Travel from Samarkand to Panjakent on a day trip. Cross the border to Tajikistan and explore the ancient city of Panjakent. Visit the Sarazm ruins, the Panjakent Bazaar, the Mosque and Madrasah of Olim Dodkhoh, and the Rudaki Museum.

Meet your driver at your hotel in Samarkand at 9:00am and transfer to the Jartepa border. Cross the border to the Tajikistan side and meet your guide. Drive to Panjakent, the ancient capital of the Sogdian Empire.

Visit the UNESCO-listed ruins of Sarazm, which are more than 5,000 years old. See the remains of the first agricultural society in Central Asia. Admire the remarkably tall human skeleton, dubbed the “Princess of Sarazm,” and see some of her ornaments.

Explore the Panjakent Bazaar, a beautiful market with a central building ringed by brick archways. Stock up on trekking snacks like nuts and dried fruits, or get your first taste of Tajik hospitality.

Visit the Mosque and Madrasah of Olim Dodkhoh, traditional mosques for Central Asia. See the Rudaki Museum, which has about a thousand exhibits, most of which are objects of ethnography and arts and crafts of Tajiks.

A significant part of the exhibition is devoted to the history of Rudaki village at the end of the 20th century. See posters about the Great Patriotic War, veterans of war and labour area, and sports achievements.

Visit the ruins of ancient Panjakent, which is located near present-day Panjakent and represents a unique early Middle Ages monument. In the 5th to 8th centuries, it was the easternmost town of Sogdiana – the ancient country of the Sughdi (Sogdians), who spoke an East-Iranian language and were ancestors of the Tajiks.

If you are interested in Sovietic architecture and related places then we can stop at Lenin statue and mosaics.

After completing the tour, drive back to the border. Cross the border back to the Uzbekistan side and meet your driver for the transfer back to your hotel in Samarkand.