Travelers interested in the history—Soviet and ancient—of Central Asia often flock to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, a metropolis rich with museums and Silk Road history. But in Khujand, at the mouth of Tajikistan’s Fergana Valley, you can more quietly explore one of the oldest cities in central Asia.
Take a walk through the city’s center, where you’ll find a pair of mosques next to a large Soviet memorial, all a dried-apricot’s throw from the expansive Panjshanbe Bazaar. Khujand embraces these visual contrasts, which are testaments to the city’s rich Islamic history—and its importance to the erstwhile Soviet empire.
Step inside the city’s oldest mosque in the main square—the rebuilt mausoleum of a 12th-century poet—and you’ll find a central room with a wildly intricate ceiling. Made of wood and divided into recessed squares, each section contains its own technicolor landscape: densely patterned beams, star-shaped wood inlays, and endless interlocking shapes that create something like an encyclopedia of Islamic geometric design.
Cross the square to see the bazaar’s enormous pink facade, a neoclassical confection accented with statues of field workers and an elaborate green dome. Inside, locals shop for groceries and clothing, while shop owners’ loud supplications add to the enormous space’s buzzing energy. Follow your nose to the street foods section, and pick up some plov, skewered meats, fried bread, lamb-stuffed manti, and kurut, the pungent, cheese-like balls made of dried yogurt.
If you’d visited the city 15 years ago, you would have stepped out of the bazaar and looked straight up at Vladimir Lenin’s enormous face, his furrowed brow looming over you. Since Khujand was given the name Leninabad during Soviet rule, city officials erected a 40-foot statue of Lenin for the 50th anniversary of his death. In 2011, the sculpture was moved to a less-central field, which is still accessible on foot. But you don’t have to pass a herd of cows in order to explore the city’s Soviet remnants. In the small city’s center, you’ll find neoclassical and brutalist buildings rubbing shoulders with minarets and a smattering of Soviet mosaics, all of them well preserved.
Beyond the buildings, mountain peaks line the entire horizon. If they call to you, you can travel a few hours by train or car for a hike and some higher-altitude views. Or skip the exertion and head over to the Kayrakkum Reservoir, just outside the city. In warmer months, this man-made lake teems with locals and serves as the only available “beach” within hundreds of miles.
If you’re planning a trip, aiming for spring or fall is a good idea. Given the city’s land-locked climate, summers and winters can be brutal in equal measure.
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Get ready for an adventure! Delta Airlines and Atlas Obscura will soon unveil the top 24 destinations for 2024. Stay tuned!
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