Wakhan Adventure

Dushanbe
The relatively modern town of Dushanbe only became important during the Soviet era, when it was made the capital of the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and given the unfortunate name of Stalinabad – something that was quickly changed after Stalin’s death. Its name means ‘Monday’ in the Tajik language, arising from the fact that this was the day that the market was held when Dushanbe was still a small village. The ousted Emir of Bukhara, fleeing from the Bolsheviks, stayed in Dushanbe and cooperated with Enver Pasha’s Basmachis in resistance against the Russians; from Dushanbe, he fled to Afghanistan in 1921, the year the town was freed from the Basmachis as well. Dushanbe is characterised by wide boulevards and Soviet style architecture, although in recent years much construction has taken place and the city is starting to modernise. Not to be missed is the excellent Museum of National Antiquities which holds a wide array of archaeological finds from the region, the most impressive of which is the 13 metre long sleeping Buddha which was excavated in 1966.

The Pamir Mountains
The Pamir Mountains connect the Himalaya, Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Tien Shan ranges, and spread between Pakistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and China. A vast wilderness of glaciers and peaks, it is home to both fascinating wildlife and intriguing ethnic groups, living in isolated valleys and with distinct cultures and customs that have developed separately from anywhere else. The majority of the people who live here are Ismaili but over the years the region has been home to Buddhist civilisations, Russians and others. The region formed rather a blank gap during the ‘Great Game’ with Russian and British explorers sent to secretly probe the area with a view to claiming it for their respective empires. Wildlife here includes the enigmatic snow leopard, the Marco Polo sheep with its enormous horns, wolves and bear. The three highest peaks are over 7000 metres but there are another forty over 6000 metres, giving this a good claim to being the roof of the world.

Khorog
Khorog is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) and by far the largest town in the region, although not huge by other standards. During the time of the ‘Great Game’, the 19^th century contest of imperial rivalries between Russia and Britain, the town was claimed by both powers as well as the emirate of Bukhara, although eventually fell under Russian control when the extent of their empire was agreed as the Panj River, which forms part of the current border with Afghanistan. It is home to the second highest botanical garden in the world (after another in Yunnan, China) as well as the first car to cross the Pamirs, and a meeting place for the many different groups that live in this part of the region.

The Pamir Highway
The Pamir Highway is undoubtedly one of the world’s most spectacular roads, carving a route through some of the highest peaks on our planet and linking Dushanbe to Osh in Kyrgyzstan. Don’t be fooled by the name – it usually consists of just one lane and the terrain that it passes through means that travel is often slow, especially if you’re behind a truck, but this gives you all the more opportunity to savour the breathtaking scenery. It has been used for centuries, forming one of the routes of the Silk Road, and today brings goods from Kyrgyzstan and China to remote outposts, and onwards to Dushanbe and Afghanistan.

Wakhan Corridor
With Tajikistan to the north and Pakistan to the south, the deep valley of the Wakhan Corridor was a result of the ‘Great Game’ of the 19^th century, when the British and Russian Empires fought for influence in Central Asia and formed the area as a buffer zone. This narrow but vast strip of land is around 200 miles long and one of the most remote places on Earth. With its snowcapped peaks, pristine blue lakes and sweeping valleys, the Afghan Pamir boasts some of the world’s most spectacular scenery and an interesting history due to its significant role in the Silk Road trade.

Around 12,000 Wakhi people live here in remote villages along the Panj River, cultivating wheat, barley, peas and potatoes. The Wakhi are recognised for their sophisticated farming techniques and most locals own a few sheep and a cow. Herders spend winters in their geshlaq (village), while summers are spent in aylaqs (summer camps) with their flocks. The Wakhi have an unusual custom of building houses over the graves of the dead, and they themselves live in houses made from mudbrick. Although visitors are rare here, each village has a shah or ‘king’ responsible for accommodating travellers, and Wakhi people are known for their generous hospitality.