Khuttal was a medieval kingdom in the south of what is now Tajikistan, centred on the fertile valleys between the Vakhsh and Panj rivers, and it flourished as a crossroads of trade and culture between Central Asia, Iran and India. The region's heritage includes the ruins of palaces, towns and religious buildings, such as the citadel of Hulbuk, near Vose', a royal residence from the ninth to the eleventh centuries, with richly decorated walls, and the town of Kulob, with the mausoleum of the fourteenth-century Sufi scholar Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani. Several of these sites have been nominated together for UNESCO recognition.
The landscape is a mix of irrigated valleys, cotton and wheat fields, and dry hills rising towards the mountains of the Pamir foothills. To the south, the Panj river forms the border with Afghanistan, and from some roads, you can see across the river to Afghan villages and fields. The region has a rich tradition of music, crafts and hospitality, and markets in towns like Kulob and Farkhor are full of colour, with fruit, vegetables, bread and textiles.
Riding here is an adventure. The main roads are mostly paved, but quality varies, and side roads can be rough and unpaved. You share the road with lorries, ageing Ladas, donkeys and wandering sheep, and the police stop vehicles often, particularly near the Afghan border, where permits may be required. Summers are very hot, often over forty degrees, and dust storms can occur, while winters are mild in the valleys but cold in the hills. The road along the Panj towards the Pamirs is one of the great adventure routes of Central Asia.
Farkhor, Vose' and Kulob have fuel, shops and restaurants, though fuel quality can vary. Tajik cuisine is generous: plov, shashlik, fresh bread baked in tandoor ovens, and sweet melons and grapes in summer. A pot of green tea arrives before you have even asked, and strangers may well insist you stay to eat. Respect local customs, dress modestly, and ask before photographing people, particularly women.