Some of the world’s most notorious leaders have passed through its gates – Timur, Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan to name a few. Istravshan or Ura-Tyube controlled the Silk Road trade in its early days, and attracted a large number of skilled merchants and craftsmen who built and rebuilt many beautiful mosque, madrassas, temples andContinue reading “Bright Star”
Tag Archives: Tajikistan
Colorful Past
The giant Lenin statue is gone and the crumbling, dimly lit Hotel Leninabad has embraced capitalism. They open after dark – serving drinks and beats to locals until dawn. The most attractive vision of the past is this colorful pediment containing both Stalin and Lenin on the side of Khujand’s Panjshande Bazaar. This facade isContinue reading “Colorful Past”
Consuming History
Fresh Naan in some shape or form can be found in just about every village and city here in Central Asia, as well as most areas along the former Silk Road. The loaves sold here in Khujand’s Panjshanbe Bazaar are one of the best tasting ones in this region.
Time is Relative
This ancient city is the one of the oldest Silk Road stops in the region whose history spans across 2,5oo years. Istaravstan is one of those places where travelers can just spend the day getting lost in this living museum. It’s also hard not to notice the more recent Soviet presence in the city after passingContinue reading “Time is Relative”
Old habits die hard in Leninabad
The Panjshanbe Bazaar is more of a reflection of Leninabad times than of the Silk Road Era long before it. There is an overwhelming selection of dried fruits, nuts, candies in the main building. It’s the first stop for anyone looking for electronics, socks, cosmetics or just a bag of kurut or dried yogurt balls.
Birds in Flight
Across from the Panjshanbe Bazaar lies the Mausoleum of Sheikh Muslihiddi who was known to be a holy miracle worker in ancient times. Mongol invaders destroyed the city as well as the mausoleum in the early 13th century. The mosque and madrassah are slowly being reconstructed now that the Soviets are gone as well.Continue reading “Birds in Flight”
Stuck in time
Russia rolled into this region in the late 1800’s, embraced it with Soviet style reforms and began calling it Leninabad in 1939. Much of the city’s Soviet period architecture is a fading reminder of the last economic boom this city experienced. Panjshanbe or “Thursday” Bazaar is where one can get a pair of socks, aContinue reading “Stuck in time”
A Little Time in Japan and Little Time in China
Japan will always be on the top of my travel list. June was spent traveling around the southern parts of Japan. Previous visits were short, but we now had the ability to spend as much time as we liked or could afford on the weak USD. We started in Osaka since a couple of friendsContinue reading “A Little Time in Japan and Little Time in China”
Acquiring Central Asian Visas in Tokyo
It’s been a long time (a few years actually) since I’ve written anything substantial in a blog post, so please forgive me as I get my ‘blog legs’ back in order. Oddly enough, this will start off with a case of deja vu from early 2008. Back then we were traveling around Laos and VietnamContinue reading “Acquiring Central Asian Visas in Tokyo”
General information for Central Asian visas in Tokyo
Keep the following tips in mind when getting visas here: Plan, Plan, Plan. Specifically the order that you will be traveling to these countries, the number of entries desired, etc. Central Asian visas are date specific (i.e. 1-Sept-2012 to 31-Oct-2012 for 1 entry with a maximum time in country of 30 days). Visas for theseContinue reading “General information for Central Asian visas in Tokyo”
Tajikistan Visa in Tokyo with GBAO
The GBAO permit (to see the eastern half of the country and Pamirs) cost is included in the base visa cost, but you MUST ask for it separately (in person and in your processing cover letter). If you don’t have a cover letter they will give you one to copy for the request at theContinue reading “Tajikistan Visa in Tokyo with GBAO”
farflungistan 