istravshan

Maps

Welcome to Istravshan (former Urateppe)
(Tajikistan)
by Tirdâd Gorgâni

Other Towns: Dushanbe (The Capital ) Isfara Panjikent Xoroq (Khorogh) Xujand (Khujand)		Lying 37 km. S.W. of Xujand, on the road from Ferghana to Samarqand across the Zarafshan range, Istaravshan (former Urateppe or Ura Tube), is one of the most ancient and beautiful cities in Tajikistan. It is surrounded by a wall and has a citadel. The town was founded by Cyrus The Great (The king of Persia) under the name of Cyrop I, and was taken in 329 n.e. by Alexander the Great. Later it was the capital of an independent state, though often held by either Bokhara or Kokand. The Russians took it in 1866. The city was renowned for its master craftsmen, artists, Suzani embroiderers, master cutlers and Karnai musical instruments. See map
Travel	Facts at	a Glance
Art Dialing Codes Embassies Language People Visa Weather Information in Russian	Name: Istaravshan (former Urateppe or Ura Tube) Population: c. 50,000 Language: Persian (Tajik) Dialing code: 03454 Transportation: Daily regular minibuses from Xujand. From Istaravshan you can take shared taxis for Penjikent and Dushanbe. Eastward transport for Isfara and Kanibadam. Xujand has two bus stations. South-bound transport for Istaravshan leaves close to the centre at kucai Kosmonawti. More Accomodation: Click here Tour operator:Mountain Travel and Central Asia Tours Geolog Village, Penjikent Tel.: +992 (3475) 53134, +992 (3475) 55088 Fax: +992 (3475) 53134 E-mail: mtravel@khasanov.bcc.com.uz --------------------------------------------------- Address: Shark street, Xujand Phone: +992 (0)3422 4 38 41 E-Mail: adventrue@pamir-travel.com Road Map: Click here. City Map: Click here
Istravshan History Tajikistan History		Orientation Like almost everywhere else in the former USSR, the towns center and main street are built in the typical Soviet style, but once you are beyond that facade, there is the remarkably well-preserved old town. Situated uphill west of the Kattasai river, the Šahri kohne or old town is a maze of small alleys that wind through neigborhoods of shady, mud walled Tajik homesteads. It has a quite specific character. Sights include the fifteenth century Gumbaz (Âqâ Abdulatif Sultan mosque), the nearby Hafzi Sangin mosque and the eighteenth century Hazrati Šâh mosque and mausoleum complex, all of which are splendid examples of artistic Tajik wood cutting and -painting. There are some interesting neiighborhoods east of the river as well.
	What to	See
Silk Road	Istaravshan is also a handicrafts center, especially wood cutting, traditional construction and the production of 'ghort', the typical Tajik knives that you also find in among Tajik people all over from Uzbekistan to Xinjiang. If you want to visit an 'ustokhana' or artisans' workshop, ask the people who sell the knives at the bazaar. The old town including Âqâ Abdulatif Sultan mosque (dates from the 16th century ), it is notable for a grand portal with multi-coloured ceramic facing and blue dome raised high on an ornamented drum and standing out against ordinary buildings of the town. Close to this mosque you find the Hafzi Sangin mosque and the eighteenth century Hazrati Šâh mosque. The town of Nur Tepe The Bâbâ Tago Mausoleum. Citadel on the Mount Mug-Teppa
		The mosque - madrasah – gumbaz Jubilee Hall in Istravshan is a must see A temple of fire at Sepid Tepe (Ak-), fourth to seventh century BCE. Jubilee Hall in Istravshan is a must see The house of Akhror Muhtarov; history and archaeology professor of Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, has found BaburÕs signature on the stone. Istaravshan town authorities presented him a small house in the town. He has restored the house in an ancient style and plans to open a public library there.
	Getting	around
	*Istravsjan-Panjikent route is a fantastic scenic route through the high mountains, climbing in the Šahristân pass (3372m) with wooded slopes. Health resort Sanatorium "Havâtag" , 630 m above sea-level, is located 25 km to the north-west of "Istravshan". "Havâtag" means "mountain air". Hot mineral waters of "Havâtag" are useful for treating diseases of motorial organs; functional disorders of the Central Nervous System and particularly those of the peripheral nervous system; gastric and intestinal, skin and gynaecological diseases. Sarazm, some 20 kilometres from Penjikent, is one of the most ancient settlements of Central Asia, aged more than 5000 years, dating from the Bronze Age. The discovery in 1976 of the Bronze Age settlement of Sarazm on the upper reaches of the river showed that the valley had been settled for thousands of years, perhaps since as early as the mid-4^th Millennium BCE. * The Town of Aini	Visiting Xujand: Xujand is home to one of ancient civilizations in central asia and beside Samarqand and Buchara (now in Uzbekistan) is one of the major culture centers of Tajik people. More Strange lakes of Muragazor South of Penjikent lie the Muragazor Lakes, a system of seven lakes of differing colours that change as the light changes. *Ruins of ancient Penjikent , (some 1.5 km from the modern town of Penjikent) a major Sogdian town arose in the 5th century A.D. More about * Samarqand (Samarkand) is the major cultural and industrial center of Tajik people, situated only 65 km west of Penjikent (now in Uzbekistan). A majestic and beautiful city, Samarkand is the city of legends .The city is situated in the blossoming Zerafshan Valley. Samarkand is part of a region that historically was known as Sogdia, and whose ethnically Persian (Tajik) merchants for centuries seem to have played a key role in the commerce along the Silk Road. More about.
	Adventure
		For alpine climbing, high level walking tours and lakeland scenery the Fansky Gory (Fann mountains) in the North West of the country, just a couple of hours from both Istravshan and Dushanbe. This is a favorite place for trekking and climbing. More about.
	History
	Ancient Urateppe (now Istravshan) was a small but rich town of the Soghdians, an Iranian people among the most important peoples of pre-Islamic Central Asia. The ethnic and territorial name "Soghd/Soghdian" occurs in historical sources as early as in Iranian Achaemenid times (6th century B.C.). In their heartland, the Zarafshan valley, they founded several city-states, as well as colonies along the ancient Silk Routes from Eastern Europe (Crimea) to the Chinese border and Mongolia.
		In the central Zarafshan valley, the town of ancient Panjikent (Soghdian: Panchekanth) was the capital of Panch and its rulers. The town probably arose in the 5th century A.D. Its citizens were well established businessmen and landowners. In A.D. 722, Arabian forces besieged and took the town. The last ruler Devashtich fled into the upper Zarafshan regions where he was captured and sentenced to death shortly after. For some 50 years, ancient Panjikent stayed a living place under the new rulership, but towards the end of the 8th century the place was given up and never resettled again. Therefore, quite a lot of urban remains, architecture and works of art from the last urban phases could await the spades of the archaeologists. Read more.