Pilgrimage

Tajikistan has many domestic and international visitors whose journeys within the country are driven by their faith. They want to visit places of religious significance, including mosques, monasteries, and shrines where they can learn about saints and other holy figures in the past, listen to religious teachings, and pray.

In Penjikent, for example, there is mosque dating from the 9th century, which lies amongst the ancient ruins. The mosque at Hissar is even older, first built in the 7th century, very soon after Islam first arrived in Central Asia. Close to the city of Kulyab you will find ancient Buddhist monasteries and temples. There are caves once inhabited by Nestorian Christians, too, yet another reminder of Tajikistan’s pre-Islamic heritage.