KULOB, June 20, 2013, Asia-Plus -- For Tajiks has decided to go on a walking tour of Asia.

Four residents of the Hamadoni district, Khatlon province – Abdulaziz Rajabov, 65, Sherali Zubaydov, 65, Sulton Kavgiyev, 58, and Rajabali Sulaymonov, 51 – set off on May 15 on a 3,500-kiloemter trek that will take them to four countries.  They are going to visit Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.

The head of the group, Aziz Rajabov, told Asia-Plus yesterday by mobile phone that they reached the Afghan city of Mazar-i Sharif.  According to him, they will reach Sri Lanka in two and half months if they walk 50 kilometers a day.            

We will recall that Abdulaziz Rajabov is one of two Tajiks who performed the Hajj on foot in 2012.  Last year, seven Tajik men decided to travel thousands of kilometers on foot to Saudi Arabia to perform the key Muslim obligation of the Hajj.

The group, led by Abdulaziz Rajabov, who already once traveled to Mecca on foot from Russia, began the journey in May.  Tajik authorities helped the men to get foreign visas for the journey.  The men, most of whom were in their 60s, pledged to walk all 4,600 kilometers, crossing at least four countries.  However, two of them cut short their journey and returned home, while three others decided to take a plane to Mecca from Iran.