Bostanliq Holiday Villages

The villages

Bostanliq is the largest and most mountainous district in the region, and in summer Tashkent residents head here for cool air, clean water and mountain views. A string of holiday resorts lines the ring road around Lake Charvak. The hills of Yusufkhona are a favourite of paragliders. Bogiston — “land of gardens” in Tajik — is known as the birthplace of the 13th-century Sufi Sheikh Khovendi at-Tahur and of Khoja Ahrar, the great 15th-century Naqshbandi sheikh.

Burchmulla (called Brichmulla until the mid-1970s) stands between the Chatkal and Koksu rivers at 960 m. In 1955 a Late Bronze Age hoard — a spearhead, arrowheads and bridle fittings — was found nearby. The village is also famous for Sergei Nikitin’s song “Brichmulla”.

Towards the Pskem and Ugam

Sijjak, on the north-west shore of Charvak, stretches between three streams; legend says its name comes from se chak, “three parts”. Around it lie the 11th–13th-century settlement of Shavkattepa and old shrines. Nanay is one of the largest villages in the Pskem valley, while Khumsan in the Ugam valley is known for its sanatoriums, children’s camps and the mineral water that bears its name.

Practicalities

The season runs from May to September, peaking in July–August. Most villages have teahouses with tapchan platforms, guesthouses and dachas to rent. Roads lead in via Gazalkent and the Charvak dam, or from Chimgan over the Melovoy Pass.