One of the most famous historical monuments of Tajikistan was built to protect the local population and trade caravans from nomadic raids. The Hissar fortress still impresses with its power and monumentality, especially after a major restoration.
General information
It is believed that the fortress was built about 2500 years ago, during its heyday, when the routes of the Great Silk Road passed near Gissar. The surviving remains of fortifications were built in the 16th-19th centuries. The Hissar fortress in Tajikistan is one of the oldest and largest architectural monuments in Central Asia.
Now it is an open-air museum with an area of 86 hectares, located on the site of an ancient settlement. The authorities of Tajikistan intend to include it in the UNESCO cultural heritage list.
It is located near the urban-type settlement of Gissar, once a prosperous medieval city with crafts and trade. It is located in the central part of the district of the same name, in the west of the Gissar Plain, 26 kmwest of the country's capital and 30 km from Dushanbe International Airport.
History of the fortress
For a long time, the Hissar fortress served as the residence of the governor of the Emir of Bukhara and the base where the state troops were located. To date, only two cylindrical towers and structures around the main gate, forming a pointed arch and built at the direction of the Emir of Bukhara in the 16th century, have been partially preserved from the fortress. The fortress was completed in the 19th century. All buildings are built of burnt bricks.
Ancient buildings were almost completely destroyed during the civil war, which lasted here from 1918 to 1933. Near the citadel, the buildings of the old madrasah (XVI-XVII centuries) and partially the new madrasah (XVII-XVIII) are relatively well preserved century), which, together with the fortress and other ancient buildings, are included in the cultural and historical reserve, which was organized in the 60s of the twentieth century.
Partially restored in 1982 and was actually fully completed in 2002. In the course of the work, two towers were built on, the fortress wall was restored. An amphitheater was built inside the fortress territory. Souvenir shops are open for tourists. Now photos of the Hissar fortress adorn the albums of tourists from many countries of the world.
Description
The Hissar fortress was erected on the slope of a large hill. The high fortress wall 1 meter thick with loopholes for rifles and cannons was built of burnt bricks. main gatehave a laconic and simple look, traditional for the feudal military architecture of the Bukhara Emirate. In the large lancet opening of the fortress wall there were strong gates, which were guarded on both sides by two powerful cylindrical watchtowers. At the top of the towers there were shooting platforms with a high parapet to protect the soldiers and cut through loopholes. There was no decor on the thick brick walls of this monumental austere structure, but they still looked impressive.
Wide stairs and terraces lined with bricks led to the main entrance to the citadel. The inner territory was a large courtyard with the governor's palace complex, a swimming pool and a huge garden.
Opposite there was a large market square with a caravanserai (medieval inn) and many shopping arcades. The ancient eastern inn was almost completely destroyed and restored according to a 1913 photograph. In the XVI-XVIII centuries, two madrasahs and the mausoleum of Makhdumi Azam (translated as "The Greatest Lord" were built. It is not known for certain who it was built for). Nearby, as in any other medieval fortress, there were houses and craft workshops.
Legends of the fortress
Among the locals there are legends about the Hissar fortress, which have accumulated a lot over several millennia of known history. According to one of the most popular, the citadel was built by Afrosib to protect himself from Rustam. They are both celebrated heroic characters in Ferdowsi's famous epic poem Shahnameh.
According to another mythical story of the Hissar fortress, the righteous Muslim caliph Ali came to these places in ancient times to preach Islam on his legendary horse Dul-dul. He stopped on the mountain, which is located to the west of Gissar and is now called Poi-Dul-dul. Disguised as an acrobat tightrope walker, he entered the fortress. Here he was recognized and tried to capture. But the faithful horse brought him the magic sword "Zulfikar", and Ali killed all the enemies, including the evil sorcerer.
