Dushanbe, Khujand or Samarkand - Panjakent-Ghazza village
Breakfast. Drive to the border. Crossing the border.
Drive to Penjikent 60km. The city of Penjikent ("five villages") is located in Khujand area of Tajikistan in the picturesque Zeravshan river valley. Quite possibly the five villages started the history of this remarkable city which originated in the 5th-8th centuries AD. Penjikent in that time was one of the most important cultural and crafts centers of Sogd. It was even named the "Central Asian Pompeii".
Explore this ancient city with your local guide, including visits to:
Museum of Rudaki – Penjikent is the birthplace of Abu Abdallah Rudaki, considered by many to be the father of Persian Poetry.
Ancient Penjikent - ruins of old Sogdian town founded in 5th century and abandoned in the 8th century by arabs. Foundations of houses, a citadel with a couple of Zoroastrian fire temples and city bazaar are visible in the excavated ruins. Virtual tour - Ancient city Panjakent
Enjoy lunch at the national teahouse ‘Sayohat’ where you will have a chance to participate in a cooking class, learning to make the national Tajik dish.
After lunch, drive to Gazza village, in the Fan mountains, which is 60kms away by road. Gazza is a remote village, located 1700m above sea level, at the foot of the Hamid and Obshor mountains with a population of about 200 people. Enjoy walking through the village, meeting local people and finding out how Tajik people live in the mountain areas.
Enjoy dinner and overnight in a local guest house. This is a typical Tajik house built in traditional style in a remote village. You will experience life with a local family, sleeping in a traditional room. Sleeping accommodation is in shared rooms, it is possible to take a shower, but in a shared bathroom. In this village there is no wifi, but there is electricity for charging telephones.
Alternatively stay in the camping village of Simiganj, which is surrounded by mountains. Accommodation is in two person tents, with the possibility for single tents too. Washing and toilet facilities are natural style. At this campsite there is no wifi but there is electricity for charging telephones.
Breakfast. Today you’ll drive to the village of Bory, which is located in 1900m above sea level in the mountains, with a population of about 1000 people living in 120 houses. The architecture of the buildings in the village are reminiscent of 18th-19th century construction.
After this visit you will head back to Panjakent, En route stop to explore the Rudaki mausoleum. The mausoleum was constructed in 1958 in honor of the founder of classic Tajik poetry, the poet Abu-Abdullo Rudaki. Due to ambiguous facts surrounding Rudaki’s biography, his tomb remained undiscovered, but it is known that Rudaki lived at the end of the 9th century/beginning of the 10th century under the reign of the Samanids’ Dynasty. It is also known that Rudaki passed away in 941 A.D. in his native village of Panjrud, spending his last days in poverty. THE MAUSOLEUM OF RUDAKI
Enjoy lunch in Panjakent after which you’ll drive out to the UNESCO settlement of Sarazm settlement for a visit.
