Tajikistan - Central Asia - page 326

dancing girls. Today the site is just a sun-
baked hillside with excavated sunbaked
wall-stub ruins. But you can clearly iden-
tify the foundations of numerous former
buildings in what was the main shakhris-
tan (town centre), and seek out hints of an
outlying rabad (suburb) and necropolis.
Get to the site on marshrutka 5. Ask
the driver for Stary Penjikent; from where
you're dropped make an obvious four-
minute dog-leg walk to the site's southern
edge. Here a traditionally styled one-room
museum (admission 3TJS; h 10am-5pm)
chronicles the excavations and has painted
copies of the best frescoes. The originals,
along with most sculptures, pottery and
manuscripts, were long ago carted off to
Tashkent and St Petersburg.
A site map outside helps plan an explo-
ration of the ruins, or just wander at ran-
dom among the unfenced muddy ridges.
On a clear day the mountain panoramas
are splendid and from this raised position
it's easy to plot a course back to town de-
scending between the main ruins and the
distinct raised citadel site further west.
You should emerge on Beruni just 15 min-
utes' stroll from the bazaar.
Rudaki¨Museum¨ MUSEUM
(Rudaki 67; foreigner/local 10/2TJS; h 8am-5pm)
This rather elegant museum does assign a
room to Abu Abdullah Rudaki (858-941),
the Samanid court 'father of Persian poetry',
whose modern mausoleum is 58km east of
Penjikent at Panjrud. However, it's more in-
teresting for the displays of local products
(wine, textiles, gold) and the ethnograhic
and historical sections including finds and
reproduction frescoes from Ancient Pen-
jikent and Neolithic tools from Sarazm.
Devastich¨Statue¨ MONUMENT
(Rudaki) A statue of Devastich, the area's last
Sogdian leader, dominates the roundabout
at the west end of town.
Olim¨Dodkhokh¨Complex¨ MOSQUE
(Rudaki 164) On cold Friday lunchtimes, doz-
ens of older men with flowing white beards,
turbans, upturned boots and swishing pur-
ple/green irridescent joma robes make their
way to prayers at this mosque-madrassa
complex opposite the bazaar. Though mostly
a contemporary rebuild, its origins are 14th
century. The best view is from Mafsemi
Chaikhana upstairs opposite the Shokhrukh
samsa (samosa) shop (Rudaki 154).

4 ¨Sleeping
Beware that from November through April
many accommodation options are closed.
Dodo¨Hotel¨ gUESTHOUSE $
([e-mail]; Devashtich 34; d/ste
100/120TJS; iW ) Good value for couples,
handily central, with free wi-fi. The suites
have large, if plain, sitting rooms with most-
ly unadorned sick-green walls. Open year-
round.
Zurmich¨Homestay¨ HOMESTAY $
( % 92-759 91 23; [e-mail]; Bakoli first
lane, 24; per person 75TJS; h Apr-Oct) Central,
charming homestay with a kitchen, din-
ing room and sitting area shared by three
pleasant, simple rooms above the central
iris-garden. Showers accessed through
a billiard room, box-toilets downstairs.
Owner speaks German and organises treks.
From the bazaar, walk down the steps be-
side Bashani Hamam (201 Rudaki), then
right 50m along a small footpath that
crosses a stream.
Maqsud¨Guesthouse¨ HOMESTAY $
( % 92-771 12 10; Sheralizod 2; per person 80TJS; i )
Comfortable, central homestay off a central
garden with shared kitchen, hot shower and
limited free use of the co-owned internet
cafe. Extension plans will make this into a
small hotel, new rooms to have ensuite fa-
cilities. Limited English spoken.
Elina¨Guest¨House¨ gUESTHOUSE $
( % Tatiana 93-566 37 37; www.travel-pamir.com;
Rudaki 20/16; per person with/without bathroom
75/50TJS; W ) Perky, well-maintained little
rooms around a small courtyard. Bathrooms
are modern, if mostly shared. It's tucked
back off the road but is well-signed.
Hotel¨Aziz¨ HOMESTAY, gUESTHOUSE $
( % 92-780 33 31, 55 224; Devastich 4; per person
US$10) Attached to the home of the Rudaki
Museum's English-speaking guide are four
ensuite guestrooms and a sizeable billiard
room dotted with furniture oddments.
Standards aren't luxurious (one bed is held
up on a pile of topics) but it is the best value
in town for single travellers. Call ahead.
5 ¨Eating
Mukhiddin¨ CHAIKHANA $
(Rudaki 189; samsa 3-5TJS, blini/tea/lagman
1/0.5/12TJS; h 6am-4pm) Very popular ba-
zaar chaikhana with fine views and plenty