Qala Rakm & Pamir/Wakhan Confluence

Ruins of unknown age near the Ratm Fortress, Tajikistan	The first close up view of agriculture in the Wakhan	Rahozon Zom (6535m/21,440 ft ), a summit of the Hindu Kush on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan	The Wakhan has quite a few signs like this pointing out places of interest my impatient driver would have preferred to blaze by
Me, I love castles, and with the beautiful weather and just a few km to our destination, I made him stop	The village of Ratm, much of which is mere ruins	It didn't take long for a boy to materialize to show me the way to Ratm Fortress	Looking from Ratm across to Afghanistan
Strategic Ratm protects the northern approach to the Wakhan Valley through the Pamir Valley	It's early autumn and this field has been harvested already	My young local guide leads me along the edge of the fields to the fortress	The ruins of Ratm Fortress
Rate apparently means First Line of Defense in Persian	The rugged and barren mountains of Afghanistan	The Wakhan is surprisingly developed for tourists with these carved stones in Russian and English	History of Ratm Fortress in English
Testament to the ancientness of this region, the fortress was founded in the 3rd C. BC	While the people of Murghab are distinctly Mongoloid, we crossed a line as we reached the Wakhan where the people are white	The site of Ratm Fortress	Ratm Fortress, on the edge of the Pamir Canyon
With the history tablet quoting 3rd C. BC, I have to wonder how many times this place has been rebuilt	Ratm Fortress, the First Line of Defense to the East, was built by the Kushan Empire which ruled much of Afghanistan at the time	Ratm Fortress and the mountains of Afghanistan	The Pamir River confined to its canyon below Ratm
Tajikistan meets Afghanistan, the Pamir River	Ratm Fortress, guarding the southern end of the Pamir Valley before it reaches the fertile Wakhan	A near Oasis below Ratm Fortress	Finally, a house that looks definitely lived in
Steven explores Ratm Fortress	Qala, the Tajik word for Fortress, is similar to the Arabic and Persian and even Hindi words for the same thing	Ruins of the ancient Ratm Fortress, Tajikistan	The fortress ruins at Ratm blend into the surrounding landscape
Might this be the watchtower of Ratm advertised on the sign?	Ruins of Ratm Fortress, Tajikistan	It does look like a good place for a fortress	The canyon of the Pamir River below Ratm Fortress
A farm house and plowed fields near Ratm	Ratm, Tajikistan, with the Afghan mountains across the river	That needle must have a name. It's in the Wakhan Corridor east of the Pamir River	Cows in heaven, green grass
Dusty volleyball court among what looks like mostly ruins, Ratm village	I wonder if that's where my guide boy lives, Ratm village	Much to the relief of my impatient driver, we're back on the road headed to our night stop at Langar	The first bridge across the Pamir River, a border crossing point linking Tajikistan with Afghanistan
The "delta" of the Pamir River as it enters the Wakhan Valley	This bridge to Afghanistan across the Pamir River is just a few km north of Langar	Ruins on the Afghan side of the Pamir River	Civilization, a farm with a Lada 4x4 and a satellite dish, Tajikistan
The Pamir River "delta"	I really wanted to at least set foot in Afghanistan on this trip since we followed the Tajik-Afghan border for 4 days - no luck	I'm sure a more keen driver/guide would have gotten me at least a footstep into Afghanistan	The Pamir River forms a wide valley as it meets the larger Wakhan to form the Panj River
A last look back at what has been an amazing drive following the Pamir River	That could almost be a little runway, just watch for the livestock	The Pamir River meets the Wakhan Valley	A rather new looking construction, coming or going....