Khojand

Khujand

Khojand Panchshanbe bazaar

Khojand botanical garden

Khojand (or Xojand), the second largest city in Tajikistan and the largest industrial and cultural centre of northern Tajikistan, is situated on the beautiful lands stretching along the Sir-Darya river at the height of more than 300 metre above sea level.
It’s also one of Tajikistan’s oldest towns, founded by Alexander the Great more than 2,300 years ago. Being the key to the Ferghana Valley, Khojand enjoyed great prosperity and beautiful palaces, grand mosques and a citadel were built here, before the Mongols had invaded Central Asia in the early 13th century. A less spectacular Khojand was rebuilt and unobtrusively bore all ups and downs of Central Asian history. In 1929 it found itself a victim to Soviet gerrymandering when the city was separated from the rest of the Ferghana Valley and included in the Tajik SSR; the rest of the valley was incorporated into the Uzbek SSR.
Secure behind the Fan Mountains, Khojand has managed to escape the ravages of Tajikistan’s civil war, and has always been safe for travel. It remains the wealthiest part of the country, producing two-thirds of the country’s industrial output. It’s a comfortable, relaxed city with few spectacular attractions, but its pleasant river and grassy parks make it a fine place to drop out for a day or two. Khojand’s Panchshanbe Bazar is a typical Central Asian market is full of sights, sounds and smells.
Remains of city citadel from the 10th century on the left bank of the Sir-Darya river an architectural and artistic monument which was used as a fortification work up to the beginning of the 20th century. The citadel surrounded by thick clay walls with towers occupied the area of 64 thousand square metres. The remains of the walls date back to the 18-19th centuries.
Khojand botanical garden was established in 1985 and has an area of 6.6 ha. Botanical collections consist of more 300 species of plants.
The 30-year long archaeological excavations resulted in finding cultural layers of early urban fortifications dating back to the 4th century BC. The excavated household utensils of different epochs, armaments and samples of ancient building materials are being exhibited now in the halls of Museum of Regional Studies.
Unique burial-vault of Sheikh Muslihitdin was replanned and rebuilt several times. The early structures are referred to the 12-13th and the beginning of the 14th centuries. Among the early constructions there were kept beautiful majolica incrustations, later on used by the builders of the mausoleum.
Next to the Mausoleum there stands a 20th century mosque with a 20-column hall and painted ceiling and a 21-metre high minaret of the 19th century.