After the Hushyori village, 42km from Dushanbe, there is a road on the left to the KhojaObigarm resort (1,790–1,960m above sea-level). The resort cannot be seen from the highway; it is about a 6km climb to KhojaObigarm. In the 1970s a large resort complex was opened here which included three big ten-, six- and four-storied pavilions. They contain everything necessary for useful treatment and a comfortable stay. This complex was designed by architects from France who were able to seamlessly fit it into the surrounding landscape. The buildings not only blend into the harmony of nature but also accentuate the background beauty of the peaks and the slopes against which they are located. The main treatment at this resort is mineral water, which belongs to the brackish nitric-siliceous therms of suplhate-hydrocarbonate sodium-calcium composition with temperatures from 45-96ºC, used for bathing. Each litre of water contains up to 0.5 gram of dissolved salts. KhojaObigarm’s hot mineral springs have been known for a long time. They come out of a fault zone and junctions of red granites. In the space of 400m there are almost 40 springs. Seven boreholes were drilled there.
Water of a similar composition can only be found in Chamonix, France. This resort’s other powerful treatment is a highthermal (+92ºC) aero-steam mixture containing radon. As early as the 1930s radon steam treatment went as follows: there was a hole in a ground next to a large stone which was covered above and had enough room for one person. It was a kind of a cellar into which hot mineral water steam from the Earth’s depths comes. Those who wish treatment undress and come down to the pit wearing a sheepskin coat. After several minutes in this sauna a patient comes out wrapping themselves up with quilts. Such a procedure is repeated 2-3 times a day. The treatment now happens under the observation of qualified medical staff. Gout, joint, muscle and peripheral nervous system diseases as well as gynecological disorders are treated at the resort. The area has a high-mountain climate which gives a moderately hot summer, and is snowy, but not intensely cold in winter. The dry air is an important factor in treatments. More than 30 species of herbs widely used in medicine grow in the resort area.
