| Pendjikent is situated 60 km to the west from
Samarkand, in the territory of the Tadjikistan republic. The road from
Samarkand goes up along the picturesque valley of the Zeravshan river.
The valley is between two grandiose ranges of Turkestanskiy and Zeracshanskiy,
which join together with theAlaiskiy range, to form the famous Matchinskiy
mountainous region with peaks of more than 5000 m.
Pendjikent, established in the 5th century, was built
out of reach of floods on a terrace. It was one of the cities of the Sogdian
empire and was known as Bunjikath. In the local historical museum you'll
learn about the millennial history of the city. One of the branches of
the Great Silk Road laid across this city.
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