Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to Khujand via Istaravshan town.
Located in the northern foothills of the Turkistan mountain range, 78 km southwest from Khujand, Istaravshan is one of the most ancient cities of Tajikistan (more than 2500 years). Ancient name Cyropolis founded by Cyrus the Great in 544 BC as a boarding fort of the Achaemenid Empire.
During the Soviet era, the city was known as Ura - Tyube.
Overview sightseeing in Istaravshan visiting:
- Mazori Sharif mausoleum,
- Kog Gumbaz madrasa (16th century)
- Kuhi Mug, the ruins of the ancient fortress.
Khujand was the furthest point Alexander the Great reached in Central Asia, the city was named Alexandria Eschate (Alexandria the Farthest), the city became one of the important entrepôts on the great Silk Road.
Start of the excursion program:
- Pushkin square with Kamoli Khudjandi Square;
- Timur Malik’s fortress and Sugd museum;
- Muslihiddin memorial complex;
- Panjshanbe bazaar (Khujand’s central market that has many stores offering different kind of goods and services. The name Panjshanbe comes from Persian language meaning “Thursday”. Panjshanbe is considered as one of the oldest markets in Tajikistan. The Silk Road which passes Khujand city, had always made Panjshanbe to be crowded with traders and tourists).
- Arbob Palace (Arbob palace had its particular significance in 1992, when it was the place for the meeting of the Tajik Soviet ministers which officially declared independence from the Soviet Union. Also, it was the site where the Tajik flag was chosen).
Transfer to the hotel.
Resting time in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.
