The Pamir Hwy, Kyrgyzstan
We left the Pamir Highway, turned sharply south, and entered the Wakhan Corridor. This is the border area between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Visiting it requires a special permit from the authorities that all of us obtained before entering Tajikistan. The Wakhan Valley, or Wakhan corridor, is a narrow strip of land between the Pamir mountains and the Hindu Kush. It was part of the ancient Silk Road. Few people come to this area these days, however it is worth visiting – the views are fantastic, the emptiness of this place only adds to its allure.
We stopped in the village of Yamg to visit the museum of Sufi Mubarak-i Wakhani, (1839-1903), a Persian (Tajik) mystic poet, musician, astronomer, and Ismaili religious scholar, who spent all his life in this village. The museum curator was glad to receive rare visitors to this part of this world. He told us about Sufi Mubarak and in detail, about the traditional house. The curator spoke Russian, the common language in Tajikistan, and I interpreted for the group.
Our next stop was at Yamchun Fort built in 300 BC. Back then the Silk Road was a popular trade route, a number of fortresses stood there to protect the caravans. Miraculously, Yamchun Fort survived, it is the best preserved fortification on the road.
We drove higher up in the mountains and stopped at Bibi Fatima Zahra hot spring for a bath. There, the guys went to the male area of the baths and the ladies to female. We took off all clothes and immersed our naked bodies into natural hot spring water in a small pool where a few local women were already sitting. I finally was able to scrub myself clean from the dust that embedded itself into every tiny crease of my skin. The showers in the guest houses where we stayed were only good for a quick rinse.
We had lunch and went to see another fortress, Kah-Kakha. It was more ruined and less interesting than Yamchun but the view from the top was spectacular and worth the climb. We were staying that night in a small town of Ishkashim. There was plenty of time before dinner and the group took a walk around the town. One man spotted a hairdresser’s sign and decided to have a haircut. We rang the doorbell. The owner at once appeared from the living part of his house and unlocked the shop. He did a good job, professionally and quickly, all for just $2. The barber liked our group so much that he kept inviting us to his house to share home-baked bread with us. Unfortunately, we had to decline as dinner for us was already ordered at the restaurant.
