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Takhtakaracha Pass

Mountain pass at 1,675–1,780 m on the M-39 road between Samarkand and Shahrisabz, about an hour's drive from Samarkand, with views over the Zarafshan range.

Nature

About the place

Takhtakaracha is the pass that carries the M-39 road over the mountains between Samarkand and Kashkadarya regions, on the border of Urgut and Kitob districts. Sources give its height as between 1,675 and 1,780 metres. It lies about 45 to 50 kilometres, roughly an hour's drive, from Samarkand.

Most visitors cross it on the way to Shahrisabz and stop at the top for views over both valleys, fruit stalls and roadside tea. The road winds steeply, so buses and large lorries are not allowed and travellers use cars or minivans. In winter the pass can close after snow, so check conditions before setting off.

Why go

  • Pass at 1,675–1,780 m
  • Views over two valleys
  • Scenic road to Shahrisabz

Nearby

  • Nature

    3 km away

    Amankutan

    Wooded gorge about 40 km south of Samarkand with a Middle Palaeolithic cave at about 1300 m, a national nature park since 2022.

  • Qaynar MosqueEnsembles

    7 km away

    Qaynar Mosque

    A village mosque of the late 1890s in Qaynar, Kitob district, built by community effort, with carved plane and juniper wood and a porch on all sides.

  • Mausoleums

    14 km away

    Hazrati Bashir Mausoleum

    18th-century mausoleum of the Yassavi sheikh Sayyid Ahmad Bashir in Bashir village, Kitob district, on the national heritage list since 2019.

  • Museums

    17 km away

    Kitab International Latitude Station

    An observatory in Kitab opened on 14 November 1930 to track the wobble of the Earth's axis along the 39°08′ N parallel.