Ismoili Somoni Peak

Brief Historical Background:

  Ismoili Somoni Peak, widely known as Communism Peak, is the highest mountain in Tajikistan and former Soviet Union. It is located in the Northern-West part of Pamir near Chinese border at the junction of the Academy of Sciences and Peter the Great mountain ranges. It has been renamed several times since it was first discovered. Originally the peak was identified as Garmo Peak in 1928, but later Soviet expeditions established that Garmo Peak was a separate mountain, therefore in 1932 it was renamed Stalin Peak after Joseph Stalin . The name was changed again to Communism Peak in 1962, and finally to Ismoili Somoni Peak in 1999 when Republic of Tajikistan became an independent state. The peak's present name commemorates Ismail Samani — the famous ruler who unified Tajik country in the 9th century.

Technical difficulty:

  Somoni Peak is heavily glaciated, and climbing it requires good physical training, essential equipment (mostly ice gear), correct acclimatization and previous mountaineering background.

Places to visit in the region:

Dushanbe

Tashkent