Khatlon region is located southeast of Dushanbe, the regional center of which is the city of Kurgan-Tube. The largest city of the region is Kulyab, the region of which includes Dangara, Vasey, Temurmalik, Muminabad, Khovaling, Baldzhuvan, Parkhar, Khamadoninsky and Shurabad regions with good tourism potential.
There are more than 200 kilometers of road from the capital of the republic to the city of Kulyab. In the west, the Kulyab region borders on the Kurgan-Tyube zone, on its eastern outskirts the Pyanj River flows. The mountain ranges gradually decrease to the south and southwest as they approach Pyanj. The oasis has a hot windless climate. Three rivers - Tairsu, Yahsu and Kyzylsu, carry life-giving moisture to the valleys. These rivers begin in relatively low mountains, in which there are no glaciers and large snow fields, so the water level here depends on precipitation.
In the Kulyab oasis, crops have long been grown on rainfed lands, and in the mountains, the population is mainly engaged in animal husbandry.
Cotton, potatoes and other vegetables are grown in the middle part of the river valleys and in the lower reaches, there are orchards and vineyards.
Isolation and remoteness from the densely populated valleys, as well as from the big cities of Central Asia, for a long time held back the development of the city of Kulyab and the surrounding areas. In 1984, only 512 thousand people lived in the Kulyab region.
Two mountains near Kulyab - Khojasartez and Khojamumin - consist of table salt. These are the largest salt domes in the world.
There is oil, natural gas, gold and other minerals in the bowels of the region.
From the Dushanbe airport, a plane can fly in half an hour to the city of Kulyab, where there is an international airport, which is located 12 kilometers from the city among sun-drenched cotton fields near the Yakhsu River.
The international airport of the city of Kulyab has air links with the Sughd region of the republic, the regional center of the city of Kurgan-Tyube, as well as transit through the city of Orenburg of the Russian Federation with the city of Moscow.
You can get to the Kulyab region from Dushanbe by bus or by car. At first, he goes along the road to Nurek, beyond the city of Vahdad, crosses the Gissar valley, climbs the Chermozak pass and descends in steep serpentines to Vakhsh. The winding belt of the road climbs the Rangon mountain range, making unexpected and dizzying turns. Behind the Chormagzak pass, the descent into the beautiful hollow of the Pulisanginsky gorge begins.
Here, at a fork, one road goes up the valley to the city of Nurek and the Nurek hydroelectric power station, and the other to Kulyab, along the bridge over the Vakhsh River. Along the entire route, you can observe beautiful natural landscapes.
On the left in the direction of travel on the Shar-Shar pass, among the wild dry mountains, one can see the man-made Nurek Sea, which ensures the operation of the highest mountain power plant. The Nurek hydroelectric power station and its high dam were used as an object of display in the development of tourist routes in the old days.
At 73 kilometers from Dushanbe, the bus overcomes the Shar-Shar pass in the Vakhsh ridge.
The largest telescope in Central Asia (with a meter mirror) of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan operates on Mount Sanglok. Here, on the Vakhsh Range, there are good conditions for observing the night sky, which is almost always open.
The high-mountain observatory "Sanglokh" helps to solve complex scientific problems, which are dealt with by the Institute of Astrophysics.
Along the spurs of the Vakhsh Range, the highway rises to the vast Dangara plateau. It is located above the Vakhsh valley - at an altitude of 700 - 800 meters. The Dangara region has good lands, but until recently there was almost no water here. For several years, builders had been digging a huge tunnel from the Nurek reservoir through the thickness of the mountains. The water of the man-made sea went to the Dangara steppe, about 100 thousand hectares of fertile land received water. The dry land of Dangara came to life and bloomed, dressed in the greenery of cotton fields and vineyards, adorned with gardens. Numerous large state farms sprang up. In the village of Dangara (110 kilometers from Dushanbe), light and food industries began to develop.
On the way to Kulyab, there are ups and downs, crossings across the rivers Tairsu, Kyzylsu, Yakhsu. These areas are especially beautiful in spring, when huge red carpets of tulips and poppies bloom on the hills of the mountains.
When you enter the city of Kulyab, you can see how white houses are hiding in the shade of plane trees and acacias. In Kulyab, you have to get off at the last stop near the hotel "Khatlon", which is provided for the services of visitors. The hotel has a restaurant and a buffet, single and double rooms are presented to visitors. Opposite (across the road) is a large city bazaar.