Spread across 24,800 square kilometers, the Khatlon province of south-western Tajikistan is home to over a third of Tajikistan’s population. Bordered by Afganistan, Uzbekistan and some smaller regions of Tajikistan, the mysterious archaeological sites of Khatlon, Tajikistan, in the Vakhsh Valley are well worth a visit.
Centered around the main hub, the city of Kurgan Tyube, Tajikistan, also known as Qurgonteppa, the province of Khatlon offers easy road and rail connection to the cotton plantations as well as Dushanbe, Kabul and Termez. For this reason, it was a very important trading epicenter along the Great Silk Road.
Just 12 kilometers from the modern-day city of Kurgan Tyube and 100 kilometers from the Tajik capital is Ajina Tepa, one of the most noteworthy archaeological sites in Tajikistan.
Ajina Tepa encompasses the remains of an ancient Buddhist monastery dating back to the 8th-century. It was here that the famous 12-meter-long Sleeping Buddha, known as the Buddha in Nirvana, was first discovered in 1959 when Tajikistan was still part of the Soviet Union. The Tajik Sleeping Buddha can now be found in the National Museum in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Tajikistan’s Ajina Tepa, which means ‘Devil’s Hill’ in Tajik, is the largest and one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in Central Asia. During their excavations, archeologists uncovered the fragments of various gargoyles and demonic sculptures and it is believed their purpose was to ward away evil spirits.
Around 1,500 artifacts have been unearthed here after many archaeological digs, including various vessels, clay statues, and wall paintings. While most things of historical significance have been relocated to museums in Tajikistan and Russia, you can still see the ruins of the painted mud brick walls that once shielded the monastery.
Visitors can explore the ruins for free. According to archaeologists, the complex of Ajina-Tepa, also referred to as Chorsu by locals, was made up of two parts: the monastery and the temple. It had two courtyards enclosed within two-meter-high walls. Inside, there was a large stupa for the Holy relics but the main attraction was undoubtedly the clay Buddha statue.
It will not be long before Ajina-Tepa, Tajikistan makes it onto the list of protected UNESCO World Heritage Sites for its cultural significance; it has been on the tentative list since 1999.
Another interesting site in the Khatlon region includes the historical remains of an ancient Lagman settlement that dates back to somewhere between the 10th and 13th centuries. Covering 43 hectares in its prime, it is believed to have been one of the largest settlements of ancient Bactria. In the mid-20th-century, an archeological dig uncovered an ancient water pipeline, brick wells, and fortifications with towers here.
The ancient town of Takhti Sangin, Tajikistan can be found where the Vakhsh and Panj rivers meet, near the border with Afghanistan in the south of Tajikistan. The site is famous for its Zoroastrian temple that dates back to the Achaemenid Persian era. In its prime, it would have had fire torches to mark both sides of the entrance as well as a prayer room and sacrificial altar.
The site is made up of a walled citadel that encompassed the well-preserved Temple of Oxus – one of the earliest and most important archaeological sites in Tajikistan. With a Hellenistic influence, it was dedicated to the god of the river Oxus somewhere between 600 BCE and 300 AD.
It was believed to have religious and ritual significance and close to 5,000 sacrificial gifts were excavated here. They include arrow tips, animal bones, a portrait of Alexander the Great, a sheath with the picture of a lion and fallow deer, and a series of bronze helmets. Today, you can see the original carved altar and some other artifacts in the Museum of National Antiquities in Dushanbe. Like Ajina Tepa, Tajikistan, the site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on in 1999 for its cultural significance.
A piece of Tajikistan archeology, the Oxus Treasure also known as the Amu Darya Treasure was found nearby in 1877. It is believed that it may also have originally come from Takhti Sangin in Tajikistan. This impressive collection of over 2,000 gold and silver coins as well as other golden items that date back to the 3rd-century BC.
Today, you will be able to find various items of pottery and stone from Takhti Sangin at the local museum in the Qabodiyon District. While the originals of the major artifacts can be found in the UK’s British Museum in London, replicas can be viewed at the new Tajik National Museum in Dushanbe.
With a strategic location at a crossroads of the Great Silk Road, Takhti Sangin, Tajikistan, was once a major cultural center in Central Asia. Exploring the remains of Takht-i Sangin in southern Tajikistan is tricky. Because of its location on border of Afganistan, visitors need a permit from Dushanbe. Luckily, you can avoid the effort and leave the planning to Paramount Journey who can arrange it all for you.
A trip to see the archaeological sites of Khatlon can be combined with any of Paramount Journey’s other tours and itineraries, including city tours of Dushanbe and trekking in the Fann Mountains. Chat to us today about planning your trip!
