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  • 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
  • Traditional PAmiri dance with a "daft", a Pamiri drum...Celebration of the "Roof of the World" festival taking place in summer, to celebrate traditions and music of Central Asia. Musical guests come to Khorog from almost all central asian countries...The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_63.jpg
  • Group of women dressed with traditional dresses. Celebration of the "Roof of the World" festival taking place in summer, to celebrate traditions and music of Central Asia. Musical guests come to Khorog from almost all central asian countries...The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_64.jpg
  • Old and addicted to opium for years, the elder woman at Bozoi's camp doesn't do much except taking care of the Kurut : a type of curd that is dried on top of the roof and is used in soups during the long winter months...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_0767_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Smoking coming out of the roof of a yurt. Dung is burned and used for cooking and heating. 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_0657_MM8120_120...jpg
  • A symbol on the roof of the yurt symbolizing a bow and arrow. Afghan Kyrgy are divided into several clans - each clan has its own symbol. Summer camp of Muqur, Er Ali Boi's place...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_0699_MM8120_120...jpg
  • The yarz or juniper tree can grow in altitudes up to 3800m. The inhalation of the smoke of burning juniper branches was once used to help shamans reach the world of "fairies". The tree still holds a special place in the heart of the Pamiri people..From Zan Kuk to Zardibar ("yellow door"). ..Trekking back down from the Little Pamir, with yak caravan, over the frozen Wakhan river.Trekking down and along the Wakhan river, the only way to exit the high altitude Little Pamir plateau, home of the Afghan Kyrgyz community.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0768_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_0591_MM8120_120...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...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_0588_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_0582_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_0577_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Tella Bu (the late Khan's youngest daughter) and her husband Daryo Boi, the shepherd of the camp. The Khan is the tribal leader of the Afghan Kyrgyz community..Inside Ikhbal's house - Ikhbal is the last wife of the late Khan. His two previous wives died in labor. The Afghan Kyrgyz community have the highest maternal mortality rate in the world, estimated at 30%.....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_0425_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Solar panels, usually set on the roof of mud houses, are wired to car batteries and then used to light bulbs or charge 2-way radios etc...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_156_IMG_2492.jpg
  • The yarz or juniper tree can grow in altitudes up to 3800m. The inhalation of the smoke of burning juniper branches was once used to help shamans reach the world of "fairies". The tree still holds a special place in the heart of the Pamiri people..From Zan Kuk to Zardibar ("yellow door"). ..Trekking back down from the Little Pamir, with yak caravan, over the frozen Wakhan river.
    98_Afghanistan_Pamir_228_IMG_3131.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
  • 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
  • ?We are untamed humans? Rahman proudly states. The Afghan Kyrgyz are unique among the five million or so Kyrgyz in the world in never having been collectivized under the auspices of a Communist government. .The origins of the Afghan Kyrgyz lie 4,000 kilometers away, in the upper Yenisei River valley of Siberia, where the first Kyrgyz Empire was established in A.D. 840. ..Inside Er Ali Boi's mud house..The Kyrgyz settlement of Ech Keli, above Chaqmaqtin lake, Er Ali Boi's camp...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_0353_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Detail of the roof frame of a yurt. Nassim packs his yurt. His 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_229.jpg
  • A horse and yak caravan approaches the frozen Wakhan river, the only way up to the Little Pamir, the abode of the Afghan Kyrgyz, one of the remotest high altitude community in the world.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0240_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_0584_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_0583_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
  • Khaltcha and Abdul Muttalib smoke opium several times a day - like approximately 20% of the Kyrgyz. ?We started smoking when we lost our first child? says Abdul, ?Every year, one of our children would die? - often from diseases easily treatable elsewhere. Only one, a son, survived to age five. Then he, too, passed away. ?We lost 11 children, we are unlucky?. In the Pamir, it is not unusual for parents to lose six or seven children. Most Kyrgyz are extremely unsentimental about death and dying and accept it as an unavoidable part of life. In 2007, Alex Duncan, a British doctor, collected data in the Afghan Pamir and established that child-under-five mortality there was 520 deaths per 1,000 live births (52% mortality), the world's highest rate. Main reasons to this are the intense isolation, the high altitude environment and no access to doctors or health clinics...The Kyrgyz settlement of Tchelab, near Chaqmaqtin lake, Haji Bootoo Boi's camp...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_0319_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Khaltcha and Abdul Muttalib smoke opium several times a day - like approximately 20% of the Kyrgyz. ?We started smoking when we lost our first child? says Abdul, ?Every year, one of our children would die? - often from diseases easily treatable elsewhere. Only one, a son, survived to age five. Then he, too, passed away. ?We lost 11 children, we are unlucky?. In the Pamir, it is not unusual for parents to lose six or seven children. Most Kyrgyz are extremely unsentimental about death and dying and accept it as an unavoidable part of life. In 2007, Alex Duncan, a British doctor, collected data in the Afghan Pamir and established that child-under-five mortality there was 520 deaths per 1,000 live births (52% mortality), the world's highest rate. Main reasons to this are the intense isolation, the high altitude environment and no access to doctors or health clinics...
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0317_MM8120_120...jpg
  • House of Abdul Muttalib (worked with Rahman Qul as shepherd), opium addict. Him and his wife have lost 11 kids, who all died before they age of 5. Infant mortality rate is one of the highest one in the world..The Kyrgyz settlement of Tchelab, near Chaqmaqtin lake, Haji Bootoo Boi's camp...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_0291_MM8120_120...jpg
  • The tomb of a child that recently died. The Afghan Pamir region has the world's highest child mortality rate (52% of kids before the age of 5 die). Kids born in winter have less chance of survival that those born in summer. Between Ortobil and Kyzyl Qorum...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_128.jpg
  • Old woman with colorful traditional dress. On July 11, Ismaili Muslims all over the world celebrate the anniversary of His Highness the Aga Khan as the 49th Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. ..On July 11, 1957, His Highness the Aga Khan became the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. His Highness is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad through his cousin and son-in-law, Ali, the first Imam, and his wife Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter...In the town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_30.jpg
  • A horse and yak caravan approaches the frozen Wakhan river, the only way up to the Little Pamir, the abode of the Afghan Kyrgyz, one of the remotest high altitude community in the world.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0241_MM8120_120...jpg
  • View of Khorog from the Botanical Garden, the second highest one in the world. ..The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_04.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 yurt's roof..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_434.jpg
  • Bibi Zohra is 15 years old. On her wedding night, she is kept hidden away from the gaze of the people coming into the celebration yurt. Marrying a man twice her age, she is soon expected to become pregnant. She faces a risky future. The mortality rate among Kyrgyz women during childbirth is unmercifully high, estimated at 30% - almost 500 times greater than in the developed world...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_0761_MM8120_120...jpg
  • A Kyrgyz Baby breastfeeding..The Afghan Pamir region has the world's highest child mortality rate (52% of kids before the age of 5 die). Kids born in winter have less chance of survival that those born in summer.
    98_Afghanistan_Pamir_079_2_IMG_0525.jpg
  • Bibi Zohra is 15 years old. On her wedding night, she is kept hidden away from the gaze of the people coming into the celebration yurt. Marrying a man twice her age, she is soon expected to become pregnant. She faces a risky future. The mortality rate among Kyrgyz women during childbirth is unmercifully high, estimated at 30% - almost 500 times greater than in the developed world...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_0758_MM8120_120...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
  • Inside Er Ali Boi's mud house. Pegich, Er Ali Boi's young wife (his 2 previous wives died in labor), is breastfeeding her new born baby. The Afghan Kyrgyz community have the world's highest child and maternal mortality rate..The Kyrgyz settlement of Ech Keli, above Chaqmaqtin lake, Er Ali Boi's camp...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_0355_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Kamol, 7 days old son of Er Ali Boi - Er Ali Boi's two previous wives died in labor. Afghan Kyrgyz community has the world's highest maternal mortality rate..The Kyrgyz settlement of Ech Keli, above Chaqmaqtin lake, Er Ali Boi's camp...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_0354_MM8120_120...jpg
  • A horse and yak caravan approaches the frozen Wakhan river, the only way up to the Little Pamir, the abode of the Afghan Kyrgyz, one of the remotest high altitude community in the world.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0239_MM8120_120...jpg
  • A horse and yak caravan approaches the frozen Wakhan river, the only way up to the Little Pamir, the abode of the Afghan Kyrgyz, one of the remotest high altitude community in the world.
    97_Afghanistan_Pamir_0238_MM8120_120...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
  • 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_200.jpg
  • Playing football by the Amu Daria river - Afghanistan, an other world, on the other side. In Khorog town, capital of the Pamir and home of the Ismaili community...Tajikistan and the Tajik Pamir mountains (province of Gorno Badakhshan), summer 2009.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_13.jpg
  • Portrait of a man with golden teeth in the Khorog bazaar..The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_52.jpg
  • Old lavatories. One of Khorog's primary school. The region has 98% literacy level...The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_31.jpg
  • A young girl named Altyn Aï in a yurt. The Afghan Kyrgyz have a 52% child mortality rate, the world's highest. ..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_0573_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Detail of the mustache of Haji Roshan, son of Abdul Rashid Khan, former Khan of the Little Pamir and current contested "Khan" of the Little Pamir..Kyzyl Qorum, campment of the former deceased Khan, Abdul Rashid Khan...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_154_IMG_1829.jpg
  • The winter mud house of the late Haji Abdul Rashid Khan, who died here in December 2009. He had led his people for 30 years at the time of his death. He was the last khan, not just among the Afghan Kyrgyz, but among any group of Kyrgyz, or Turkic-speakers, anywhere. His son recently took over the title of Khan. But being young and inexperienced, he has so far failed to rally his community...Kyzyl Qorum, campment of the former deceased Khan, Abdul Rashid Khan..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_102_2_IMG_0710.jpg
  • Tella Bu, one of the daughter of the late Khan, and her husband Daryo Boi, after unloading the yaks, piles up all his worldy goods at the new summer camp. This represents everything he owns...Moving with the Khan (chief) family. The couple of Tella Bu and Daryo Boi family arrive 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_0678_MM8120_120...jpg
  • All of the Khan's wordly goods. 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_0594_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Wakhi men and women inside a typical Wakhi house, belonging to Qatch Baig. Light comes from an opening in the roof. Sarhad village..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_506.jpg
  • Setting up the yurt of the Khan, the tribal leader, during yearly summer migration. Afghan Kyrgyz are semi-nomadic people..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_0596_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Worker of Pamir Energy. Photo shoot of facilities and personel of "Pamir Energy", the biggest energy company in Khorog town, providing electricity (hydroelectricity) to the whole region...The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_69.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
  • Kyrgyz girls slide large plastic jerry cans back to their family’s camp after hacking a hole in the frozen river to fetch water. Men handle herding and trading; much of the hard labor of daily life falls to the women.<br />
<br />
The Kyrgyz settlement of Tchelab, near Chaqmaqtin lake, Haji Bootoo Boi's camp.<br />
<br />
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.
    MM8120_120123_02655.jpg
  • Whip in mouth, a Kyrgyz man steers his horse 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.?..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_0750_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Abdul Rahman, father of the bride Ikhbal, roasting the sheep's head before cooking it for the guests..The veil celebration: before moving to her new husband's camp, Ikhbal, a recently married Kyrgyz girl, will exchange the red veil of the unmarried girl for the white veil signifying that she is now a married woman..The Kyrgyz settlement of Ech Keli, above Chaqmaqtin lake, Er Ali Boi's camp...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_0330_MM8120_120...jpg
  • A filed of Colza, also known as rapeseed, in the village of Sarhad...In Sarhad village, inhabited by Wakhis people. It is the end of the jeepable road in the Wakhan corridor, and the beginning of the trek up to the Little Pamir where the Afghan Kyrgyz live.
    96_Afghanistan_Wakhan_0063_MM8120_12...jpg
  • Moving with the Khan (chief) family. Tella Bu, daughter of the late Khan, is greeted, arriving from the Qyzyl Qorum winter 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_0670_MM8120_120...jpg
  • A red cloth is stuffed in the boot of all present at the funeral, a sign of respect for the person that recently died. Attending the funeral of Haji Osman Boi (one of the Rais-e Shura, a chief Council) in Andemin camp. ..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_0654_MM8120_120...jpg
  • The Khan's wife and daughter waiting while the yurt is being built..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_0600_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Western efforts to help the Kyrgyz, especially with health education and medicine have failed so far. Often, the pills given away to alleviate headaches and other pains end up as part of the opium kit - ground up they are used to increase the effect of the opium...The Kyrgyz settlement of Tchelab, near Chaqmaqtin lake, Haji Bootoo Boi's camp...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_0553_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Ooroon Boi, one of the son of the late Khan, needs to get his computer fixed (the only one up in the Pamir), which is impossible - the only place to get a new adapter is in Kabul, a-month trip away..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_0417_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Tella Bu (deceased Khan's youngest daughter - wearing the white veil) has epileptic seizures since 1 year. Kyrgyz think these are the work of Djinns, the local supernatural creatures. Chinor (left, red veil) watched on. .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_0428_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Overview with a boy playing on the fozen river beside Tchelap, one of the claimed source of the Oxus. The mountains in the far distance are in China..The Kyrgyz settlement of Tchelab, near Chaqmaqtin lake, Haji Bootoo Boi's camp...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_0308_MM8120_120...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_204.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_201.jpg
  • Matthieu Paley's pictures, gifted to the Kyrgyz over the years, hang on the wall of the Khan's mud house..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_0418_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Jim Boi preparing for prayer..In Jim Boi (son of Er Ali Boi) and Gul Soon's yurt. They are one of the very rare Kyrgyz still spending the whole winter in a yurt...The Kyrgyz settlement of Ech Keli, above Chaqmaqtin lake, Er Ali Boi's camp...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_0347_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Putting a rope through the nostrils of a yak, to lead him..At the shepherd place of Aq Jilga, one of the first Kyrgyz camp when you  arrive in the plateau. Near Bozoi Gumbaz...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_0270_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Aziz and his family. Aziz is one of the son of the late Khan, during one of his 3 daily opium smoking session, in his home. He is completely addicted, having smoked regularly since the last 8 years..Kyzyl Qorum, campment of the former deceased Khan, Abdul Rashid Khan..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_094_2_IMG_0844.jpg
  • Traditional Pamiri shoes. Roshorv village, in the Bartang valley...Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_56.jpg
  • Detail of dress. In Khorog town, capital of the Pamir and home of the Ismaili community...Tajikistan and the Tajik Pamir mountains (province of Gorno Badakhshan), summer 2009...The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_41.jpg
  • People and village of Garam Cheshma, nearby Khorog. Garam Cheshma has one of the most famous hotspring of the Pamir mountains...The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_08.jpg
  • A boiled goat is being prepared for the guests, during a wedding ceremony.<br />
The Kyrgyz settlement of Ech Keli, above Chaqmaqtin lake, Er Ali Boi's camp.<br />
<br />
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.
    MM8120_120127_04418.jpg
  • The Khan family has just emptied out their winter mud house. They are on their yearly migration to the southern part of the Plateau where they will stay in yurts for several months...At the Qyzyl Qorum camp, the Khan's (chief) winter camp...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_0578_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Visiting guests are preparing to leave after visiting Ikhbal, the recently married woman  moving for the first time to her husband's camp..She just exchanged the red veil of the unmarried girl for the white veil signifying that she is now a married woman...At the camp of Tash Seri (Mustafa Qol's camp)...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_0412_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Aziz, one of the son of the late Khan, during one of his 3 daily opium smoking session, in his home. He is completely addicted, having smoked regularly since the last 8 years..Kyzyl Qorum, campment of the former deceased Khan, Abdul Rashid Khan..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_090_IMG_0815.jpg
  • A waitress at the Serena hotel...The Khorog Serena Inn was Tajikistan's first hotel built at international standards of quality. It overlooks the Panj River, which divides Afghanistan from Tajikistan, right in the heart of the Pamir mountains, and nearby Khorog town...The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_72.jpg
  • Old phone. Photo shoot of facilities and personel of "Pamir Energy", the biggest energy company in Khorog town, providing electricity (hydroelectricity) to the whole region...The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_68.jpg
  • Trekking in remote Pamir mountains - over a high pass at 5100m, the Vrang Pass...Trekking over 3 high passes from the end of the Shokhdara valley (at a place called Jawshangoz) to Vrang village, in the Wakhan corridor. Near Khorog town...The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_33.jpg
  • Tourist and child taking a break on the Pamir highway - Afghanistan in the background. The Pamir Highway (M41) linking Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan and Khorog, capital of the p[rovince of Gorno Badakshan, in the heart of the Pamir mountains...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_32.jpg
  • It is late June and two of the Khan's daughter's venture outside their mud hut after a hailstorm at the family's autumn camp beside the Aksu river. The nomads sometimes stop here for a few weeks between migratory seasons if grass for their herds is too scarce at the summer or winter camps...Daily life at the Khan (chief) autumn camp (called Teramo Jai - place of Autumn), beside the Aksu river...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_0651_MM8120_120...jpg
  • In the kicthen making "nan", the flat bread. Daily life at the Khan (chief) summer camp of Kara Jylga...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_0635_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Kids are happy with the only football in the Afghan Pamir, brought by an anthropologist in 2010...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_0421_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Daryo Boi in front of Ikhbal's home. His dream is to own his house with wife Tella Bu..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_0453_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Ikhbal (15, Right) with her younger sister..The veil celebration: before moving to her new husband's camp, Ikhbal, a recently married Kyrgyz girl, will exchange the red veil of the unmarried girl for the white veil signifying that she is now a married woman...The Kyrgyz settlement of Ech Keli, above Chaqmaqtin lake, Er Ali Boi's camp...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_0331_MM8120_120...jpg
  • A Kyrgyz man, Haji Bootoo Boi's brother, is watching Kyrgystan channel on one of the few TV with satellite in the Little Pamir - car batteries are powered by solar energy and run the TV set. The equipment was bought in neighboring Pakistan, a week long journey with a yak caravan..The Kyrgyz settlement of Tchelab, near Chaqmaqtin lake, Haji Bootoo Boi's camp...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_0295_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Haji Bootoo Boi's daughters fetching water through a hole in the ice on the frozen river beside Tchelap, one of the claimed source of the Oxus..The Kyrgyz settlement of Tchelab, near Chaqmaqtin lake, Haji Bootoo Boi's camp...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_0288_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Details of shore of frozen Chakmaktin (meaning Flint Stone) Lake..In and around 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_186_IMG_2163.jpg
  • Chinor, daughter of Abdul Walli..In and around the campment of Kyzyl Qorum, campment of the former deceased Khan, Abdul Rashid Khan...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_159_IMG_1712.jpg
  • Statue of Stalin in a Pamiri house..The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_71.jpg
  • Portrait of Stalin in the local museum in Khorog, with socialist era object, a wildlife section etc...The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_70.jpg
  • Young girl and her lamb. Trekking up and down the Rivak valley, spending time in the high pasture etc. Nearby Khorog...The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_60.jpg
  • Typical welcoming dish: "Nan" (Flatbread) and fresh yoghurt from the high pasture. Tusion village..The road and villages along the Shakhdara river...The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_49.jpg
  • Road workers on the Afghan side, near Khorog..The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_36.jpg
  • Handcraft in a house of Panjshanbe, Langar village, in the Wakhan Corridor, Tajikistan side, in the Pamir mountains. Afghanistan is on the other side of the Panj river...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_28.jpg
  • Old phone on a chair. Road Police office. .Near Khorog...The town of Khorog (2200m), is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is situated in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Gunt and Panj rivers..The city is bounded to the south and to the north by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt rivers, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the river Panj, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus on the border with Afghanistan. Khorog is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city..Khorog is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organization Aga Khan Foundation providing almost the only source of cash income. Most of its inhabitants are Ismaili Muslims...Tajikistan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor..Tajikistan became a republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic..It was the first of the Central Asian republic to gain independence in December 1991.
    99_Tajikistan_Pamir_09_10.jpg
  • View of the summer camp of Muqur, Er Ali Boi's place. Behind the mountains in the distance is Tajikistan...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_0727_MM8120_120...jpg
  • A yak, weighing about 700 Kg is caught before being sheared.  It is impossible to overestimate the importance of livestock to the Kyrgyz. Not only do they provide for most of the Kyrgyz's subsistence needs and serve as the medium of trade that allows the Kyrgyz to procure all the other goods they require, but livestock are also one of the main determinants of social status. In the Afghan Pamir, livestock equals wealth and is more valuable than money..Summer camp of Muqur, Er Ali Boi's place...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_0697_MM8120_120...jpg
  • Ooroon Boi's family arriving to the summer camp during migration..Daily life at the Khan (chief) summer camp of Kara Jylga...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_0641_MM8120_120...jpg
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