KHUAJND, August 26, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- A group of schoolchildren from the Sughd province, numbering 15 persons – winners of the Russian Language Olympiad from Chkalovsk, Qairoqqum, Khujand, Isfara and Bobojonghafurov, have returned from a tour of Russia’s Golden Ring.   

The Golden Ring is a ring of cities northeast of Moscow.  They formerly comprised the region known as Zalesye.  These ancient towns, which also played a significant role in the formation of the Russian Orthodox Church, preserve the memory of the most important and significant events in Russian history.  The towns have been called "open air museums" and feature unique monuments of Russian architecture of the 12th–18th centuries, including kremlins, monasteries, cathedrals, and churches.  These towns are among the most picturesque in Russia and prominently feature Russia''s famous onion domes.   

During the tour, Tajik schoolchildren visited Kostroma, Suzdal, Yaroslavl, Ples, Pereslavl-Zalesski and Rostov Velikiy and other towns of the Golden Ring.      

            The tour was organized for them by the Russian General Consulate in Khujand as part of Russia’s national program “Hello Russia!”