Itchy Toes Adventures: tajikistan

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Tuesday, January 13, 2026

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.

** Check out my other adventures in Central Asia and Malaysia here!

KAZAKHSTAN

Part 1: Ascension Cathedral, Shymbulak, Souvenir Shopping - here

Part 2: Charyn Canyon, Kaindy Lake, Kolsay Lake - here

Part 3: First President Park, Kok Tobe, Museum, Metro Stations - here

KYRGYZSTAN

Part 1: Ala-Too Square and Museum, Souvenir Shopping - here

Part 2: Issyk-Kul, Konorchek Canyon, Burana Tower - here

TAJIKISTAN

Part 1: Iskanderkul Lake, Souvenir Shopping - here

UZBEKISTAN

Part 1: Tashkent - Amir Timur Square, Broadway - here

Part 2: Samarkand - Gur-e Amir, Souvenir Shopping - here

Part 3: Samarkand - Registan, Bibi Khanym Mosque, Shah-i-Zinda, Hazrat Khizr Mosque - here

Part 4: Samarkand - Ulugh Beg Observatory, Afrasiyab Archaeological Museum, Ishratxona - here

Part 5: Bukhara - Lyab-i Hauz and Surroundings - here

Part 6: Bukhara - Ark of Bukhara, Bolo Hauz Mosque, Chor Minor, Po-i Kalyan - here

Part 7: Tashkent - Museums, Besh Qozon, Khast Imam Complex, Metro Stations - here

MALAYSIA

Part 1: MICHELLE YEOH!, Petronas, Little India, Chinatown, Kwai Chai Hong, Jamek Mosque, Pasar Seni - here

Part 2: Batu Caves, Putrajaya, KL Tower - here

Oh Man, Tajikistan! (Part 1): Finding Alexander the Great's Lake

- December 21-22, 2025, Sunday to Monday.

- A country in Central Asia that some people tend to skip is Tajikistan. It is the only Persian-speaking country in Central Asia, while the other countries speak a Turkic language (and so Russian remains to be a lingua franca in the region); culturally Tajiks are also closer to Iranians. It is often skipped, even though Filipinos can enter the country visa free, because Tajikistan appears a bit more conservative than Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, or Uzbekistan. It also far less prepared for tourists (something I learned during my visit there), and any sense of development was only done in the past five years or so.

- My family flew with Somon Air to Dushanbe and arrived in the early afternoon. We did not schedule anything to do in the afternoon because we were not sure if there would be flight delays. But since the plane seemed to be on time, we had much time to spare after checking in at Rumi Hotel.

- By the way, transportation is a bit of a challenge in the city. Yandex Go does not work in the country, and even though they do have their own ride-hailing app, it is not too efficient especially for foreigners (even the Tajiks I spoke with are hesitant to recommend this app to foreigners.) Because of this, I booked more structured tours unlike the other countries we visited. However, as our hotel was located in the heart of the city, I was able to explore a bit of the capital, Dushanbe, on foot.

- I walked all the way to the Central Department Store, or Tsum, and passed by the Monument of Ismail Somoni and the New Parliament Building. The Monument of Ismail Somoni was built in 1999 in honor of Ismail Somoni, who was a powerful and respected Samanid ruler in the 9th to 10th centuries who essentially established the first Tajik state which, as you can tell, eventually became known as Tajikistan.

Ismail Somoni Monument.

New parliament building, opened in 2024 (so yes, it's really new.)

- Tsum was a small department store, but it had some nice souvenir stores though I observed prices to be a bit higher than its neighbors. It was also hard to buy things because most of their items are big or fragile (or both), such as handicrafts. Usual tourist souvenirs are also available, but far less in variety than its neighbors.

Souvenir stores at Tsum.

New parliament building lit up after sunset.

- I was quite happy with the location of the hotel in the heart of the downtown, so there were some options for dinner around the area. I had to call it a day early that night because we were going to have a tour the following day to Iskanderkul.

- Our Iskanderkul tour was booked through GetYourGuide. It is a lake, named after Alexander the Great himself. (Iskander is the Persian name of Alexander.) The are many legends as to why the lake was named after him. Some say he passed by the area and defeated a tribe that defied him, and others may say that his horse Bucephalus drowned in the lake (but I beg to differ).

- The lake itself was stunning, even during winter when everything is white with the Fann Mountains peeking from the fog and snow. However, the road going to the lake from the city was an adventure in itself: plenty of mountains, countryside view, long tunnels, but at the same time, some roads that don't appear the safest especially with slippery snow.

Iskanderkul.

I can tell you that the photo does not to justice to the lake's beauty and serenity.

I'm not sure if the lake was frozen, I didn't want to disturb the lake.

On higher ground.

You can see a bit more of the Fann Mountains.

Wild eagle.

You can really feel that you're not in the city anymore.

- We got back to the city in the early afternoon and after which we visited the Dushanbe Mall. It was just a couple of blocks rom the hotel. It wasn't a very big mall, but it had a lively food court.

Dushanbe Mall.

Inside the mall.

The streets of Dushanbe's city center will sometimes remind you of New York. (Just some parts.)

- We did not do much for the rest of the day after our late lunch, although I did briefly stop by the department store again to look at some things. Rest was a need because we were all set to do a whole-day tour of Dushanbe the following day.

- I wasn't sure how to put into words my impressions of Tajikistan. I could really tell that they are trying to develop and bring the country to the current times, but at the same time, these developments are very recent, so there are facilities, especially outside the city, that feel left behind by whatever development was going on. I did appreciate that I got to see how other people live in different conditions, especially during the harsh winter.