Central Asia - Badakhshan - Tajikistan - Pamirs - Wakhan Valley - mountains - Langar - people - autumn - Vrang - animals - color - Pamiri House - Namadgut - trees - kids - Pamir Mountains - Pamir mountains - yellow - donkey -
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The ruins of the 12th-century Yamchun Fort against a beautiful backdrop of the Pamir Mountains. Another kilometer up the road, you'll find the delightful Bibi Fatima hot springs. The first dose of hot water we'd had in days. Taken in Tajikistan's Wakhan Valley.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
These kids led us around the shrine and Buddhist caves in the village of Vrang, Tajikistan. The girls spoke a little English, more Russian, better Tajik and fluent Wakhan languages. Not bad for 9 years old.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Taken in Langar, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
The elder sister here was studying English in Khorog while the younger sister tried to teach us Tajik and Wakhan the night before. ..Taken in Namadgut, Tajikistan..© www.uncorneredmarket.com
The few Pamiri houses we saw in Langar, Tajikistan, all had full cribs with crying babies...© www.uncorneredmarket.com
The view from the yard of the Pamiri House we visited in Langar, Tajikistan. Though the locals take it for granted, we were blown away by the layered landscape and how the autumn leaves play off the snow-capped mountains in the background. It's all about perspectives. Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
A kitty takes a nap between Dan's feet at the Pamiri house where we stayed overnight in Namadgut, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Our Kyrgyz driver, French co-travelers, American Audrey and Pamiri hosts. ..Taken in Namadgut, Tajikistan..© www.uncorneredmarket.com
An abandoned bus seems to fit in with the reds and yellows of the changing autumn leaves in the Wakhan Valley village of Vrang, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
This family in the village of Namadgut, Tajikistan took us in for the night. The mother had five daughters and one son. We suspect she continued to have children until a son was born.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
This woman greeted us in English, which surprised us, and then invited us into her home in Langar, Tajikistan. She had studied English for two years in Khorog and then became a teacher in the village school in Langar, but had to stop working when she got married. She was eager to practice her English and seemed excited to have engagement with someone outside her family.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
These two girls were from the village of Vrang in Tajikistan's Wakhan Valley...We were amazed to see the diversity of physical features in this region - from blue eyes and blond hair to darker, Persian-looking features. We were told the lighter features belong to descendants of Macedonians who arrived during the era of Alexander the Great. Absolutely amazing..© www.uncorneredmarket.com
We visited a traditional Pamiri home in the village of Langar, Tajikistan and were welcomed with fresh, homemade bread and warm milk literally straight from the cow (we saw her outside when we first walked in). The man seated was our host the previous night. He (and his children) have light hair and blue eyes, a visual surprise for us. We asked his roots and were told that Pamiris with lighter features are descended from Macedonians who settled in the area under Alexander the Great (300 BC). If true, those are some strong genes!Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Farmers get ready for winter in the Wakhan Valley village of Langar, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
A Pamiri woman attempts to keep her donkey and cows in order in the drying autumn fields of the Wakhan Valley, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
A baby donkey (Ishak, in Russian) is furry, hay-covered, and awkward. ..Donkeys are a prominent feature of Tajikistan's Wakhan Valley landscape...Taken in Langar, Tajikistan. Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
These young women carry water from a spring back to their homes...Almost nowhere in the Pamirs could you find running water. Fortunately, the Wakhan Valley had many mountain springs so you never had far to look...Taken in Langar, Tajikistan. Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Notice the Perestoika USSR clock. ..Taken in Langar, Tajikistan. Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Everyone told us we should have visited the Pamir Region of Tajikistan in the summer. But how can you beat views like this? ..Although a bit cold in the evenings, we were glad we visited in early October so that we could enjoy the Wakhan Valley in its multicolored, layered beauty.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Vrang, Tajikistan.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
Having spent a couple of days in the car driving along the Wakhan Valley, we wanted to spend some time outdoors enjoying the weather and scenery. A search for the perfect picnic spot yielded these views near the hot springs town of Garm Chashma in Tajikistan. Perfect. Read about our adventures in the Pamirs.
We were blessed with fresh snow on the mountains during our early October visit to the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan. ..Taken in Langar in the Wakhan Valley..© www.uncorneredmarket.com
Veronique's attempt at making the perfect animal balloon dog (or was it a bear?) while the Pamiri kids look on. They didn't quite get what the animals were supposed to be, but we still had fun...Taken at the Pamiri home where we stayed overnight in the village of Namadgut. The mother (of six) and village shopkeeper took us in for the night..© www.uncorneredmarket.com ..
Donkeys earn their keep in Tajikistan's Wakhan Valley.Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
The religion of the Wakhan Valley in Tajikistan is Ismailism, a breakaway sect of Shia Islam. Their revered leader is the Aga Khan; you'll see a photo of him in every Pamiri home. In addition to being a spiritual leader, the Aga Khan has invested and donated vast amounts of money in the region (both Tajikistan and Afghanistan).Read more about our adventures in the Pamirs.
