What to See in Tajikistan: Cities to Explore on Foot

The best things to do in Tajikistan combine high mountain landscapes with a long and layered history. More than 90 percent of the country is covered by mountains, while ancient settlements, historic empires and the capital, Dushanbe, reveal the cultural story of Central Asia. Neywo has a free audio guide for Tajikistan, with 26 narrated places across one city and two walking tours.

What to see and do in Tajikistan

Explore the mountains of the Pamirs

Mountains are Tajikistan’s defining setting rather than a distant backdrop. Much of the country lies in the Pamir range, and most of its territory is more than 3,000 metres above sea level. The landscape changes across the country, from alpine desert and tundra to steppe, semi-desert, open woodlands and dry woodlands.

Rivers and glaciers are central to this landscape. High mountain glaciers provide runoff for the Aral Sea, while rivers run throughout the country. In the south, the Amu Darya and Panj rivers form Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan. The country also borders Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China, while Afghanistan’s narrow Wakhan Corridor separates Tajikistan from Pakistan.

Discover Dushanbe

Dushanbe is Tajikistan’s capital and largest city. It stands on southern slopes above the Kofarnihon Valley, in the lower-altitude part of a country otherwise dominated by high mountains.

For a closer look at the city, explore Dushanbe, where Neywo covers 26 narrated places. Its highlights include the Palace of the Nation, St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Ismoil Somoni monument and the former Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic.

Visit Sarazm and the Oxus civilisation

Tajikistan’s history reaches back to at least the fourth millennium BC. Its territory was home to Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures, including the Oxus civilisation in the west.

Sarazm, a pro-urban site from the ancient world, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It offers a glimpse into the region’s early settled societies, long before the modern state of Tajikistan existed.

Follow the country’s ancient civilisations and empires

Over the centuries, the territory of present-day Tajikistan formed part of the Sogdian and Bactrian civilisations. It later came under the rule of the Achaemenids, Alexander the Great, the Kushans, the Mongols and the Timurids.

These successive powers left Tajikistan with many layers of cultural and political change. The country’s history is therefore not tied to a single empire, but to a succession of civilisations that shaped Central Asia over thousands of years.

Learn about the Samanid Empire

The Samanid period was particularly important in Tajikistan’s history. Ismail Samani united the Samanid state under one ruler, ended the feudal system that had prevailed and made the empire independent of Abbasid authority.

The legacy of this period remains an important part of Tajikistan’s historical identity. It also helps explain the prominence of Ismail Samani in the story of the country and in Dushanbe’s public landscape.

Understand Tajikistan’s modern history

After the Samanid period, the territory came under the Khanate and Emirate of Bukhara, followed by the Russian Empire and eventually the Soviet Union. Tajikistan declared itself an independent sovereign state in 1991, as the Soviet Union was breaking apart.

A civil war followed and lasted for several years. Since the war ended, political stability and foreign aid have supported economic growth. This recent history forms another important layer of the country’s identity, alongside its ancient civilisations and mountain environment.

Explore Tajikistan with Neywo

Download Neywo and explore Tajikistan with two walking tours in Dushanbe, covering 26 narrated places in total. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, so you can discover the capital while walking independently and listen when you arrive at each stop.