Our first stop is Duschanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. As our guide book was quick to inform us, Duschanbe used to be a small, unremarkable city, until the Soviet Empire declared it the capital of the Tajik State, about 100 years ago. It was originally named after its weekly market, which was always on Mondays.
We landed around 4 am. We booked lodgings in the charming Green House Hostel, and payed about 10 USD for the taxi from the airport.
The next day, we went exploring.
My first impression: HOT. And dry. At about 34 °C, standing around in the streets too long soon proved unbearable, so we did what all travellers do in such circumstances: We looked for a cool and shady place to eat.
One Google search later and we found a restaurant just around the corner called “Noor”- and thus started our first Tajik food experience. About half the restaurant was equipped with regular tables, and the other was filled with elevated booths with seating cushions around a low table, perfect for sitting and eating on “the floor”. These seating opportunitieus were far more popular than the “regular”, western-style tables. The menu was short, and we ordered something on random. We were served in a large wooden bowl, which was set between us, along with two spoons and 2 large pints of unidentifiable juice (maybe grape?). It was very good- a dish called Kurutob, basically joghurt with bread that had been soaked in it, along with a lot of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, onions and bell peppers. It was delicious.
We paid 50 Somon for our meal- which equals 5 Euro. A real bargain. We didnt do much the rest of the day- following the local custom, we went to sleep in the afternoon and only emerged after the sun had set. We walked downtown and realised the city is actually meant to viewed after dark. Almost every larger building has some sort of decorative lighting. The broad sidewalks were full of people, both men and women, sometimes families, enjoying the cooler temperatures and going about their business. In the more residential areas, we saw plenty of children playing, riding their bike and genereally enjoying their free time, despite the fact that it was late- easily past 10 pm.
Our second day started much like the first- except this time, we ordered a tomato sauce dish, which was even better than the first. Other guests at the hostel informed us you had to get registrered as a tourist if you were in Tajikistan longer than 10 days- so off we went. The registration office requires you to present your passport, passport fotos and a confirmation from you hostel that you are actually starying there. It cost us 410 Somon for the 2 of us. Apparently, prices vary from tourist to tourist, perhaps dependeing on how patient you are and how friendly you are.
We also visited the Museum of Antiquities. We paid 50 Somon per head and got a guide, who led us through the museum. It contained many artifacts, from arrowheads up to murals and one gigantic Buddha statue that caught me completely by surprise. I have no idea how they got it into the rather small and unassuming building- I think they must have put it in before construction was finished. There were also lots of Hindi statues or at least their remnants- our guide told us that while neither Buddha nor Shiva were worshipped in the areas the artifacts were found, the statues were erected to show the welcome of the citizens of the cities towards other cultures and religions. As the relics were found along the silk road, there were probably many different nationalities present.
Afterwards, we dedicated the rest of the day to Duschanbe’s main attraction- its parks. Duschanbe is a very green city, with many spectacular fountains and beautiful flowers. Enjoy our pictures!
Kochanie! Świetnie piszesz!
Czekam na dalszy ciąg
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