Tajikistan belongs to Central Asia. There are 4 other countries bordering Tajikistan. These are China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.

There are no direct flights to Tajikistan and unfortunately no direct trains either. You can only get to the capital by plane. But from there you can easily book domestic flights.

Important tips and do’s & don’ts for Tajikistan

Local time

According to findjobdescriptions, the time difference to Germany is four to five hours, depending on summer or winter time, Tajikistan is a few hours the day before.

Language

The official language in Tajikistan is Tajik, but many also speak Russian here. Tajik has its roots in Persian and can be seen as a modern variation of ancient Persian. In addition to Tajikistan, this language is also spoken in Uzbekistan and Xinjiang – a total of around 8 million people.

Religion

In Ramadan, the fasting month that takes place around the month of May each year, people are very limited. As a tourist, it is best to avoid this month as a travel time. Should you be traveling to Tajikistan at the time, you shouldn’t eat or smoke on the street here. Overall, Islam does not play a major role in public life, especially in the larger cities such as Dushanbe, Khujand and Qurghonteppa. So you can buy over all spirits and even if the Muslim festivals are celebrated, you will also see, for example, many women dressed quite freely.

Drinking water

In Tajikistan you shouldn’t drink water from water pipes. Overall, around 30% of the population have no access to treated drinking water – a huge problem for the country. Of course, this particularly affects the rural population of Tajikistan. Since the beginning of 2018, a Finnish-financed project has been implemented by the WHO to improve this deficit situation.

Dushanbe – capital of Tajikistan

The capital of Tajikistan is Dushanbe. Dushanbe has around 780,000 inhabitants (as of 2016). The city grew out of a village where a weekly market was held every Monday. Since the city was connected to the rail network in 1929, the city has experienced a significant industrial boom.

In the southern part of the city, on the Rudaki prospect, you will find the 30-meter-high monument to Ismail I, the “father of the nation”. In addition to the National Archaeological Museum, this is definitely one of the top sights in Dushanbe.

Walking on the Pamir Highway

More than 70 percent of the area of ​​Tajikistan is high mountains. The highest mountain in the country is the Pik Ismoil Somoni with 7,495 meters.

The Pamir Highway is a beautiful hiking trail in Tajikistan. It is a total of 1252 km long and runs through several cities such as Chorugh and the capital Dushanbe. Since the Pamir Highway is part of the trunk road and main artery through the Pamir high mountains, the entire route is paved. Nevertheless, the path is often in poor condition, which makes this path more interesting for adventurous tourists. And even if you can hike the Pamir Highway, cycle or drive, you should be accompanied by a guide.