Javonon Park, Komsomol Lake, and Dushanbe City in Tajikistan

There is currently a significant amount of construction underway in Dushanbe, causing the city's appearance to rapidly change. The construction has affected almost all of the city's parks, but I would like to focus on Javonon Park near Komsomol Lake. The lake is now known as Javonon, but I am more familiar with its previous name, as are many others. The park used to have Soviet-era merry-go-rounds, impromptu cafes, and barbecues, which left a depressing impression. However, the park has now been transformed into a beautiful, open, and spacious cultural and recreational park that is perfect for strolling, relaxing, and enjoying the scenery.

Snake Lake near Iskanderkul Lake, Fann Mountains, Tajikistan

Another famous landmark near Iskanderkul Lake is Snake Lake. It has been named so by numerous tourists who believed that there must be a large number of snakes in its stagnant water. While there are indeed snakes, they are not more abundant than elsewhere, they are simply more visible due to the transparent water. Snake Lake is not its only name, as the lake has several others including Vernikul, Serima-darun, and Morkul....

Iskanderkul Lake: Description, History, Legends

Lake Iskanderkul in the Fann Mountains of Tajikistan has a very ancient and rich history. It is believed that Lake Iskanderkul is named after Alexander the Great, who was called Iskander Zulkarnain in the local language, meaning "Iskander with two horns," due to his helmet resembling two horns. But this is only partly true, as the lake existed here before Alexander the Great's arrival and was called Iskan-dara (which may be slightly different), meaning something like "high water" or "high mountain lake."

Iskanderkul Lake, Fann Mountains, Tajikistan

Iskanderkul in the Fann Mountains is probably the most famous and photographed lake in Tajikistan. I had the chance to visit there and, of course, take pictures of this beautiful mountain lake. We stayed at Iskanderkul for a few days, walking around the lake and its surroundings. We were very lucky with the weather, we swam and sunbathed, and only on the last day did clouds appear and it started to rain. In the end, we had a great time, and I put together this and several other photo reviews of our outings in the area, as well as a separate detailed article about the description and legends of Iskanderkul Lake.

Hiking to Timur-dara Lake, Karatag Gorge, Mountains of Tajikistan

Timur-dara Lake is a very beautiful mountain lake of the avalanche type, located at an altitude of about 2000 meters above sea level. In the area of Timur-dara Lake, as well as another lake called Payron which is located slightly further away, people were searching for the Yeti, observing UFOs, and other anomalies in the 80s and 90s. This is the so-called "Gissar anomalous zone". However, as the craze for all this mysticism faded away, it turned out that most of the stories and supposed evidence in the form of footprints, etc. were invented and made up by local shepherds.

Javonon Lake, formerly Komsomolskoye Lake, Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Took a walk around the former Komsomolskoye Lake, now known as Youth Lake or Javonon. I had no specific goals, just wanted to take a walk and brought my camera just in case. Here are some photos I took, and not just for this blog post. Bilbo Baggins was right: 'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.'