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Republic of TA J I K I S TA N
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65 up to + 96 degrees of Celsius, used for baths. Another powerful medical remedy
is high thermal (+ 92 degrees by Celsius) air vapor mixture with the radon contents.
The important medical factor is also high-mountainous climate with moderate
hot summer, snowy, but without severe frosts in the winter dry air. Over 30 varieties of
medicinal plants grow in the territory of the resort, which are widely applied in medicine.
Varzob is obliged its water riches to glaciers located at altitude up to four thousands
meters in Hissar Mountain Range. There are public transport services from
Dushanbe to Varzob Gorge departing from a bus stand well known as "Vodona-sosnaya"
next to Varzob Bazaar in the north of the city.
YAGNOB
The valley of the Yagnob River situated
about 100 km north from Dushanbe, at the
border of mountains and deserted plains. The
maximum absolute altitude comes to 5,145 m
in the Zeravshan Range in the upper reaches
of the Yagnob. The river-bed of the Yagnob is
situated at the altitudes of 2,200- 2,800 m,
the bottom of the valley being practically not
discernible.
The uniqueness of the Yagnob Valley is
determined in many respects by its objective
natural isolation. The relations with the outer
world are considerably impoverished. The
nearest locality equipped by electricity and
having a dirt road accessible to vehicles is the
Margib kishlak. Up the valley next to this kishlak,
there are narrow canyons that practically
divide the Yagnob and the outer world. The main roads linking the Yagnob to the outer
world are mountain paths open only during the summer. In the winter, paths are covered
with snow; furthermore, they are situated in a zone of permanent snow avalanches
activity. Yagnobis stay completely isolated from the whole world during about
eight months a year. The Yagnob Valley in its upper part is an example of an isolated
peripheral area - refuge of the ethnos and its environment, of ancient cultural landscapes.
The history of the people inhabiting Yagnob has common roots with well-known
and formerly powerful Sughdiana - ancient Central Asian State (7 - 6 centuries B.C to
the 7th century A.D), first of all because of closeness of the ancient Sughdian and
Yagnobi languages. The natural isolation of the Yagnob Valley was conductive to give
possibility to ancient Sughdians to stay (or perhaps to refuge) there. They appertain to
the Eastern-Iranian language branch; in the course of historical processes they were
assimilated step by step by peoples appertaining to the Western-Iranian language
group, and after that by the Turkic-speaking peoples. In the whole, the ancient period
of development of Yagnob reveals itself in full measure in social and cultural population
features remained until our days, the social forms of organization; family, clan, village
community have an ecological character, they are engendered by the necessity of
adapting to environmental conditions.