Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kaznok Pass (4040m, ice axe and crampons
required).
If you're not on a tour, bring all the provi-
sions you'll need from Sarvoda or beyond.
0
20 km
12 miles
Khojand
Approximate Scale Only
Margeb & the Yagnob Valley
At Km95.5 of the Dushanbe Highway, just
east of the small step-layered village of
Tak-
fon
, a dusty, ragged ribbon of former asphalt
leads towards the wild Yagnob mountain
valley. After 20km you'll pass through
An-
zob
, a little market town with some stacked
old-stone stables and a curious erosion pil-
lar beside the road. About 2km further you
get the first stunning mountain views with
Chumgar
and
Zamin-Karor
rising ahead
like massive spiky horns. The latter's tower-
ing, near-vertical rock faces have attracted
international mountaineering competitions.
One grand rock-wall looms almost directly
above the upper section of two-centred
Mar-
geb
(Margeb Bolo), a timeless old village
whose dramatic location is reason enough to
visit even if you've no interest in climbing.
Sayoh¨ Homestay
(Safar Rasulov;
%
93-504
02 01; Margeb)
is appealingly traditional and
delightfully hospitable in the upper village
heart.
Zaminkaror¨Homestay
(Dusmaham-
mad Dustov (Klichku Jonik);
%
92-816 27 74; Mar-
geb; dm/breakfast/lunch/dinner US$10/2/5/5)
sits five minutes' stroll above, amid photo-
genic stone stables at the top of the village
and is building a new two-room mini-guest-
house in their garden.
Starting 22km past Margeb at
Bedev
,
some villages of the upper Yagnob Valley are
still home to native speakers of Sogd[ian], a
language largely unchanged since the time
of Alexander the Great. Some 500 more
Sogd-speaking families were forcibly relo-
cated out of the valley to Zafarobad in 1970.
The best starting point to find a ride to
Margeb is Sarvoda, where Yagnobi trad-
ers stock up at the market. Cars also run
most mornings from Margeb to Dushanbe
(60TJS per seat). Beware that old maps still
show the old road over the Anzob Pass. Sad-
ly that gloriously scenic option has essen-
tially decayed beyond any usability, even
for motorcycles.
Khairabad Zerobod
Ayni
M34
Anzob;
Yagnob
Marguzor
Sarvoda
Pasrud
Takfon
Zerafshan II
Anzob
Tunnel;
Dushanbe
Asliddin
Siroyidinov's
Cabin
Narvad
Turbaza
Shezok
Iskander-Kul
President's
Datcha
a toilet-hole way down the wooded garden.
It's 1km north of the bazaar on the M34, the
last house on the left before you cross the
river bridge at the Alaudin turning.
Alaudin Lakes
Limpid and dreamily beautiful, the main
Alaudin Lake (2780m) is a glorious place
for camping, and a possible base for walk-
ing into the heart of the Fan Mountains. A
popular day hike takes you out to Mutnye
('muddy') Lake (3510m), surrounded by a
splendid array of 5000m plus peaks. Alaudin
is helpfully accessible, just 3km on foot from
a trailhead camp where three valleys meet:
taxis ask around 150TJS to drive here from
Sarvoda. The western valley eventually takes
you across the breathtaking 3630m Laudan
Pass to the lovely Kulikalon lakes in around
eight hours.
There is a trail of sorts to Iskander-
Kul but it crosses the seriously difficult
Ayni АйнҶ
The transport hub for the Mastcho (East
Zerafshan) Valley, Ayni has two centres. The
main one, on the M34, has moneychanging
banks, an ATM, shops and a small area of
