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  • Maland and our donkey on the way to Wakhjir valley, source of the Oxus river..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan valley, source of the Oxus river..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_384.jpg
  • Buzkachi (central asian horse game) season starts in winter in Tajikistan, Dushanbe. En route to Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_003.jpg
  • A narrow canyon. Trekking with yak herder Mohammad and Malang up the frozen Wakhan River, the only way up to the Little Pamir mountains, the extreme North-East of Afghanistan.<br />
Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_041.jpg
  • A soldier from Afghanistan Army smoke hashish while doing border patrol. In the border town of Ishkashim, on the Tajikistan - Afghanistan border. Hindukush mountains.
    96_Afghanistan_Wakhan_0055_MM8120_12...jpg
  • Soldiers from Afghanistan Army, doing border patrol. In the border town of Ishkashim, on the Tajikistan - Afghanistan border. Hindukush mountains.
    96_Afghanistan_Wakhan_0054_MM8120_12...jpg
  • Paper found on the ground of the only mosque in the Little Pamir (and highest one in Afghanistan!), built by Haji Osman, and used in the spring/autumn camp..On the way to Wakhjir valley, source of the Oxus river..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_562.jpg
  • Buzkachi (central asian horse game) season starts in winter in Tajikistan, Dushanbe. En route to Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_004.jpg
  • Portrait of Susaï (6 years old), Sultan's daughter..Campment of Tshar Tash (Haji Osman's camp), in the Wakhjir valley, at the source of the Oxus..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan valley, at the source of the Oxus..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_418.jpg
  • Sultan's family is getting water in the morning..Campment of Tshar Tash (Haji Osman's camp), in the Wakhjir valley, at the source of the Oxus..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan valley, at the source of the Oxus..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_396.jpg
  • Grabbing a headless goat is the goal of the game..Buzkachi (central asian horse game) season starts in winter in Tajikistan, Dushanbe. En route to Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_013.jpg
  • Buzkachi (central asian horse game) season starts in winter in Tajikistan, Dushanbe. En route to Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_009.jpg
  • Nomads by necessity, the Kyrgyz move seasonally across Afghanistan's Pamir, a high altitude plateau stuck between China, Tajikistan and Pakistan, where the world's highest mountain ranges converge..Today, the Khan's family is leaving for their summer camp. Everything they own needs to be tied to the back of yaks, including a dozen teapots, a cast-iron stove, a car battery, two solar panels, a yurt, and 43 blankets...Moving with the Khan (chief) family from the Qyzyl Qorum camp to the summer camp of Kara Jylga, on the south side of the wide Little Pamir plateau...Trekking through the high altitude plateau of the Little Pamir mountains (average 4200 meters) , where the Afghan Kyrgyz community live all year, on the borders of China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0583_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Kyrgyz men fight in a game of Buzkashi, a competition akin to polo?except a headless goat carcass takes the place of the ball. .Buzkachi is almost exclusively played during weddings..Probably one of the great pleasures in the life of a Kyrgyz man, Buzkashi is Afghanistan's national sport. The Kyrgyz call it ulak tartysh, or ?goat grabbing.?.At the wedding celebration at Kitshiq Aq Jyrga...Trekking through the high altitude plateau of the Little Pamir mountains (average 4200 meters) , where the Afghan Kyrgyz community live all year, on the borders of China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0748_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Nomads by necessity, the Kyrgyz move seasonally across Afghanistan's Pamir, a high altitude plateau stuck between China, Tajikistan and Pakistan, where the world's highest mountain ranges converge..Today, the Khan's family is leaving for their summer camp. Everything they own needs to be tied to the back of yaks, including a dozen teapots, a cast-iron stove, a car battery, two solar panels, a yurt, and 43 blankets...Moving with the Khan (chief) family from the Qyzyl Qorum camp to the summer camp of Kara Jylga, on the south side of the wide Little Pamir plateau...Trekking through the high altitude plateau of the Little Pamir mountains (average 4200 meters) , where the Afghan Kyrgyz community live all year, on the borders of China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0586_MM8120_120...jpg
  • An Muslim Ismaili shrine full of colorful flags, near Baba Tangi village. Driving up from Ishkashim town to Sarhad village, the end of the road in the Wakhan corridor, Afghanistan.
    96_Afghanistan_Wakhan_0060_MM8120_12...jpg
  • The famed singer Mir Maftoon (translates from Farsi to "King of Charms") who has played worldwide, performs at a local wedding. People dance. In the border town of Ishkashim, on the Tajikistan - Afghanistan border. Hindukush mountains.
    97_Afghanistan_Wakhan_036_0045_MM812...jpg
  • An overview of the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan. ..Flight with Kodiak plane from Kabul to Kret village (Wakhan Corridor), over the Panshir valley.
    98_Afghanistan_Wakhan_010_IMG_3078.jpg
  • The view around Kabul, capital of Afghanistan...Flight with Kodiak plane from Kabul to Kret village (Wakhan Corridor), over the Panshir valley.
    98_Afghanistan_Wakhan_003_IMG_2903.jpg
  • Only mosque in the Little Pamir (and highest one in Afghanistan!), built by Haji Osman, and used in the spring/autumn camp..On the way to Wakhjir valley, source of the Oxus river..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_387.jpg
  • Trekking with yak herder Mohammad and Malang up the frozen Wakhan River, the only way up to the Little Pamir mountains, the extreme North-East of Afghanistan.<br />
Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_053.jpg
  • Pegich, young wife of Er Ali Boi (married 2 years), the richest  "sane" man in Pamir, bakes bread. Er Ali Boi is one of the rare Kyrgyz to spend winter in a yurt.<br />
Campment of Esh Keli.<br />
Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_355.jpg
  • Six-year old Susaï is fetching water near camp in a spring claimed as one of the sources of the Oxus, also known as Amu Darya, Central Asia's largest river.  Its waters define most of Afghanistan's borders with other nations to the north..
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0717_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Kyrgyz men fight in a game of Buzkashi, a competition akin to polo?except a headless goat carcass takes the place of the ball. .Buzkachi is almost exclusively played during weddings..Probably one of the great pleasures in the life of a Kyrgyz man, Buzkashi is Afghanistan's national sport. The Kyrgyz call it ulak tartysh, or ?goat grabbing.?.At the wedding celebration
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0746_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Haji Roshan Khan smoking opium in his mud house, under of his daughter. A poster of Afghanistan's President Karzai hangs on the wall...At the Qyzyl Qorum camp. It is the camp of the now deceased Khan (Abdul Rashid Khan, died in December 2009), and headed by the self proclaimed young Haji Roshan Khan (his son). Opium addicted Haji Roshan was never officially stated Khan and is therefore not accepted as leader by the entire Kyrgyz community. Near the Afghan-China border...Trekking through the high altitude plateau of the Little Pamir mountains, where the Afghan Kyrgyz community live all year, on the borders of China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0424_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Karl Marx Peak rises to 6,723 m (22,057 ft) in the Shakhdara Range in Pamir Mountains, in the south-west of Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (eastern part of Ishkashim district), just north of the Panj River and the Afghanistan border...Flight with Kodiak plane from Kabul to Kret village (Wakhan Corridor), over the Panshir valley.
    98_Afghanistan_Wakhan_007_IMG_3056.jpg
  • The view over Kabul, capital of Afghanistan...Flight with Kodiak plane from Kabul to Kret village (Wakhan Corridor), over the Panshir valley.
    98_Afghanistan_Wakhan_001_IMG_2864.jpg
  • An old shelter for travelers on the ancient Silk Road. Trekking up the frozen Wakhan River, the only way up to the Little Pamir mountains, the extreme North-East of Afghanistan.<br />
Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_054.jpg
  • Portrait of Marbet (7 years old), returning from looking over sheep outside. Her red cheecks are due to cold weather.<br />
Campment of Tshar Tash (Haji Osman's camp), in the Wakhjir valley, at the source of the Oxus.<br />
Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_411.jpg
  • Nomads by necessity, the Kyrgyz move seasonally across Afghanistan's Pamir, a high altitude plateau stuck between China, Tajikistan and Pakistan, where the world's highest mountain ranges converge..Today, the Khan's family is leaving for their summer camp. Everything they own needs to be tied to the back of yaks, including a dozen teapots, a cast-iron stove, a car battery, two solar panels, a yurt, and 43 blankets...Moving with the Khan (chief) family from the Qyzyl Qorum camp to the summer camp of Kara Jylga, on the south side of the wide Little Pamir plateau...Trekking through the high altitude plateau of the Little Pamir mountains (average 4200 meters) , where the Afghan Kyrgyz community live all year, on the borders of China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0591_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Nomads by necessity, the Kyrgyz move seasonally across Afghanistan's Pamir, a high altitude plateau stuck between China, Tajikistan and Pakistan, where the world's highest mountain ranges converge..Today, the Khan's family is leaving for their summer camp. Everything they own needs to be tied to the back of yaks, including a dozen teapots, a cast-iron stove, a car battery, two solar panels, a yurt, and 43 blankets...Moving with the Khan (chief) family from the Qyzyl Qorum camp to the summer camp of Kara Jylga, on the south side of the wide Little Pamir plateau...Trekking through the high altitude plateau of the Little Pamir mountains (average 4200 meters) , where the Afghan Kyrgyz community live all year, on the borders of China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0587_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Baba Tangi village below Baba Tangi peak. Driving up from Ishkashim town to Sarhad village, the end of the road in the Wakhan corridor, Afghanistan.
    96_Afghanistan_Wakhan_0058_MM8120_12...jpg
  • A custom officer stamps a passport, on the entry point into Afghanistan, from Tajikistan, at the town of Ishkashim.
    97_Afghanistan_Wakhan_036_0036_MM812...jpg
  • Malang Daryo (Wakhi guide and first climber on Noshaq, Afghanistan's highest mountain)..In Zardibar. .Trekking back down from the Little Pamir, with yak caravan, over the frozen Wakhan river.
    98_Afghanistan_Pamir_237_2_IMG_3284.jpg
  • In Tajikistan, on the road to the end of Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor. Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_017.jpg
  • Tchpendoz, Buzkachi player..Buzkachi (central asian horse game) season starts in winter in Tajikistan, Dushanbe. En route to Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_016.jpg
  • Buzkachi (central asian horse game) season starts in winter in Tajikistan, Dushanbe. En route to Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_012.jpg
  • Buzkachi (central asian horse game) season starts in winter in Tajikistan, Dushanbe. En route to Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_010.jpg
  • Nomads by necessity, the Kyrgyz move seasonally across Afghanistan's Pamir, a high altitude plateau stuck between China, Tajikistan and Pakistan, where the world's highest mountain ranges converge..Today, the Khan's family is leaving for their summer camp. Everything they own needs to be tied to the back of yaks, including a dozen teapots, a cast-iron stove, a car battery, two solar panels, a yurt, and 43 blankets...Moving with the Khan (chief) family from the Qyzyl Qorum camp to the summer camp of Kara Jylga, on the south side of the wide Little Pamir plateau...Trekking through the high altitude plateau of the Little Pamir mountains (average 4200 meters) , where the Afghan Kyrgyz community live all year, on the borders of China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0592_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Nomads by necessity, the Kyrgyz move seasonally across Afghanistan's Pamir, a high altitude plateau stuck between China, Tajikistan and Pakistan, where the world's highest mountain ranges converge..Today, the Khan's family is leaving for their summer camp. Everything they own needs to be tied to the back of yaks, including a dozen teapots, a cast-iron stove, a car battery, two solar panels, a yurt, and 43 blankets...Moving with the Khan (chief) family from the Qyzyl Qorum camp to the summer camp of Kara Jylga, on the south side of the wide Little Pamir plateau...Trekking through the high altitude plateau of the Little Pamir mountains (average 4200 meters) , where the Afghan Kyrgyz community live all year, on the borders of China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0581_MM8120_120...jpg
  • A Wakhi man doing irrigation work in the Wakhan Corridor, near the town of Khandud. Driving up from Ishkashim town to Sarhad village, the end of the road in the Wakhan corridor, Afghanistan.
    96_Afghanistan_Wakhan_0056_MM8120_12...jpg
  • The Khan family on horse back. Nomads by necessity, the Kyrgyz move seasonally across Afghanistan's Pamir, a high altitude plateau stuck between China, Tajikistan and Pakistan, where the world's highest mountain ranges converge..Today, the Khan's family is leaving for their summer camp. Everything they own needs to be tied to the back of yaks, including a dozen teapots, a cast-iron stove, a car battery, two solar panels, a yurt, and 43 blankets...
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0589_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Nomads by necessity, the Kyrgyz move seasonally across Afghanistan's Pamir, a high altitude plateau stuck between China, Tajikistan and Pakistan, where the world's highest mountain ranges converge..Today, the Khan's family is leaving for their summer camp. Everything they own needs to be tied to the back of yaks, including a dozen teapots, a cast-iron stove, a car battery, two solar panels, a yurt, and 43 blankets...Moving with the Khan (chief) family from the Qyzyl Qorum camp to the summer camp of Kara Jylga, on the south side of the wide Little Pamir plateau...Trekking through the high altitude plateau of the Little Pamir mountains (average 4200 meters) , where the Afghan Kyrgyz community live all year, on the borders of China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0579_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Roshan (foreground), 27 years old, is the son of the late Abdul Rashid Khan, the former tribal leader of the Afghan Pamir. Abdul Rashid Khan was the last khan, not just among the Afghan Kyrgyz, but among any group of Kyrgyz, or Turkic-speakers, anywhere in the world. Roshan is now the current contested "Khan" of the 1100 Afghan Kyrgyz living year round in total seclusion on the Roof of the World at 14.000 feet. Many of them would like to transit to a democratic system - like the rest of Afghanistan - and refuse his authority..His wife is returning from fetching water with the family donkey. Temperature is of -25 F that day...Unique among the Turkic-speaking people, the Afghan Kyrgyz were never collectivized under a colonial power or encapsulated by any state...Trekking with yak caravan through the Little Pamir where the Afghan Kyrgyz community live all year, on the borders of China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
    98_Afghanistan_Pamir_163_IMG_1837.jpg
  • Going to school, in Kret village, Wakhan Corridor, Afghanistan.
    98_Afghanistan_Wakhan_032_IMG_3658.jpg
  • Dildor Shah (older brother). One family..Many Wakhis are blue eyed. Some say descendant of Alexander the Great..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_539.jpg
  • Relatives of the groom, at the bride's house in Khandut. Wedding celebration of Dodé Khuda..Wakhi wedding ceremonies usually takes place in the winter months. The Wakhi do most of their business with Afghan Kyrgyz..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_524.jpg
  • Poor Badakhshi man, opium dealer, met on the frozen river, on his way to selling drugs and other trinkets to the Kyrgyz..Trekking with Wakhi companion Malang down the frozen Wakhan River, the only way up and down to the Little Pamir..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_455.jpg
  • Sheep body heat creates this fog in the early morning, as temperature are close to -30..Campment of Tshar Tash (Haji Osman's camp), in the Wakhjir valley, at the source of the Oxus..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_392.jpg
  • Many animals, such as this donkey, die towards late winter, when they are weak. .Campment of second Sary Tash. Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_226.jpg
  • Naeem Man's mum (Nassim's brother's wife) looking outside in the early morning..Campment of Sary Tash..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_189.jpg
  • Campment of Sary Tash..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_181.jpg
  • Husband and wife that lost their 9 sons. Past Tchelab campment..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_171.jpg
  • Every morning, the girls from the Khan's camp are in charge of getting water all throughout winter in sub zero temperature. They have to dig hole in the ice to hope and find the spring that always freezes overnight..Qyzyl Qorum campment, Abdul Rashid Khan's camp (leader of the Afghan Kyrgyz). .Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_141.jpg
  • Every morning, the girls from the Khan's camp are in charge of getting water all throughout winter in sub zero temperature. They have to dig hole in the ice to hope and find the spring that always freezes overnight..Qyzyl Qorum campment, Abdul Rashid Khan's camp (leader of the Afghan Kyrgyz). .Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_135.jpg
  • Grabbing a headless goat is the goal of the game..Buzkachi (central asian horse game) season starts in winter in Tajikistan, Dushanbe. En route to Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_015.jpg
  • Kyrgyz men fight in a game of Buzkashi, a competition akin to polo?except a headless goat carcass takes the place of the ball. .Buzkachi is almost exclusively played during weddings..Probably one of the great pleasures in the life of a Kyrgyz man, Buzkashi is Afghanistan's national sport. The Kyrgyz call it ulak tartysh, or ?goat grabbing.?.At the wedding celebration at Kitshiq Aq Jyrga...Trekking through the high altitude plateau of the Little Pamir mountains (average 4200 meters) , where the Afghan Kyrgyz community live all year, on the borders of China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0749_MM8120_120...jpg
  • An Afghanistan Border Police soldeir is patrolling the borders between Tajikistan and China. His equipment is carried by a donkey...Trekking through the high altitude plateau of the Little Pamir mountains (average 4200 meters) , where the Afghan Kyrgyz community live all year, on the borders of China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0570_MM8120_120...jpg
  • All the authorisation papers needed to embark on an expedition in the Afghan Pamir - No computers, so everything is done by hand..In the border town of Ishkashim, on the Tajikistan - Afghanistan border. Hindukush mountains.
    97_Afghanistan_Wakhan_036_0039_MM812...jpg
  • Kyrgyz men seek shelter in a shepherd's cave during the icy five-day trek down from their mountainous homeland to the nearest trading village in Afghanistan. They will barter livestock, wool, and dairy products for everything from tea to television sets...In Zan Kuk. .Trekking back down from the Little Pamir, with yak caravan, over the frozen Wakhan river.
    98_Afghanistan_Pamir_222_2_IMG_3071.jpg
  • School book. Going to school, in Kret village, Wakhan Corridor, Afghanistan.
    98_Afghanistan_Wakhan_033_IMG_3662.jpg
  • Interesting stone arrangement. .Campment of Tshar Tash (Haji Osman's camp), in the Wakhjir valley, at the source of the Oxus..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan valley, at the source of the Oxus..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_445.jpg
  • Campment of Tshar Tash (Haji Osman's camp), in the Wakhjir valley, at the source of the Oxus..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan valley, at the source of the Oxus. Mountain in the distance is called Kamansu: right is to Misgar Valley in Pakistan, left is into China..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_388.jpg
  • Malang (Afghanistan's number one climber) and Matthieu Paley, photographer..Going back down to Sarhad village with a yak caravan led by 2 Wakhi traders: Shur Ali and Roz Ali...Trekking down the Wakhan frozen river, the only way down to leave the high altitude Little Pamir plateau, home of the Afghan Kyrgyz community.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0490_MM8120_120...jpg
  • An Muslim Ismaili shrine full of colorful flags, near Baba Tangi village. Driving up from Ishkashim town to Sarhad village, the end of the road in the Wakhan corridor, Afghanistan.
    96_Afghanistan_Wakhan_0059_MM8120_12...jpg
  • Foreigner registration procedure. In the border town of Ishkashim, on the Tajikistan - Afghanistan border. Hindukush mountains.
    97_Afghanistan_Wakhan_036_0038_MM812...jpg
  • Malang Daryo (Wakhi guide and first climber on Noshaq, Afghanistan's highest mountain) playing with a  Bactrian camel..Ech Keli, Er Ali Boi's camp, one of the richest Kyrgyz in the Little Pamir..Trekking with yak caravan through the Little Pamir where the Afghan Kyrgyz community live all year, on the borders of China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
    98_Afghanistan_Pamir_051_IMG_0015.jpg
  • Campment of the "second" Sary Tash. Ustad's Ghulam's camp..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_235.jpg
  • Wakhi family. .Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_555.jpg
  • Niaz Ali, secretary of Abdul Rashid Khan, in the Pamir since 22 years. Doing thread with yak hair..Wakhis outside in Sarhad, the first village coming down from the Little Pamir. .Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_500.jpg
  • Wakhi winter shepherds known as "Shpunds" arriving at their settlement of Kher Metek, on the edge of the Little Pamir. They often look over Kyrgyz sheep and yak herds for payment in animals. .Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_470.jpg
  • Maland and our donkey on the way our of to Wakhjir valley, source of the Oxus river..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_419.jpg
  • Girl learning to read Koran at Haji Osman:Bibi Hawa (11 yrs old) and Marbet (6) . They start learning at 6 years old. They are taught only in winter 3 months/year..Campment of Tshar Tash (Haji Osman's camp), in the Wakhjir valley, at the source of the Oxus..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_403.jpg
  • One of the sheep herd of the richest man in the Pamir, Afendi Boi, is taken out early morning by Mirzo, hired Wakhi shepherd. Afendi Boi has 2000 goats (before, had 5000!), 500 yaks, 3 horses and gold..Campment of Burgut Yor (Afendi Boi's camp, completely addicted to opium)..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_381.jpg
  • Passing Kyrgyz tumbs. .Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_341.jpg
  • Mussadiq's brother..Campment of Tash Seri..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_295.jpg
  • Ghulam Ustad's sons looking for their sheep herd's return..Campment of the "second" Sary Tash. Ustad's Ghulam's camp..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_247.jpg
  • Nassim's young wife died recently. He himself almost died from pneumonia. He must move to his brother's campment with his young daughter so his wife's brother takes care of him..Campment of the "second" Sary Tash. Ustad's Ghulam's camp..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_241.jpg
  • Portrait of Ustad Ghulam..Campment of the "second" Sary Tash. Ustad's Ghulam's camp..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_234.jpg
  • Looking for the lamb in the evening. Wolf attack on livestock is common..Campment of the "second" Sary Tash. Ustad's Ghulam's camp..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_224.jpg
  • 10 days old Gul Ash is being fed boiled yak milk by her mum (Kelt Baig's Wife), whose nipples are too painful to breast feed. Gul Ash died 4 days later, as infant can not digest rich yak milk. The mum has had 10 pregancy in her life. Only 1 son lived (Mohammed Achim), she lost 9 children, 5 daughters, 4 sons. This is found quite commonly in the Little Pamir. The Afghan Kyrgyz community has the highest infant mortality in the world (estimated at 30%). .Campment of Sary Tash..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_203.jpg
  • Kelt Baig, whose wife lost 9 child out of 10 pregnancy..Campment of Sary Tash..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_197.jpg
  • Leaflet promoting vote for a Democratic afghanistan, on the wall of a mud house of an Afghan Kyrgyz in the Afghan Pamir.
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_193.jpg
  • Naeem Man, young Boy, leaving early morning to herd the yaks for the day..Campment of Sary Tash..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_182.jpg
  • Woman and her child at the campment of Tash Seri..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_173.jpg
  • Every evening, Kyrgyz men and women gather their yak herds back to their camp..Qyzyl Qorum campment, Abdul Rashid Khan's camp (leader of the Afghan Kyrgyz). .Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_158.jpg
  • Portrait of Mujaheed, one of the Khan's younger son, who will get married in summer 2008. He is 15 years old. Qyzyl Qorum campment, Abdul Rashid Khan's camp (leader of the Afghan Kyrgyz). .Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_151.jpg
  • A failed Afghanistan-Pakistan joined project: a bus equipped like a portable clinic / hospital, that was driven with special authorization (over the guarded border), across the flat expanse on the Tajikistan side into Afghanistan Little Pamir, to the Khan camp of Qyzyl Qorum. Getting nurses and doctor to stay year long in the Afghan Pamir proved impossible and the bus was left abandonned to rot.
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_114.jpg
  • Border guards at the Tajik/Afghan border, where most of the opium and heroin found in Western countries goes through. On the road to the end of the Wakhan Corridor.Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_18.jpg
  • Buzkachi (central asian horse game) season starts in winter in Tajikistan, Dushanbe. En route to Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor.
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_002.jpg
  • A goat and sheep herd is leaving in the morning. Wolf attack on livestock is common and shepherd are often armed.<br />
<br />
Campment of the "second" Sary Tash. Ustad's Ghulam's camp.<br />
Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_216.jpg
  • Portrait of Momo, who will marry one of Abdul RAshid Khan's daughter. <br />
Inside house of Abdul Rashid Khan.<br />
Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_89.jpg
  • Twice a day, young Ayeem Khan milks the family's yaks in Afghanistan's Pamir mountains. Some of the milk curd will be dried for use in winter, when yaks give less.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0719_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Kyrgyz men fight in a game of Buzkashi, a competition akin to polo?except a headless goat carcass takes the place of the ball. .Buzkachi is almost exclusively played during weddings..Probably one of the great pleasures in the life of a Kyrgyz man, Buzkashi is Afghanistan's national sport. The Kyrgyz call it ulak tartysh, or ?goat grabbing.?.At the wedding celebration at Kitshiq Aq Jyrga...Trekking through the high altitude plateau of the Little Pamir mountains (average 4200 meters) , where the Afghan Kyrgyz community live all year, on the borders of China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0745_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Nomads by necessity, the Kyrgyz move seasonally across Afghanistan's Pamir, a high altitude plateau stuck between China, Tajikistan and Pakistan, where the world's highest mountain ranges converge..Today, the Khan's family is leaving for their summer camp. Everything they own needs to be tied to the back of yaks, including a dozen teapots, a cast-iron stove, a car battery, two solar panels, a yurt, and 43 blankets...Moving with the Khan (chief) family from the Qyzyl Qorum camp to the summer camp of Kara Jylga, on the south side of the wide Little Pamir plateau...Trekking through the high altitude plateau of the Little Pamir mountains (average 4200 meters) , where the Afghan Kyrgyz community live all year, on the borders of China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0576_MM8120_120...jpg
  • A young Wakhi man jumps over a river. Driving up from Ishkashim town to Sarhad village, the end of the road in the Wakhan corridor, Afghanistan.
    96_Afghanistan_Wakhan_0057_MM8120_12...jpg
  • A Worker of the Aga Khan Foundation - as followers of the tolerant Ismaili branch of islam, they are often victims of  agressions from Islamic hardliners. In the border town of Ishkashim, on the Tajikistan - Afghanistan border. Hindukush mountains.
    97_Afghanistan_Wakhan_036_0043_MM812...jpg
  • Portrait of a porter in the border town of Ishkashim, on the Tajikistan - Afghanistan border. Hindukush mountains.
    97_Afghanistan_Wakhan_036_0042_MM812...jpg
  • Kyrgyz men seek shelter in a shepherd's cave during the icy five-day trek down from their mountainous homeland to the nearest trading village in Afghanistan. They will barter livestock, wool, and dairy products for everything from tea to television sets...
    98_Afghanistan_Pamir_221_2_IMG_3046.jpg
  • Portrait of Dodé Khuda. Flour has been thrown on his coat, a Wakhi tradition, for the couple prosperity. Wedding celebration of Dodé Khuda, at Safar Boi house, in Tchehel-Kand village..Wakhi wedding ceremonies usually takes place in the winter months. The Wakhi do most of their business with Afghan Kyrgyz..Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_519.jpg
  • Wakhis on their way to a wedding on horseback, below a 4000m mountain scree..Near Sarhad, the first village coming down from the Little Pamir. .Winter expedition through the Wakhan Corridor and into the Afghan Pamir mountains, to document the life of the Afghan Kyrgyz tribe. January/February 2008. Afghanistan
    99_Afghanistan_Wakhan_Pamir_08_502.jpg
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