Tajikistan: Khujand

Khujand, second largest city in Tajikistan, at the western end of Fergana Valley, is actually much closer and easier to get to from Tashkent and Sarmakand, Uzbekistan. It was one of the oldest cities in Central Asia. Firmly on the Silk Road, it has seen armies from Alexanderia the Great, to Arabs, to Geghis Khan, to Qing China, to Soviets, and everyone in between.

Today, it has the usual market (5th below) and mosque, across from each other on the main square (1st below). Even though those buildings themselves are not particularly ancient, the same bustle of the main square must have been going on for a few thousand years. Having a bit of luck, we were able to enter the mosque and walk around (2nd below) before being shooed out as a funeral procession approached (3rd and 4th below).











Khujand also has a fort of dubious provenance (1st and 2nd below). In fact, the President was in town to open the newest embellishment to the fort, which caused much commotion; that is, street closures, fireworks (below), and more. The more important person for us was our new friend Yibo (his Chinese name), who we met in Panjakent, just a week earlier, when he was visiting his family. Yibo learned Chinese in Nanjing, China, courtesy of the Confucius Institute. He now works in Khujand as a translator for a Chinese cement company. Because of my mishap with Wechat, missing out the opportunity to have dinner at his family home in Panjakent, Yibo treated us to dinner at a restaurant in Khujand! 











Qurutob, a culinary discovery! The national dish of Tajikistan, it's main ingredients are yogurt, fatir (flatbread), tomato, cucumber, greens, onion. We twice ate it for breafast!


Our shared taxi from Dushanbe to Khujand was pulled over three times by police. Each time the driver grabbed his wallet and rushed back to meet the officer. Hmmm. The drive was beautiful. First, retracing our route back over the mountains, skirting a small landside and again surviving the Tunnel of Death (video, 2nd below). Then east to Khujand in the Fergana Valley.










For much of the drive, it seemed that every car, including ours (first below), had a pile of cargo/luggage on the roof.




Khujand is on the banks of the Syr Darya (River). The main bridge across it was closed to vehicles during the president's visit.








Some examples of contemporary architecture around town. First, the very cool Soviet Modernist SILKCOAT building. Second, some government offices. Third, the regional library.