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Christopher Wilton-Steer

Strictly speaking, the term ‘pamir’ refers to the region’s high grasslands, although the landscape is dominated by deep river valleys and rocky peaks, most of which were formed hundreds of millions of years ago. The highest summits in the region are found in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province, to the country’s east.

Also in Khorugh is the University of Central Asia, co-established by the governments of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan in 2017 to provide an education to the region’s remote mountainous communities.

One of the main towns in eastern Tajikistan, Khorugh is home to the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre, a place of worship and social gathering for the predominantly Ismaili Muslim population.

Traditional Tajik clothing offers a splash of colour in a landscape of muted browns and greys, and many locals don their finest garb for special occasions — in this case, the opening of a new tourism centre in Bulunkul. Here, travellers can arrange tours and guides for hiking, mountaineering or mountain biking.

The dusty Pamir Highway twists through rugged terrain and is one of the world’s highest, wildest and remotest roads. It’s not advised to travel in anything other than a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

To make a living in the Pamir Mountains, many women harvest Cashgora wool from local breeds of goat. It’s then gathered into yarns and exported, or used locally in the production of fabrics and handicrafts.

In the stark, yawning landscapes of the country’s far east, the Aksu River has become a reservoir. The waterway is used to power a hydroelectric station, which lies just out of shot, in the furrows of a valley. Nearby Murghab was without electricity until the station opened in 2018, and the township now runs on a reliably clean and affordable source of energy.

A yak stands in a pasture near the village of Bulunkul. With their long shaggy hair, yaks are a stolid symbol of Central Asia; hardy beasts that can endure temperatures as low as -40C during the winter months.

In the town of Murghab, a woman works on a loom to produce handicrafts that are sold to passing travellers with the support of the not-for-profit Aga Khan Foundation (valuable income in a region with limited economic opportunities and challenging geography).

A semi-nomadic Kyrgyz man in the town of Murghab, Tajikistan’s most easterly and remote outpost. He’s identifiable as Kyrgyz from the distinctive kalpak hat, commonly worn by Tajikistan’s northerly citizens.