Hisor City (pop 22,900)

Hisor District

Tajikistan

August 17. 2019

Set on a spacious open plain, surrounded by the Gissar, Babatag and Aktau mountain ranges, thirty kilometers from Dushanbe, the Hisor Fortress reminds us of the impermanence of empires and the futility of building walls.

It is said that the fortress was once the home of Cyrus the Great,

Since that occupation by the Persian invader, the fortress has been destroyed and rebuilt twenty-one times by succeeding forces of other brutal generals.

Is the rebuilt fortress a testament to the optimism of the human condition?

Here’s another demonstration of our eternal spirit:

On the grounds of the fortress today, four weddings are celebrated by the family and friends of the very young and very attractive brides and grooms.

Reason enough to have confidence in the future.

Come dance.