Category Archive: Must visit places

Kalai Khumb

Kalai Khumb is a small village on the river Panj and one of the first settlements on the route to Pamir Highway after Dushanbe.

The unusual name of the village is translated from Persian as “Fortress on the Khumb” as there is a river Obikhumboi flowing into river Panj. Kalai-Khumb is an administrative center of the Darvaz district in Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous region.

The history of Kalai-Khumb began in the 15th century when the first fortress was built there. First, it was an outpost on the border of Pamir protecting the eastern side of the Temurids Empire. Later Kalai-Khumb became the capital of the independent Darvaz Khanate that existed until the end of the 19th century. It was a part of the Bukhara Khanate for some time, and during the Soviet rule, it turned into a regional center of the Gorno-Badakhshan region, part of the Tajik SSR. The last significant event in the history of Kalai-Khumb was the Afghan War during 1979-1989 when one of the troops crossing to Afghanistan was organized there.

Kalai-Khumb is located on the border with Afghanistan and there is one of the three bridges across river Panj. There used to be Sunday market near this bridge, where merchants arrived from Afghanistan. Though there is no such market in Kalai-Khumb now. Now Kalai-Khumb is a quiet town with few guesthouses and a decent hotel “Karon Palace” where live 1600 people.

Located at the height of 1200 m above sea level, Kalai-Khumb has a mild climate for such severe region as Pamir. Thus, travelers driving to Pamir Highway from Dushanbe usually make their first stop there.

Khorog

Khorog (a.k.aKhorugh, or Xoroq) is an administrative center of Gorno-Badakhshan region and the only city in Pamir. It is located approximately in the middle of the Pamir Highway: 600km to Dushanbe and 730km to Osh in Kyrgyzstan. In Khorog the Pamir highway branches out the northern road go along a deep mountain gorge straight to Murgab, and the southern one leads to the Vakhan corridor, the most picturesque part of the road, where historical monuments and picturesque villages have been preserved.

Thus, Khorugh is a touristic center of Pamir with all routes passing through it. Located at the height of 2200 meters above sea level, it is the highest city in Tajikistan.

There is no definite start in the history of Khorog. In this mountainous region, there was once a small state Shungan consisting of several fortresses scattered around. One of them called Kalai-Panjbar was located at the junction of rivers Gunt and Panj, exactly in the place of present Khorog. First, it was an independent mountain state; later in the 19th century it fell under the rule of the Bukhara Khanate, and in 1986 the territory was occupied by troops of the Russian Empire. During the “Great Game” between Russia and Great Britain, Russians tried to get control of Pamir, and built a road from Osh to Sary-Tash, then to Murghab and finally to Khorog. They organized a frontier post on the banks of river Panj and a small village of Khorog began to develop. At the beginning of the 20th century, with the arrival of the Soviet rule, Khorog became an administrative center of the Gorno-Badakhshan autonomy, and in 1928 received the status of the city. During the 20th century, it was a trading point on the Pamir Highway and still serves as such up to now.

Today Khorog is a real center of Gorno-Badakhshan. There is a trade road from China to Central Asia; it is also an indispensable point for all touristic routes around Pamir. There are 30 000 people living there, and the main part of locals confess Ismailism, one of the Shia branches of Islam. There are three educational institutes available for postsecondary students: Khorog State University, International University of Central Asia branch, and Aga-Khan Fund Lyceum. Tourism infrastructure is also gradually developing with few hotels and guesthouses, restaurants, internet cafes and others.

The most popular sight of Khorog is Pamir botanical garden. It was founded in 1940 for testing survival rate of different plants in the conditions of the mountain climate. According to official data, there were over 30000 kinds of plants tested, and as a result, the garden collection now includes around 4000 types of them. Pamir botanical garden is located not far from Khorog and opens an excellent panoramic view of the whole city.

Another well-known landmark of Khorog is a local history museum where you can learn a lot about the nature, history, and culture of the Gorno-Badakhshan region. The most interesting exhibit of this museum is a piano that in 1914 had been hand-carried for over a month by soldiers from Osh (Kyrgyzstan). In order to describe the complexity of the delivery, it is enough to say that road from Osh to Khorog is more than 700km with several 4000 m high mountain passes. The delivered piano was for the daughter of the frontier post commandant and the locals would come to listen to the players on this “unusual” instrument.

Today Khorog is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan. Surrounded by severe high mountains, Khorog is protected from strong winds and frosts. The city looks as a green oasis among abandoned mountain ridges. Thus, winters are mild, and summers are not too hot. Khorog is a great place to explore on the Pamir Highway and a must-see place if you wish to learn more about the Pamir track.

Wakhan River

Wakhan River is a branch of the Panj River along its upper length in Wakhan Valley

Want to see the picturesque views of the real nature witness the breathtaking look of the mountains with a snowy hat on them, beneath whom the blue water is flowing and inhale the extremely fresh air brought by the wind of the wild evergreen trees along the gorges in the branches of the river, you need to see Wakhan River!

 The river arises in the Hindu Kush. It is formed by the confluence of the Wakhjir River and the Bozai Darya near Kashch Goz .  Shortly thereafter, the Little Pamir comes to an end and the conjoined river contracts into a narrow, deep, rapid river, delimited by cliffs and steep hills. From here the banks have grown birch and juniper trees.