Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
VRANG ВРАНГ
On an obvious salt-bleached patch of moun-
tainside directly behind Vrang is a five-level
stone monument claimed to be an ancient
Buddhist¨stupa , though it looks more like
a miniature ziggurat (stepped pyramid).
From the green, unusually big (if feebly
stocked) Vakhon shop, walk 200m north
then follow the watercourse past an attrac-
tive garden. The stupa is directly above but
the path does a 15-minute double-back. Far
harder to reach are the dozens of hermit
caves in the crumbling cliff-face across the
chasm from the stupa.
Homestay¨Rano ( % 93-771 12 01; Vrang; per
person US$15) is on the main road facing the
stupa area, but with a vehicle you might pre-
fer Jahonbegim¨Zevarova's¨place ( % 93-
859 22 77; Vrang; per person US$12) , 1.5km east
with its impressive tree-trunk timbers and
tree-lined avenue approach.
WAKHAN¨VALLEY¨
TRANSPORT
Ishkashim has transport to Khorog
(40TJS, three hours) motly in the
mornings. Shared taxis from Langar
drive to Khorog on Mondays and Fri-
days returning the next day except
when continuing to Dushanbe (thrice
monthly). Especially at weekends locals
drive to Bibi Fatema via Yamchun ofer-
ing some hitching potential though we
met several people who'd already been
waiting a day for a ride. From Lan-
gar to Bulunkul even seasoned hitch-
hikers sometimes resort to chartering
(US$110). Renting a decent 4WD for a
multiday Khorog-Murgab trip via the
Wakhan cots from around US$400.
is Charshanbe¨ Sultonasainov's¨ place
( % 93-830 52 39; Vichkut; half-board US$15) . It's
2km down the hairpins from the castle en-
trance, in an unmarked garden with great
valley views as you walk to the toilet.
Tucked behind a hut-shack just a three-
minute walk west of the castle, Kurbanasai¨
Homestay ( % 93-876 81 80; per person 50TJS) is
simple but has views and a covered topchan .
There are four newly built, simple 'hotels'
within 300m of the Bibi Fatima Springs of
which well-kept Bomi¨Johani (Bibi Fatima;
per person 25som) is the most appealing with
a good shared kitchen and views from the
dining terrace.
ZONG
The ruined Afghan citadel of Qala-e¨Panja ,
once the largest settlement in the Wakhan,
is visible across the river near Zugband,
some 10km before Langar. At Zong , 5km
further east, Abrashim¨(Vishim)¨Qala (the
Silk Fortress) was built to guard this branch
of the Silk Road from Chinese and Afghan
invaders. The fort offers perhaps the most
scenic views of all those in the valley. From
Mauluda¨Barieva's¨homestay (Zong; per per-
son 50som) , signed near Zong's western edge,
the ruins are a steep one-hour hike straight
up (half an hour back).
YAMG ЯМГ
Some 500m off the main road in Yamg is
the reconstructed house¨museum ( % 93-
456 55 19; Yamg; admission 10TJS; h by request)
of Sufi mystic, astronomer and musician
Mubarak Kadam Wakhani (1843-1903).
One room contains typical ethnographic
artefacts, plus books and manuscripts of
the master. The other is designed as a clas-
sic 19th-century Pamiri home where the
caretaker will likely serenade you on a few
of the traditional instruments. On the ap-
proach lane outside is a 'solar calendar', a
stone with a hole focussed on more stones
on the ridge to the west across which the
sunset aligns on 21 March (Navrus). As you
come into town, call first at the house of
key-keeper Aydar Malikmamadov (and his
English-speaking son, Nozim) who will
open the place for you. Aydar's family run
two of the village's three homestays.
Langar Лангар
A glorious knot of spiky peaks rise above
likeable Langar where the Pamir and Wa-
khan Rivers join forces to form the Pyanj.
The diffuse, green village stretches several
kilometres and makes a pleasant explora-
tion base.
By the small main bridge, Langar's ja-
moat khana (prayer house) is easily rec-
ognisable by its colourful window frames.
Across the road, Shoh¨ Kambari¨ Oftab¨
Mazar , a mysteriously evocative Pamiri
shrine-garden, is overloaded with ram
horns and contorted ancient trees.
Steep rock faces are inscribed with more
than 6000 petroglyphs , starting around
20 minutes' scramble up the slopes behind
Langar school. From the jamoat khana ,
head 400m west then 150m north to find
the school. To reach the most accessible set
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