Seven kilometers south of the village is situated Gissar Fortress – evidence of the Tajik ancient culture of three thousand years ago, one of the largest architectural monuments of Central Asia. The climate in this Tajik region is sharply continental. The village of Gissar is surrounded from the north by the Gissar, from the south by Gazimalik, from the south-west by the Babatag Mountains.
The population of the village according to data for 2002 was 22 thousand 961 people. The population of this region includes representatives of such nations as Tajiks, Uzbeks, Russians, as well as a small percentage of other nations.
On June 26, 1993, Hissar officially received city status, but in 2005 it was again transformed into a village (taj. Shahrak).
The story of Gissar
The history of the modern village of Gissar is closely connected with the ancient city of Gissar, which today is a historical landmark, the pride of the entire Tajik people. The history of this place reports that people lived here already 40 thousand years ago. The existence of the Tajik cultural heritage in the person of Hisor (Gissar) culture is estimated at more than three thousand years.
For the first time the word “Hisor” (“Hisor”), as the name of the settlement, city or administrative center is mentioned in the 11th century. Then this word meant a settlement where the state troops were located and the craft developed. In ancient times, the city was the center of the most independent part of the Samanid state.
Up until 1921, Gissar was the center of Eastern Bukhara. At all times, the Gissar Bekism was remarkable for being relatively sovereign with respect to the central government, and there were two madrassas here.
Currently, a historical and cultural reserve, organized in the late 60s of the 20th century, is operating in the historical city of Khisor. The reserve unites a fortress with an arch (gate), registan (square in front of the fortress), old and new madrasahs, a caravanserai (hotel), Chashmai mohiyon mosque, Sangi mosque, Mahdumi Azam mausoleum, historical museum and some others.
This land has become home to such famous people as the poets Hasrat, Irsey, Parii hisori, Camille, Sobir Zikirzoda, the great thinker of modern times, the poet Mirzo Tursunzoda; scientist Nosirjon Mausumi; writer Khabibullo Nazarov; singer Hussein Nasriddinov, famous tenor Adham Holikov and many others.
In 1929, the railway station Hanaka was commissioned on the territory of Gissar. In this regard, a new settlement was built in the form of a village. Later, in 1932, the village of Khanaka was transformed into the village council of Khanaka and declared the center of the newly-formed Gissar district. In 1954, the village council of Khanaka was divided, as a result of which the urban-type settlement Gissar was formed. As already noted, in June 1993, the village was given the status of a city (district subordination), and in 2005 the city of Gissar was again transformed into a village.
Sights of Gissar
Gissar Historical and Cultural Reserve. 30 km from Dushanbe, 4-5 km from the village of Gissar is located one of the main attractions of Tajikistan – Gissar Historical and Cultural Reserve. Under this title today are combined archaeological and architectural monuments of different eras, located on the territory of about 86 hectares.
The reserve’s location is the Gissar Valley – a vast intermontane depression along which the Kafirnigan, Karatag, and Shirkent rivers flow. Life in this place originated in the Stone Age, in 4 – 3 millennia BC. Later, the territory of the valley was part of Bactria, then the Greco-Bactrian and Kushan kingdoms. This is evidenced by the remains of ancient settlements and settlements found by archaeologists. Today, however, only rounded mounds, called “tepa” – “hill”, remain from them.
In the Middle Ages, Hissar was a city known for its handicraft and market center. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it became the Gissar Bekstvo – one of the 28 possessions of the Bukhara Emirate. From these times the Gissar fortress has been preserved, which today has been turned into an open-air museum.
In the late eighties of the 20th century, a unique historical and cultural reserve was created in Gissar, which included:
• Gissar fortress with arch (gate). It is built by hand. She is 2500 years old. The main gate is the gate – arch. They were built in the 16th century, today fully renovated.
• Old madrasa. The medieval school was built in the 16th century. The area of the madrasah is 2250 sq. M.
• New madrasah.
• Caravanserai (hotel). The brick caravanserai was built in 1808 during the reign of Saidbi Atolik and was used as a hotel.
• Chashmai Mohiyon Mosque (Stone Mosque). It was built in the 8th century; two verandas and a tower in the 14th century. Today is completely renovated.
• Sangin Mosque.
• Mausoleum of Mahdumi Azam. It is a historical monument of the 16th century, it was built on the site of the grave of Khoja Mohammed Khayvoka. The area of the mausoleum is 609 sq.m.
• Historical Museum, located in the building of the Old Madrasa. Here prunique monuments and exhibits (more than 3,200 copies) found during excavations in the territory of the city of Gissar and beyond.
Gissar fortress. The former residence of the Bek, the governor of the Emir of Bukhara, is located 26 km west of the capital. The fortress with walls 1 m thick, with loopholes for guns and cannons was guarded by the guards. Inside was a pool and garden. Large stairs and terraces, lined with brick, led to the main entrance. To our days, they, unfortunately, have not survived, as, indeed, the whole building of the palace. The only thing left of the fortress is the monumental gate of burnt brick with two cylindrical towers, between which the pointed arch is located, so most of the gates of Bukhara of the 18th and 19th centuries were built. But even this fragment today looks quite impressive.
Opposite the fortress, the market square once boomed with a caravanserai and many shops. Opposite the entrance to the fortress is preserved the Old Madrasah of the 17th century, in which they studied the Koran. Nearby stands the New Madrasah of the 18th – 19th centuries. Here is the mausoleum of 16 – 17 centuries.
A number of legends, supported by local residents, are associated with the Gissar Fortress. According to one of them, the fortress built Afrosiab to protect against Rustam (the famous heroes of the work of Firdousi “Shahname”).
Another legend says that the righteous caliph Ali came to these places on his horse Dul-Dul to preach Islam and stopped on the mountain, which today is called Poi-Dul-Dul (west of Gissar). Under the guise of an acrobat-tightrope walker, he made his way from the mountain to the fortress, but was recognized and captured here. However, his faithful horse brought him the sword of Zulfikar. With the help of this sword, he destroyed all enemies, including the evil wizard, who at that time owned a fortress. Near the fortress grow two huge plane trees, which are about 500-700 years old.
The old madrasah – Madrasi-kitchen (16 – 17 centuries) – a brick building with a portal entrance, topped with a dome. Upon entering the interior, a wide courtyard opens, which surrounds the hujras (cells) around the perimeter. At the beginning of the 20th century, between 100 and 150 students studied there. Classes stopped only in 1921. Also in the Old Madrasah there is a library room.
The new madrasah – Madresi-nav (17th-18th centuries), unfortunately, is almost completely destroyed. Only the two-story facade is preserved from it.
The mausoleum of Mahdumi Azam. Near the Old Madrasa is the mausoleum of Mahdumi Azam (16 – 17 century). “Mahdumi Azam” in translation means “the Greatest Master” and is not a name, but rather a title or a nickname. It is curious that in the territory of Central Asia there are several complexes under this name, which are associated with various really existing people: statesmen or religious figures. Who is buried in the Hissar mausoleum remains a mystery. Supposedly, this is Khoja Mohammed Hayvoki.
Caravanserai (17th – 18th centuries). Another remarkable building of the Gissar complex is the Hishtin caravanserai (which means “Kirpichny”). By the 20th century, the caravanserai was a scattered remnant of the foundations and walls of baked brick with a height of no more than one meter. The primary view was captured only in a photograph from 1913, according to which the caravanserai was restored.
Sangin Mosque. An interesting monument of the Gissar Reserve is the Sangin dome mosque (12th – 16th centuries), which means “Stone”. This is due to the fact that the walls of the mosque are half lined with stone. Four ceramic jars without a bottom are immured under the dome of the mosque. Thus, we got the original resonators designed to improve the acoustics of the room.