Wakhan Valley - Langar

The road to Langar in the Wakhan Valley of Tajikistan	Langar, the first town in the Wakhan Valley of Tajikistan	At Langar, the Pamir River meets the Wakhan River to form the Panj River	The Wakhan Valley is shared by Tajikistan and Afghanistan
Jama'at Khana, Langar's traditional Pamiri "congregational place"	And of course, the driver tries to zip right past the highlight of the village	The Jama'at Khana is preserved as Langar's museum	The highly decorated exterior of Langar's Pamiri prayer house
Figure of a ram on the Pamiri prayer house in Langar	The majority of Pamiris are Ismaili muslim, followers of the Aga Khan	Entrance to Langar's congregational hall	A map of the village of Langar in the Jama'at Khana
The first room of the Jama'at Khana of Langar with a fine carpet on the wall and an interesting collection on the table	Arabic Inscription with the cry "Oh Ali" repeated 4 times	Jama'at Khana is a Muslim place of worship that has not been formally sanctified as a mosque	The Ismailis have a much looser interpretation on the representation of living things than other sects
The main room of the Jama'at Khana, traditional Pamiri architecture filled with symbolism	The five pillars members of Ali's family, Mohamed, his son-in-law Ali, Mohamed's daughter Fatima, and sons Hussein and Hassan	The traditional Pamiri house "elements of ancient Aryan philosophy - including Zoroastrianism"	The Hassan and Hussein pillars with an ornate clock
Arabic inscription in the Jama'at Khana of Langar	Another traditional feature of the room is the intricate skylight with 4 levels four Zoroastrian elements earth, water, air fire	Ali, the son-in-law of Mohammed, the key figure in the schism between Sunni and Shiite	Plaster of a ram with the sun rising over the mountains with a field of crops
Across from the Langar Museum, the entrance to the mausoleum of Shoh Kambari Oftab, a Pamiri shrine-garden	Skull and impressive horns of a Pamir Ibex	Shoh Kambari Oftab is the man credited with bring Ismailiism to Langar	A pile of horns from Pamir Ibex and Marco Polo sheep
Shoh Kambari Oftab Mazar, Langar - Wakhan Valley, Tajikistan	Skulls of Marco Polo sheep (Ovis ammon polii)	I wonder how plentiful wildlife is these days in the Wakhan Valley	Large trees shade the shrine-garden of Shoh Kambari Oftab mausoleum
Shoh Kambari Oftab mausoleum Shrine-Garden, Langar	Persian inscription at the Mausoleum of Shoh Kambari Oftab, Langar	Oven at the shrine-garden, Langar	The guide to the shrine-garden of Langar
Tajikistan license plate	Megafon Tajikistan	Mountains rising above the treetops of beautiful Langar	Daisies with the mountains of the Wakhan Valley
Looking across the fields of Langar across to the Afghan side of the Wakhan Valley	Waken Valley at Langar	I certainly wasn't expecting to see a red-headed boy here in Langar	The three main races of Eurasian man all meet here in this small region of Central Asia
Langar woman in a field of grain, Wakhan Valley, Tajikistan	This is in front of the small guesthouse where I'll be spending the night	Pastoral scene in the peaceful Wakhan Valley	Agricultural fields of Langar in the Wakhan Valley with the mountains of Afghanistan across the Panj River
Early autumn in the Wakhan Valley, Langar	Harvest time in the Wakhan Valley, Langar, Tajikistan	Harvest time in the Wakhan Valley, Langar, Tajikistan	Afternoon in the Wakhan Valley, Langar
Langar, Wakhan Valley, Tajikistan	Langar, Wakhan Valley, Tajikistan	Three young boys, Langar, Wakhan Valley	Three young boys, Langar, Wakhan Valley
Langar - Waken Valley, Tajikistan	Boys in Langar, Wakhan Valley, Tajikistan	What a smile! Wakhan boy	I didn't have time to do the hike to see the ancient petroglyphs
"General Store" in the "Downtown" Langar, an old Soviet bus	KAVZ-685 Bus, Made in the USSR, 1984	Live Music at the "General Store" bus in "Downtown" Langar	The mountains rising high above Langar
A sharp peak framed with trees, Wakhan Valley	The old bus as a makeshift bar with a local Tajik beer	What's nightlife in the former USSR without Vodka	Late afternoon light on the mountains surrounding the Wakhan Valley
Last light of a long day traveling from Murghab high in the Pamirs here to Langar in the Wakhan Valley	Last light of a long day traveling from Murghab high in the Pamirs here to Langar in the Wakhan Valley	Four men pushing an old Russian 4x4 across the Main Square of Langar	Steven making friends with some locals post-Vodka
Dinner at the guesthouse in Langar, simple but filling	Carpets everywhere, our guesthouse in Langar	Good Morning, Steven!	Morning light on the mountains of Afghanistan
The neighbor's house, Langar	Morning sun and shadows across the Wakhan Valley, Afghanistan	Russian graffiti on rocks with the year 1938	Wakhan Valley and the mountains of Afghanistan
Wakhan Valley and the mountains of Afghanistan	The breakfast table, Langar	Carpets, not just for the floor	The guesthouse in Langar
Front yard of the guesthouse, Langar	There was another group of travelers staying at the same guesthouse	They seemed happy with their driver from Pamir Guides	The harvest tied in neat bundles
The road through the fields at Langar	An old man walks with a young girl in early in the morning	Old man and young girl, Langar	Up there somewhere are the petroglyphs of Langar we missed
The Bus/General Store in "downtown" Langar the next morning	A house along the main road, Langar, Wakhan Valley	Two guys walking the deserted main street of Langar, Wakhan Valley, Tajikistan	Driving through the trees of Langar headed west down the Wakhan Valley
Today's destination is Khorog, the capital of the GBAO, 250 km away	Eroded hill outside Langar	Tajikistan side of the Wakhan Valley	Welcome to the peaceful Wakhan Valley, Tajikistan
Departing Langar to explore the Wakhan Valley of Tajikistan	Sheep grazing on the valley floor outside Langar