Hisor Fortress
Hisor Fortress
4
About
Hissar Fortress (3000 years old) — located 26 km from Dushanbe (West). The fortress is an open-air Museum. A number of legends from the work of A. Firdousi "Shahname"are connected with the Hissar fortress. Hissar is the capital of the province of Eastern Bukhara and was in the hands of the Governor of Emir Ibrahim Bey until 1924, when he was defeated by the red army.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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MumbaiRiders
Mumbai, India2,025 contributions
Jun 2024 • Solo
Boarded the "No 15" Marshrutka and after a long drive alighted at Zarnisor Town. From Zarnisor boarded a shared taxi to Hisor Bazar costing 10 Somoni.From Hisor Bazar boarded a private taxi costing 20 Somoni and finally reached Hisor Fortress.Hisor Fortress is located on a hill along the Khanaka River, in Hisor Valley of Tajikistan.Historical records point at a fort in Hisor as far back as 1000 BC. More recent records of the fort relate to the time when Cyrus the Great founded the first Persian Empire (around 550 BC).The strategic position made the fortress in the past into an ideal place to ward off incoming enemies and protect caravans passing the Silk Road.During its history it is said to have been attacked, destroyed and rebuilt almost 21 times and hence the modern structure of the fortress is akin to a Disneyworld Fortress,just for tourism.The oldest surviving part of Hisor Fortress is the arched gate, which is probably from around the year 500 AD.
The present restoration of Hisor Fortress as seen today is a restoration model of the 18th century Fort that was destroyed by the Russian Red Army.
The present restoration of Hisor Fortress as seen today is a restoration model of the 18th century Fort that was destroyed by the Russian Red Army.
Written July 1, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
vintagecoffeemug
Asia67 contributions
Oct 2020 • Family
Totally unexpected treasure just outside of Dushanbe. There are not any signs posted out front but you can see a small parking lot before the road is blocked. Once you enter the grounds, there is a large sign in Russian posted which briefly explains what each building at the site is. Sadly these are the only descriptive signs we saw here. Be sure to research the fortress before you go so you know what you are looking at. The restrooms are at the opposite end of the grounds as the parking lot.
Once we got to the fortress gate, we paid 10 somoni per person. We were not charged for our youngest child. One of the workers at the gate spoke a little English. Inside the fortress it is very clean and well kept. There are little shops that may or may not be open depending on the day. A very sweet woman sold us some Tajik souvenirs at one of these shops.
It's not totally clear what the off limits are once inside. The food vendors were nice to point us in the right direction when we were confused.
The site was really beautiful. It was a great place to take photos. Even on a weekend it was not very busy. There were some weddings taking place on the grounds when we arrived.
We went with a 9 year old and 4 year old. The kids did fine but this would be challenging if you came here with a baby stroller. Probably would make a difficult visit for the handicapped due to the steps/lack of ramps. There are some steep stairs without handrails if you want to climb to the top of the fortress but we saw many people climb them without issue.
Once we got to the fortress gate, we paid 10 somoni per person. We were not charged for our youngest child. One of the workers at the gate spoke a little English. Inside the fortress it is very clean and well kept. There are little shops that may or may not be open depending on the day. A very sweet woman sold us some Tajik souvenirs at one of these shops.
It's not totally clear what the off limits are once inside. The food vendors were nice to point us in the right direction when we were confused.
The site was really beautiful. It was a great place to take photos. Even on a weekend it was not very busy. There were some weddings taking place on the grounds when we arrived.
We went with a 9 year old and 4 year old. The kids did fine but this would be challenging if you came here with a baby stroller. Probably would make a difficult visit for the handicapped due to the steps/lack of ramps. There are some steep stairs without handrails if you want to climb to the top of the fortress but we saw many people climb them without issue.
Written October 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Madan Gopal M
Bengaluru, India8,430 contributions
Oct 2022 • Solo
Located atop a mountain, this most important fortress in Central Asia. Built around 2500 years ago, this fortress saw many ups and downs in its chequered history. One hour drive from Dushanbe,this place is best covered in half a day. This was the place that saw resistance movement against Russian Red Army and destroyed totally. Now it's totally restored without loosing the originality. Up the hill, the official residence is undergoing major restoration and hence can't climb that side. The walk on the walls of the fort offer a panoramic view of landscape around. There is a martyr monument outside. There is admission ticket to enter the place. There are two Medressas outside and also a small museum.
Written November 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Companion586435
12 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
The 2 fellows that picked us up and drove us to the fortress were excellent! They were kind, respectful and knowledgeable. However, that ended there. Our understanding was that we were supposed to stop in Hisor at the museum. Did not happen. We were supposed to stop at the melon tea house. Did not happen. The guide at the fortress spent about 1/2 hour with us, then took us over to the carpet shop where they tried to sell us items in the range of $50 - $800 USD. We felt really pressured to buy buy buy! After this, we really wanted to go out on our own, and then he wanted to know if we were going to pay him. A very uncomfortable situation.
Written August 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Only D
Turgen, Kazakhstan8 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
Checked what they were, but really a complete waste of time and money. If you've been to epic places like Samarkand before, this fortress will disappoint you with a guarantee.
There's nothing to look at resolutely - an obscure fortress wall, just after the entrance a small alley of pavilions (now occupied by intrusive trade), an overgrown pool without water, wandering horses. Everything, actually.
You can climb the long staircase to the pantheon on the hill or to the wall - views of the three. Two more pavilions on the grounds with a separate entrance are like a museum, clunky exhibits can be seen from the entrance, didn't even go there.
All in the heat of hell even at 5 p.m. Day off, August, no one.
120c taxi on the counter from downtown Dushanbe one way.
10c entrance to the fortress.
150c taxi contracted back.
There's nothing to look at resolutely - an obscure fortress wall, just after the entrance a small alley of pavilions (now occupied by intrusive trade), an overgrown pool without water, wandering horses. Everything, actually.
You can climb the long staircase to the pantheon on the hill or to the wall - views of the three. Two more pavilions on the grounds with a separate entrance are like a museum, clunky exhibits can be seen from the entrance, didn't even go there.
All in the heat of hell even at 5 p.m. Day off, August, no one.
120c taxi on the counter from downtown Dushanbe one way.
10c entrance to the fortress.
150c taxi contracted back.
Automatically translated
Written August 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dirk W
Alexandra Headland, Australia10,140 contributions
Oct 2022
Hisor is one of the main historical sights of Tajikistan. It holds a strategic position and therefore it was attacked more than 20 times, from Cyrus The Great, Alexander The Great to the Russians. The Hissar Fortress houses the remains of the palace of the Bukhara Emirate Beghs. Its thick, baked brick walls once guarded a pool, garden and palace, and sat opposite a noisy market and caravanserai. What remains today is a portion of the wall and two monumental gate towers from the 18th century. As I saw so many times during my trip through Central Asia, the authorities confuse restoration with replication . . . What we see now is a sad concoction of both, with the majority new stuff, including a whole street of shops in the fortress.
UNESCO must be very unhappy. As am I,
UNESCO must be very unhappy. As am I,
Written November 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TAMAN1951
Liberty Lake, WA8,916 contributions
Sep 2024 • Couples
Ancient structure reflecting the SilkRoad. Sadly bombed by the Bolsheviks during the revolution but a-lot has been restored.
Really only one main road and a fort higher up.
Worth the time to visit.
Other historically significant buildings are in the same area.
Really only one main road and a fort higher up.
Worth the time to visit.
Other historically significant buildings are in the same area.
Written September 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
An
Moscow, Russia407 contributions
Jun 2018 • Solo
The fortress in one of the few sights, that can be interesting to tourists in Dushanbe. It is located near Dushanbe, 20 min by car. Entrance ticket is 10 TJS. Only main gates have some historical value, and original medieval materials. Other parts of the fortress are restored using modern bricks, which looks very strange. Most interesting parts of the fortress (like gardens, pools etc.) were not restored, so the place is rather dull, and not so interesting. But other sights in Dushanbe are even worse, so there is not much choice.
Written June 22, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ploumParis
paris107 contributions
Jun 2018 • Friends
This place is really worth a visit if you can go on a Sunday morning, which is the day weddings to to the fort to dance and pay tribute at the memorial for the fallen war victims.
This place of course cannot measure up with the marvels of Bukhara and Samarkand but it’s a nice atmospheric visit if you have the time, mostly to see the old (unrestored) city walls when you walk all the way to the end of the main access point. I liked the fact they have kids attractions and poney rides there, which gave it a “lived in” authentic feel.
Also nice that the medrasas have visibly unrestored parts and old “before” pictures.
Sadly the soviets took the top part of the caravanserail to build the old Dushanbe theater, according to our guide.
This place of course cannot measure up with the marvels of Bukhara and Samarkand but it’s a nice atmospheric visit if you have the time, mostly to see the old (unrestored) city walls when you walk all the way to the end of the main access point. I liked the fact they have kids attractions and poney rides there, which gave it a “lived in” authentic feel.
Also nice that the medrasas have visibly unrestored parts and old “before” pictures.
Sadly the soviets took the top part of the caravanserail to build the old Dushanbe theater, according to our guide.
Written June 28, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michelle A
24 contributions
Mar 2018
I will start by saying this Fortress is worth a trip - but to be honest there are more 'replica' and re-built areas than original.
Our guide was passionate about his country's history, legacy and turbulent past. The saddest thing for me to see was the way a lot of the existing 'original' archaeology was unprotected and left exposed to the elements. We were told that Tajikistan wants now to concentrate it's investment on it's future as a growing nation and not on preserving it's turbulent past. We were taken to see a portion of the 3rd century outer wall - only to be faced with a massive hole in the ground in which were signs of brickwork - this was totally unfenced and unprotected - it had litter, a broken bucket and various other bits of detritus in it. I don't think I've ever seen such a piece of historical architecture neglected this way.
To encourage more family visitors, and to raise much needed revenue, they have installed a small 'theme' park toward the outside of the original fortress walls - this was such a sad sight to see but, again, appears to be part of the future of Tajikistan.
Our guide was passionate about his country's history, legacy and turbulent past. The saddest thing for me to see was the way a lot of the existing 'original' archaeology was unprotected and left exposed to the elements. We were told that Tajikistan wants now to concentrate it's investment on it's future as a growing nation and not on preserving it's turbulent past. We were taken to see a portion of the 3rd century outer wall - only to be faced with a massive hole in the ground in which were signs of brickwork - this was totally unfenced and unprotected - it had litter, a broken bucket and various other bits of detritus in it. I don't think I've ever seen such a piece of historical architecture neglected this way.
To encourage more family visitors, and to raise much needed revenue, they have installed a small 'theme' park toward the outside of the original fortress walls - this was such a sad sight to see but, again, appears to be part of the future of Tajikistan.
Written March 30, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anvar Zamon
Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Как добратся до этой крепости техника едет туда?
Written November 20, 2019
На своей машине нет проблем. А еще от Душанбе возят таксисты с " терминала" на выезде из города. Оттуда до Гиссара вся машина целиком стоит 30 сомони (25 км) и еще 8-9 км от Гиссара до крепости за 10 сомони. Итого 40 сомони, порядка 500 рублей за целую машину
Written November 20, 2019
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