Tajikistan was one of 15 members of the former Soviet Union.

The country is 90% mountains

The population is 98% Muslim

Mevlana Yakub Charki Mosque, Dushanbe

Mosque interior

Ceiling detail

Spices, mostly peppers and tumeric

Green Bazaar, Dushanbe

Nuts, seeds, apricots, & figs

Green Bazaar

Teas

Green Bazaar

Non, traditional Tajik bread

Street vendor

Bus stop

Dushanbe

School girls

Dushanbe

Shopkeepers

Dushanbe

Hisor Fortress

Caravanserai

A roadside inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes, most notably the Silk Road.

Madrassa

Former school for boys only

Former home of the last emir of Bukhara

Gate inside the fortress

Stairway to heaven

Window detail

Tajik President's image is everywhere

Mosque

Dushanbe

Kohi Navruz, Cultural center

Built in 2009-2014 for conferences, weddings, and meetings The center spans four acres.

Ceiling detail

Wing

Mosque for 100,000 currently under construction.

Dushanbe

Buddha in NIrvana

Nearly 13 meters long and weighing 5,5 tons, the Buddha rests in the National Museum of Antiquities in Dushanbe.

Lunch served by our local guide, Faruidun

Statue of Ismoil Somoni

A historian in 943 AD wrote, "Somoni was an intelligent, just, compassionate person, one possessing reason and prescience...he conducted affairs with justice and good ethics. Whoever tyrannize people he would punish...In affairs of state he was always impartial." The Somoni currency is named after him.

The Porchan: stele with Tajikistan's emblem

The emblem of Tajikistan is composed of the Pamir Mountains surrounded by cotton on one side and wheat on the other, both wrapped in a banner displaying the national colors. A crown hovers above the mountains, and a book makes up the base.

1061

Headed into the Fann Mountains

Note the size of the vehicles vs. mountains