Holidays and events
Public holidays
Date | Holiday |
January 1 | New Year |
31 January | Sada (preparation for spring, the awakening of nature) |
February 2 | Eid-i-Kurbon (Festival of Sacrifice) |
8th of March | International Women’s Day |
end of March | Nawruz (the day of the equinox in spring, beginning of spring and work in the fields) |
1st of May | Labor Day |
May 9 | Victory Day (2nd World War) |
the 9th of September | Independence day |
end of September | Mehrgon (equinox in autumn, harvest, preparation for winter) |
October 14 | Day of the founding of the state |
November 6 | Constitution Day |
November | Eid-i-Ramazon (end of Ramadan) |
Source: Countryaah – Tajikistan Holidays
Regular cultural events
In March there are celebrations and parades for the Navrus (Spring Festival).
In September Mehrgon is celebrated (harvest festival).
Sporting events
The national sport of Tajikistan is wrestling (Gushtin Giri).
Buzkaschi is a team game in which two teams on horseback try to pull a goat carcass slaughtered according to Islamic laws over the finish line of the opposing team.
As a mountainous country, Tajikistan is ideal for mountaineering, trekking and hiking.
climate
The best time to travel to Tajikistan
The ideas of what is meant by a particularly favorable travel climate depend on a number of factors. For example, cultural travelers see the climate very differently than people who want to spend a pure beach holiday, for example. The state of health or age can also play an important role. Therefore, our travel time recommendations are divided into the following two categories:
For
people who are more sun-hungry For people who like to enjoy a lot of sun and for whom higher temperatures do not cause problems, the following seasons are particularly suitable for a stay in the country: Summer.
For people who prefer a temperate climate
People who prefer a temperate climate and lower temperatures should better use the following seasons to stay in Tajikistan: spring and autumn.
Climate table
Month | Average number of rainy days | Mean maximum temperatures in (°C) | Mean minimum temperatures in (°C) |
January | 11-12 | 6-8 | -4/-3 |
February | 11-12 | 8-9 | -2/-1 |
March | 10-11 | 14-15 | 2-3 |
April | 9-10 | 20-21 | 8-9 |
May | 7-8 | 26-27 | 10-11 |
June | 2-3 | 34-35 | 14-15 |
July | 0 | 37-38 | 16-17 |
August | 1-2 | 33-35 | 16-17 |
September | 0 | 31-32 | 10-11 |
October | 2-3 | 23-24 | 4-5 |
November | 5-6 | 14 | at 0 |
December | 8-10 | 9-10 | -3/-4 |
Attractions
- Abbreviationfinder.org: Presents the way that TJ stands for the nation of Tajikistan as a two-letter acronym.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Silk Road in the Tian Shan Mountains
The Silk Road crosses borders and includes the following core areas.
– the province of Xinjiang in China
– Afghanistan
– Kashmir
– the north of India
– the northern parts of Pakistan
– Tajikistan
– Kyrgyzstan
– Uzbekistan
– Turkmenistan
– Iran’s Khorasan province in the northeast of the country
The Silk Road is an old caravan route. According to our era, it has been known since the year zero.
The Silk Road led from China to West Asia and India, bypassing the Gobi Desert. For example, the cities of Antioch and Damascus became rich through constant trade with other countries – and also gained political importance.
City-states such as Turfan and Chotan emerged along the Silk Road.
A trip from China to the Mediterranean took about three to four years. In this way, China supplied silk, glass and precious metals, among other things. In return, cultivated plants were brought to China from the west.
The tracks of the later railways were largely laid along the old Silk Road. It is hoped that by preserving and renewing the Silk Road, Afghanistan will become a hub between Central and South Asia and the Middle East. The Silk Road was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2014.
Tajik National Park
The Tajik National Park is partly located in the Pamir Mountains in the eastern part of Tajikistan and covers an area of 2.6 million ha = 26,000 km². The region became a national park in 1992.
The national park is geographically very different and consists of over 7,000 m high mountain regions, grasslands, steppe and desert. Worth mentioning is the Fedtchenko Glacier, which is the longest glacier outside the polar region with a length of a little less than 80 km, as well as the 3,260 m high and around 80 km² large Sarez Lake, which was created around 100 years ago as a result of an earthquake is as well as the 4,020 m high and around 380 km² large Karakul Lake, which was probably formed about 5 million years ago as a result of a meteorite impact.
The area is extremely sparsely populated, not least because of the strong tectonic activity.
The region has long, cold winters and cool summers. Brown bears, snow leopards, Siberian ibex and wolves, among others, have their habitat in the park.
The national park was added to the list of UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites in 2013.
Sarazm Archaeological Site Sarazm
– also Sarasm – is a pre-urban settlement in what is now Sughd Province. The settlement is one of the oldest in Central Asia and was built around 3,500 BC. And was until about 2000 BC. One of the most important metalworking sites in Central Asia, this historical site was only discovered in 1976 and excavated from 1977 with the help of French archaeologists.
The “Sarazm Archaeological Site” was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2010, making it the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site
Major cities in the country
Dushanbe
Dushanbe has about 550,000 residents, making it the largest city and the capital of Tajikistan. The city is considered to be the political, cultural, economic and scientific center of the country. Dushanbe is located in the west of the country about 60 km from the border with Turkmenistan.
Khujand
Khujand is the second largest city in the country with around 150,000 residents. The city is located in the northwest of the country about 20 km from the border with neighboring Kyrgyzstan and about 30 km from the border with Turkmenistan.
Special buildings
Suspension bridge
There is a suspension bridge anchored in the ground near Garm, which is used as a road bridge.
Pyanj
Bridge The Pyanj Bridge runs over the Pyanj between Nizhni-Pyanj in Tajikistan and Shir Khan in Afghanistan. It is 670 m long.
Suspension bridge over the Pyanj
Between Tem in Tajikistan and Demogan in Afghanistan there is a suspension bridge over the Pyanj. It is 135 m long.
Somonij-Monument/Dushanbe
This approximately 30 m high monument is dedicated to the “father of the nation” Ismail the First.
Museums and ruins
Penjikent
The remains of an old fortress are being excavated in Penjikent. Penjikent is also known for its ornate frescoes.
Buddha statue
in the ruins of a Buddhist temple near Kurgon-Teppa in the south of the country, the largest Buddha statue in Central Asia was discovered. It is now stored in Dushanbe, broken up into 60 individual parts.
Behzod Museum
The Behzod Museum of History and Regional Studies in the capital Dushanbe is worth a visit.
Antiques Museum/Dushanbe
Theater and opera
Dushanbe Opera
Mosques
While there were only a good dozen mosques at the time of the Russian occupation, the number is said to have risen to around two to three thousand today. There are also places of pilgrimage such as the graves of famous Islamic saints, or the accommodations of Shiite-Ishmaelite Muslims who traveled to the mountains to protect them from their Sunni persecutors.
Fortresses
Hissar Fortress
This rebuilt fortress from the 13th century, which was destroyed by the Soviets, is located about 10 km outside the capital Dushanbe.
Important universities
University of Central Asia
The University of Central Asia was founded in 2000 by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in various locations. The Tajik campus is in Khorog. The university has the following faculties:
- Humanities
- art
- pedagogy
- tourism
- Economics
Khujand State University
Khujand State University was founded in 1932 in Khujand. The university has the following faculties:
- foreign languages
- Humanities
- Computer science
- art
- mathematics
- pedagogy
- physics
- law Sciences
natural beauties
Marghuzor Lakes
The Marghuzor Lakes offer a unique natural spectacle: the seven lakes all have a different color that changes with the respective lighting conditions.
Pamir Mountains
The high mountain region of the Pamir is known as the center of Asia and is one of the least explored regions on earth. Together with the Himalayas and the Karakoram Mountains, it is one of the three highest mountain ranges in the world.
Romit Gorge
The picturesque Romit Gorge is approx. 2,000 m high and very popular with hikers.
Lakes, reservoirs
Karakul Lake
Located in the east of Tajikistan at an altitude of 4,020 m, Karakul Lake (Kara Kul Lake) is the largest lake in the country with an area of 380 km². The lake is located in the autonomous province of Berg-Badachschan in the highlands of the Pamir Mountains about 15 km west of the border with the Chinese province of Xinjiang. The lake is divided into two parts by a large peninsula extending north from the south coast and an island south of the north coast. The eastern part is the smaller and only a maximum of 19 m deep, while the larger western part has a maximum depth of 230 m. The lake was probably formed about 5 million years ago by a meteorite impact.
The lake has several tributaries, but no outflow. (see also above)
Saressee, Zorkulsee
The Saressee (see above) with an area of around 80 km² and the Zorkulsee with an area of around 39 km² are other larger lakes in the country.
Kairakkum Reservoir
The largest reservoir in the country is the Kairakkum Reservoir with an area of 520 km². The lake dams the approximately 2,215 km long Syr Darya River, which flows into the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan.