05/08 – Daytrip to Tajikistan

We had an hour and a half bus ride to the border with Tajikistan where we eventually managed all the border crossings and picked up our new guide and driver.  Photos of the border.

The drive took us through a valley with lovely mountains nearby. 

Our first stop was the Sarazm archaeology site.  This site dates from the 4^th century BC.  That makes it over 5,500 years old.  It is the first proto-historical agricultural center in Central Asia and was rediscovered in 1977.

Wildlife in the area.  Looked like there was a colony of an animal very similar to the American prairie dog.

One of the biggest finds there was the skeleton of a young woman, the “Sarazm Princess”, who was buried with much beadwork and jewelry and the bodies of two men who were likely her guardians.

While there we joined a group of students and Leo came out again for photos.

There was also a small museum that contained artifacts from the digs in the area.

Nearby was a field where people were working with hand tools.

Then we drove into the nearby town of Panjakent (Penjikent) to visit the bazaar, which was huge.

One of the more interesting things for sale were baby cribs with a hole in bottom of them, a pad with a hole that lined up with the one in the crib and pee tubes.  They had two types of wooden pee tubes, one for girls and one for boys.  The explanation was a bit difficult to follow but apparently the tubes are tied somehow to the baby and directs the pee into a pot in the hole in the pad and cradle. 

Pee Tubes

It does seem much more environmentally friendly than disposable diapers but it also sounds decidedly uncomfortable.

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More Panjakent Bazaar
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We had lunch at a plov restaurant within the bazaar.  We all felt that the Tajik plov wasn’t as flavorful as the Uzbek.

We also visited the Rudaki Museum.  Abu Abdullah Rudaki was a 9^th century poet…the “father of Persian poetry”. 

Last sightseeing stop of the day was the historical museum associated with another archaeological site…

and then a walk out into the site of the ancient city.  While the site was first inhabited as early as the 6^th century BC much of the excavations date from around the excavation work dates from the 8^th century AD.  Most of the buildings were of mud bricks rather than stone.

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More Panjakent Ancient City 
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More photos of the mountains surrounding Panjakent.

We had a brief stop for ice cream where a group of students came over to get some selfies with us.

We were back to Samarkand in time for our arranged dinner.  The dinner was in the home of a man who used to be a guide and eventually decided to start a business providing local, home cooking for tourists.  The food was great.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped by the Amir Temir Mausoleum to see it lit at night.  Magical.