What to Know Before Visiting Tajikistan?

Country Facts:
 The terrain here is dominated by mountainous ranges which cover more than
90% of the country, whilst there are valleys in the north and southwest.
 There are reportedly more than 900 lakes in Tajikistan!
 The Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes passes through Tajikistan.
 Over 90% of the territory of Tajikistan is mountainous. About 50% of the country
has an elevation of more than 3000 m above sea level.
 The Nurek Dam is located on the Vakhsh River in Tajikistan. The dam was the
world’s tallest human-made dam prior to the title being bagged by China’s
Jinping-I Dam in 2013.
 A massive glacier named the Fedchenko Glacier is located in the Yazgulem
Range of the Pamir Mountains in the country’s Gorno-Badakhshan province.
 The country is located in a seismically active zone. Earthquakes occur frequently.
 The 1907 Qaratog earthquake and the 1949 Khait earthquake were two of the
deadliest earthquakes in Tajikistan. Thousands of lives were lost during these
two natural disaster events.
 The name Dushanbe means Monday in the Tajik language.
 Tourism in Tajikistan has been growing fast in the past few decades.
Source:
1. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/top-10-interesting-facts-about-tajikistan.html
2. https://facts.uk/21-tremendous-facts-about-tajikistan/

Country Flag:
Capital: Dushanbe is the capital of Tajikistan.
Government: The politics of Tajikistan takes place in a framework of a presidential
republic, whereby the President is both head of state and head of government, and of a
multi-party system. Legislative power is vested in both the executive branch and the two
chambers of parliament.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Tajikistan
Prime Minster: Kokhir Rasulzoda is Prime Minister of Tajikistan since 2013.
Economy: Tajikistan has a mixed economy in which there is a variety of private
freedom, combined with centralized economic planning and government regulation. For
the 2018 estimate, GDP per capita in Tajikistan will be $3587 in PPP per capita and
$877 in nominal per capita.
Population: The population of Tajikistan was estimated to be 9.101 million in 2018.
Religion by Percentage:  Sunni Islam is, by far, the most widely practiced religion in
Tajikistan. According to a 2009 U.S. State Department release, the population of
Tajikistan is 98% Muslim (approximately 95% Sunni and 3% Shia).
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Tajikistan

Top Tajikistan Foods: Qurutob, Tajikistan's National Dish. Tajikistan claims mainly two
national dishes: plov (aka osh), and qurutob. While plov is more famous and is also the
national dish of neighboring Uzbekistan, qurutob, a mix of bread and onions in a yogurt
sauce (with the occasional extra meat and vegetables), is specifically Tajik. Below are
top “must try” dishes for visitors to Tajikistan:

 Sambosa Baraki: Sambusa baraki is a traditional Tajik pastry filled with meat. It
consists of a large triangular pie typically made with a firm, flaky dough disc
consisting of flour, eggs, salt, and water. The dough is greased with melted
butter, and then topped with a meat mixture. Typical ingredients for the filling
include ground beef or mutton with tail fat, onions, cumin seeds, spices, and
seasonings. Sambusa baraki is usually brushed with beaten egg yolks, topped
with sesame seeds, then baked in a tandyr, a type of Tajik clay oven. Flaky and
with a crispy crust, the flat triangular cake is commonly eaten as a savory snack
or an appetizer.

 Kaurmo shurbo: Kaurmo shurbo is a thick Tajik soup consisting of a broth

packed with meat and vegetables. It is typically prepared with chunks of meat,
usually beef or mutton, which are first browned with onions, carrots, and
tomatoes, and then simmered with vegetables such as potatoes and Bulgarian
peppers, along with various spices and herbs. This traditional soup is eaten hot,
served with bread and plenty of chopped fresh greens sprinkled on top. The meat
chunks and potatoes are sometimes taken out of the broth and served on a
separate plate.

 Halvaitar: Flour, sugar syrup, and mutton fat are the key ingredients in the
traditional Tajik dessert known as halvaitar. This sweet treat involves mixing flour
with melted mutton fat. The combination is cooked until light brown, and then
combined with sugar syrup. The resulting liquid flour halva is either added to
small serving bowls or poured onto plates and cut into pieces when chilled. A
variation of the traditional Middle Eastern treat known as halva, halvaitar is often
flavored with vanilla and enhanced with crushed nuts such as walnuts, almonds,
or pistachios.
  Mastoba: Mastoba is a traditional Tajik soup consisting of meat, rice, and
vegetables. It is typically prepared with seasoned chunks of meat, usually beef or
mutton that are browned alongside tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, sweet
peppers, potatoes, spices, and rice, and then simmered with water until meat,
rice, and vegetables are tender. Thick and satisfying, the soup is traditionally
served hot in an oval-shaped bowl known as kasa, tavak, or pialah in Tajik. It is
usually laced with a drizzle of katyk, a type of Tajik sour milk, and eaten with
sprinklings of freshly chopped coriander and ground pepper on top.

 Qurutob: This popular Tajik dish combines fatir (patyr) flatbread and qurut –
dried cheese balls. The cheese is soaked in water, and the salty liquid is used to
create the base of the dish, which is then topped with pieces of fatir. The dish is
served on large qurutob plates and is usually topped with onions or other sliced
vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, and various fresh herbs. Optionally,
the dish can also incorporate meat or it may be garnished with whole chili
peppers. A serving of qurutob is meant to be shared, and local tradition suggests
eating it with your hands.

Language: The Tajik language serves as the official language of Tajikistan. The
language is used widely in government administration, education, business, courts, and
daily lives of the people of Tajikistan. Many consider the Tajik to be a variety or dialect
of Persian. However, others doubt this fact. In fact, there is great debate regarding the
relation between the Tajik and Persian languages. The Tajik is believed to have evolved
separately from Persian due to the geographical isolation and political barriers and also
the influence of Russian and other languages. A number of archaic elements are still
used in the Tajik language.

Dress for Men and Women: A tunic-type shirt, wide trousers, a quilted dressing gown,
a waist scarf, a skull-cap or a turban, leather boots, galoshes with pointed toes (which
are frequently worn over boots ) - for men, a tunic-type dress, wide trousers, a kerchief
or a skull-cap - for women.

Holidays: There are several national holidays in Tajikistan such as:

 New Year's Day
 International Women's Day
 Nowruz
 Labour Day
 Victory Day
 Eid al-Fitr
 Day of National Unity
 Eid al-Adha
 Independence Day
 Constitution Day
Travel Tips:
  There is a small, but growing threat of terrorism in Tajikistan in certain areas of
the country.
 Be aware that areas bordering the country – particularly along the Afghan, Uzbek
and Kyrgyz borders – may have unexploded mines, although these are usually
clearly marked.
 Dushanbe, the capital, is quite different at night to during the day.
 Strolling women, laughing children and old men sipping tea at pavement cafes
set the scene in the morning, but after nightfall the streets are empty and boy
racers race up the main drag, Rudaki, making crossing the road perilous.
 Do not walk through Victory Park or Children's Park at night.
 Low salaries, and inadequate training, often result in a lack of professionalism
among the police.
 The police do occasionally stop tourists and ask to see documents.
 Tajikistan is an Islamic country, so dress conservatively and to obey the usual
precautions.
 Tajikistan is on the heroin highway from Afghanistan, where the drugs are then
traveled onwards through Russia and into Europe.
 Taxis, often unlicensed, meet shared taxis (locally called marshrutkas) arriving in
the dead of night to Dushanbe from other destinations in Tajikistan – do not allow
the driver's friends into the car under any circumstances, even if this means
getting out.
 Lastly, shake-downs at Dushanbe International Airport are not uncommon.
 The number one health rule in Tajikistan, especially in the capital Dushanbe is -
don't drink the water. Obvious perhaps, but there remains a serious risk of rust in
the water as well as Typhoid – generally boiled water is okay.
 Getting around is by far one of the biggest, and costliest challenges when
traveling in Tajikistan.
 Modern Tajikistan is a multi-ethnic state consisting of 14 different ethnic groups,
and most Tajik citizens are Muslims- 95% Sunni and 3% Shia - while Pamiris, are
almost all Ismaili Muslims.


Top 10 Attractions and places to visit:

1. Lenin Peak
2. Iskanderkul
3. Ismoil Somoni Peak
4. National Museum of Tajikistan
5. Sarez Lake
6. Peak Korzhenevskaya
7. Nurek Dam
8. Yashikul
9. Pamirsky National Park
10. Lake of alexander
Tajikistan Boys Name:
 Aryan
 Atash
 Bamdad
 Hamasa
 Iraj
 Gulab
 Fruhar
Top 10 Universities in Tajikistan:
1. Tajik National University
2. Tajik State Medical University
3. Technological University of Tajikistan
4. Russian-Tajik Slavonic University
5. Tajikistan State University of Law, Business and Politics
6. Tajik State University of Commerce
7. Tajik Technical University
8. Tajik State Pedagogical University
9. Tajik Agrarian University
10. Kulob State University
Top Websites: confirm it here:
https://www.alexa.com/topsites/category/Top/Regional/Asia/Tajikistan
1. Untj.org
2. Tajikistan.usembassy.gov
3. Ukintajikistan.fco.gov.uk
4. Hamzadavlat.4t.com
5. Tajikistannews.net
Top 3 Search engines used:
1. Google
2. Yandex RU
3. Mail.ru
Top exports:
 Aluminum
 Electricity
 Cotton fruits
 Vegetables
 Oils
 Textiles
Top 5 Cars:
Top cars in Tajikistan includes:
1. Toyota Camry
2. Toyota corolla
3. Lexus RX 350
4. Toyota land cruiser Prado
5. Volkswagen Passat
Natural Disasters:
Many types of natural disasters occur in Tajikistan such as:
 Floods
 Earthquake
 Landslides
 Mudflows
 Avalanches
 Drought
 Heavy snow falls
Home Designs / Architecture:
Traditional Tajik homes are like miniature compounds. They have walls, large
courtyards and often several buildings. The courtyards are often filled with gardens and
fruit trees. The buildings and walls have traditionally been made from mud-brick or clay.
Deaths and Mortality:
In 2019, death rate for Tajikistan was 4.8 per 1,000 people. Death rate of Tajikistan fell
gradually from 14.9 per 1,000 people in 1970 to 4.8 per 1,000 people in 2019.
Source: https://knoema.com/atlas/Tajikistan/Death-rate