton of a princess from Pannikin was a highlight as was the enormous reclining Buddha. It’s important that some historical artefacts have survived.
The village however was fantastic, like going back in time. The next day we had a lovely trek. After a while we came to a small stone village. This is where the local village live from June – Sept to look after the animals. I was watching 3 women pounding and churning butter. They beckoned me over. I was soon pounding away with them. Next they gave me some of their home made yoghurt, it was very good. The hike was lovely, the sun was out although there was still a chill in the air. The hike lasted for 2 and a half hours and it was so good to stretch my legs after so many hours in a minibus.
Book your G Adventures tour to Tajikistan.
