This mountainous terrain is the smallest country in Central Asia, but is the traditional ramp on the Silk Road from China. Three main caravan routes ran through Tajikistan Tien Shan and Pamir mountain ranges. Only about 7% of the land is arable, most of the rich Fergana Valley in the north, which makes the major crops, cotton, which, along with aluminum, the main export. Tajikistan’s capital and largest city is style, Dushanbe, modern European, with wide tree-lined boulevards and a spectacular backdrop of snowy peaks of mountains. The city has many parks and monuments commemorating Persian influences of the past and its surroundings contain many recreational areas, parks and mountain gorges, one with a waterfall of 100 feet.
The National Archaeological Museum contains 1600-year-old ‘Tajik Buddha, “now thought to be the largest statue of its kind in Central Asia. Museum also hosts exhibitions of Zoroastrian and Buddhist artifacts. Khujand is the second largest city and an ancient Silk Road trade center. Located at the entrance of rich Ferghana Valley, Khujand is cited as the most eastern city founded by Alexander the Great. As such, it has a rich history and many preserved architectural and cultural sites. It also happens to be a center for mountain folk in a country where half the land is over 9,000 meters above sea level and has a series of peaks higher than 20,000 feet.
Near the border with Uzbekistan is Penjikent, which is the only route from East to Samarkand and flourished from the 5th century. Arabs destroyed the city in the 8th century and the ruins were discovered in the last hundred years. Now, the excavation site was transformed into a memorial reserve where tourists can visit a medieval fortress, palace, public buildings, homes and a cemetery. Halfway between Dushanbe and Penjikent is the emerald gem Iskander Kul (lake). Lake is at an altitude of 7000 over 4000 Fan mountain peaks, which contains many other points of fishing, hiking or skiing for the residents of Dushanbe. To the east is the largest Kara Kul situated between the high, thin plateau, which, in its environment erri and herds of yak, is reminiscent of Tibet. The lake is frequently accessed from Kyrgyzstan to the west from Osh.
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