The Zeravshan is the river that waters Samarkand and Bukhara far downstream, and up here in its upper valley it is a cold, hurrying thing between steep walls of the Zeravshan and Hissar ranges. The Kum area lies on the way between Ayní and the Fan Mountains, in Tajikistan's Sughd region, and it belongs to the Sogdian world, the merchant culture that carried silk, glass, paper and ideas along the old routes between China and Persia. Settlement mounds and fortress sites dot the valley, some of them partly worn away by farming and floods, and the area holds a few of the most famous finds of Sogdian history, among them the archives of letters and contracts found in the twentieth century on a nearby mountain.
On the ground you will see earthen mounds and old walls that are easy to mistake for natural hills, with apricot orchards and cornfields at their feet. There is not much signposting and no ticket office. The interest lies in the setting, the way a ruined fort commands a side valley, the way the river bends below, the way the light turns orange at the end of the day against the red slopes.
The road from Dushanbe to Ayní passes over the Anzob Pass, or goes through the long tunnel beneath it, and then follows the Zeravshan downstream. This is real mountain riding, with long climbs, steep drops, and a surface that varies from good tarmac to broken edge and gravel patches, with rockfalls and landslides after storms. The tunnel has had a poor reputation for ventilation and lighting, so be prepared. Early summer and early autumn are the best seasons. In spring, snowmelt raises the river and mud slides can close sections, and in winter the pass is serious.
Ayní, about thirteen kilometres away, is only a small town, but it is the main halt in the upper valley, with a market, a few shops and tea houses, and basic fuel from roadside sellers, which is not always dependable, so fill up in Dushanbe or Penjikent whenever you can. Locals are open and curious, and a pot of green tea with bread and apricots is the usual welcome. Carry water, spare tubes, and warm layers, since evenings are cool at this altitude.