Hissor fortress, main gate

Hisor is a city in Tajikistan, 15 km west of Dushanbe. It is noted for a historical fortress (which is a Soviet-era replica of the original). It is well worth a short day-trip from Dushanbe.

Understand

It was once an independent Khanate, and then the winter residence of the governor of East Bukhara. The large fort is said to date back to Cyrus the Great and to have been captured twenty one times.

It lies at an altitude of 799–824 m, surrounded by high mountains (Gissar Range to the north, Babatag and Aktau ranges to the south).[2] The river Khanaka, a tributary to the Kofarnihon, flows through the town.

It is home to 29,000 people, with a total of 308,000 people in outlying communities, as of 2020. As of 2019, the city's population was composed 96% of Tajiks, and 1.5% Russians.

Get in

Taxi can be arranged from Dushanbe.

There is regular transportation between Hisor and Dushanbe and Gissar and Tursunzoda. The Dushanbe-Termez railway passes through the district center (stations: Chiptura and Khonakoh).

See

Hisor Fortress

• Hisor Fortress. The fort of Hisar, residence of the Bukharan governor, is said to date back to Cyrus the Great and to have been captured 21 times.