Oh Man, Tajikistan! (Part 2): Exploring Dushanbe and the Hisor Fortress

- December 23, 2025, Tuesday.

- The vibrant capital of Dushanbe is far from the marketplace that it was a century ago. Dushanbe was only proclaimed the capital during the Soviet absorption of Tajikistan because of its economic activities and a crossroad of people all over the Tajik state. But before this, much of the social and political activities were concentrated in Hisor City. It was a city naturally surrounded by mountains and rivers, ensuring both resources and protection.

- Through booking a combination day tour of Hisor Fortress and Dushanbe via Tajik Travel Agency (yes that's the name of the agency), we were able to efficiently do everything in a day. Hisor City is around a 30-minute drive from the city and we decided to begin with the fortress because is was further away and because Dushanbe was covered with fog. Hisor Fortress was also covered in fog, but at least we were still able to see a little bit of it, such as the old madrasa (Islamic school) and the actual fortress. 

Former madrasa, now a museum.

Artifacts from the fortress.

I love them all.

- No one knows the exact history of the fortress. Archaeological finds say that the area is more than 2000 years old, since early Persian civilizations. As the site has repeatedly been used, sacked, captured, or destroyed, it has been difficult to track the site's history. The fortress remains majestic, but I'm sure I would have appreciated it more without the fog!    

Gateway to the fortress.

A shop made me try on Tajik traditional clothes for free haha.

You may also be interested in trying on a warrior's costume (we were on our way out so I wasn't able to try this on. Looks cool though!!)

- Back in Dushanbe, now sunny, we had lunch first at the Markazi Osh Plov Center. As the name suggests, they primarily specialize in plov (or pilaf), but they also serve other local Tajik dishes. I loved that they had a little cultural corner where guests could wear traditional clothes and take a photo with their traditional dining setup.

Markazi Osh Plov Center.

I blend in perfectly. (It helped that my shirt and necklace looked really traditional, so they matched the coat and hat!)

Our food: plov, salad, and traditional bread!

- After lunch we were driven to Navruz Palace. Navruz Palace was completed in 2015 on the order of the President Rahmon, and serves as a function hall (mostly for state-related events). It was made with the finest stones, woodcarvings, and was really meant to show the best of Tajik's artistry. It isn't actually a tourist site and most people wouldn't be allowed to enter, but some travel agencies (like ours!) may arrange a quick tour with a contact from Navruz Palace. As one would expect, the halls were larger than life, and were themed by color or material. 

The is the first hall and I'm already impressed haha.

Could you believe that this is just the SMALL reception hall.

Looks fancy to me!

The detail is just so remarkable. You have so many kinds of stones like onyx, lapis lazuli, you name it!

Now this is the BIG reception room. And it does look like a meeting room for the gods.

Purely made of wood, and it's said that they didn't use nails to build this room!

Wood carvings everywhere!

Final room, had so many mirrors!

Main entrance of the palace.

Navruz Palace exterior.

- We did not get to stay too long at Navruz Palace, but we had a full afternoon anyway. We later visited the National Museum of Tajikistan, built in 1934. It has an organized and detailed collection of Tajik cultural and natural history. My favorite gallery was the gallery on ancient history, because parts of it attempt to immerse people in the Greco-Persian eras of early Tajikistan. It also shows the Buddhist influences in the country via the Silk Road, such as the replica of the giant reclining Buddha that was found in the city of Bokhtar. While the actual reclining Buddha is still intact and exhibited in a different museum in the city, we didn't get the chance to visit that other museum anymore (if you're interested, it's at the National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan). Another interesting thing about the museum is that there is a nice view of the flagpole of Tajikistan just outside the museum. It's currently the fifth largest flagpole.

National Museum.

Exhibit on Cyrus the Great.

Like walking through time.

This was my favorite part of the museum!

Goddess Nana, a Central Asian goddess of war and fertility. Her depictions may have influenced how other goddesses are portrayed, possibly Hinduism's Durga.

Hindu cave paintings in Tajikistan, well I'll be!

Reclining Buddha.

View from the museum lobby.

With the giant flagpole.

Photo with Cyrus the Great. He's revered because he's a founding father of the Persian Empire.

Ismail Somoni, whose statue is at the other side of the park, was the founding father of Tajikistan. I did pass by this monument the day prior, but now I have a proper photo with Ismail Somoni's monument.

Independence Monument.

- A bit north from the city is the Central Mosque, or the Imam Abu Hanifa Cathedral Mosque. Built only in 2023, it is now the biggest mosque in Tajikistan. It appears to have a mix of Tajik/Persian and modern architectural styles, which makes it look impressive, but the interior of the prayer hall wows people because of how much space there is and how peaceful it seems to be.

Central Mosque.

Interior.

Courtyard.

A new Islamic university near the mosque.

- Finally, we visited the Istiklol Complex, opened in 2022. The complex is mainly a big park for people to stroll and have fun, but its crowning glory is the Istiklol monument - which does have a crown on top! After all, the "taj" in "Tajik" meanins "crown". Inside the tower, one can find an observation deck, a mini museum, and an exhibit on Tajik culture at the lobby.     

Istiklol Monument.

From the observation deck.

National costume corner. Yes, I'm there. HAHA.

I really feel like I fit in.

Musical instruments.

Mini-museum.

Photo with a Pamir-region man. I took a photo of him because we have the same hat. (Yes, my hat is a Pamit-style hat.)

Monument at night.

- I normally am not a fan of guided tours, but our private tour guide was amazing at budgeting time, taking photos, and giving us what we wanted to see and experience in Dushanbe. Our last full day in Dushanbe was well-spent, but at the same time I did realize how much Dushanbe could still be with the proper development and progress. Currently I could honestly say that there are many nice things and nice people in Tajikistan, but there must be a systemic change to further improve the way things are in the country.