Ishkoshim district
Encyclopedia
Ishkoshim District or Nohiya-i Ishkoshim (: Ноҳияи Ишкошим/ناحیۀاشکاشم) is a district in east Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....

, in the extreme south-west of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province is an autonomous, mountainous province in the east of Tajikistan. Located in the Pamir Mountains, it makes up 45% of the land area of the country but only 3% of the population....

 (GBAO). It borders Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

 along the Panj River
Panj River
The Panj River , also known as Pyandzh River or Piandj River , is a tributary of the Amu Darya. The river is 1,125 km long and forms a considerable part of the Afghanistan - Tajikistan border....

 to the south and to the west. The population of Ishkoshim district is 28,400 (1 January 2008 estimate).

The district is roughly V-shaped and lies northeast of the Panj River where its course turns from west to north. It is bordered on the south and west Afghanistan across the Panj River and the lower Pamir River
Pamir River
The Pamir is a river in Tajikistan and Afghanistan. It is a tributary of the Panj River, and forms the northern boundary of Wakhan.The river has its sources in the Pamir Mountains in Gorno-Badakhshan province in the far eastern part of Tajikistan. It flows between the Wakhan Range and the Southern...

 and on the north by Roshtqal'a District
Roshtqal'a district
Roshtqal'a District or Nohiya-i Roshtqal'a is a district in east Tajikistan, in the south-western part of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province . It stretches along the Shakhdara River between the Shughnon Range to the north and the Shakhdara Range to the south, enclosed within GBAO, without...

. There are short borders with Shughnon District
Shughnon district
Shughnon District or Nohiya-i Shughnon is a district in east Tajikistan, in the central-western part of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province . It is bordered by the Panj River and Afghanistan on the east, the Rushan Range and Rushon district on the north, Murghab district on the east and the...

 to the north and Murghab District
Murghab District
Murghab is a district situated in the northeast of Badghis Province, Afghanistan. The district capital is Murghab.-Demographics:The estimated population of Murghab District in 2003 was roughly 109,381...

 to the east. The Shakhdara Range
Shakhdara Range
Shakhdara Range lies in the extreme south-western Pamir in Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province. It runs roughly in the east-west direction between Shakhdara River to the north and Panj on the border with Afghanistan to the south, rising toward Mayakovskiy Peak in the west and Karl...

 is along the northern border with Roshtqal'a District and the north-south Ishkoshim Range
Ishkoshim Range
Ishkoshim Range, also Ishkashim Range , is a mountain range in Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan, in the extreme southwest corner of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province . It is about 90 km long, running along the right bank of the Panj River and the eastern border of Ishkoshim District with...

 is along the district's eastern border.

The district capital is Ishkoshim
Ishkoshim, Tajikistan
Ishkoshim , also Ishkashim , is the capital of Ishkoshim District in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province in south-east Tajikistan. It lies on the Panj River, at a point where its direction turns sharply north...

, a town at the bend of the Panj, opposite the Afghan town with a similar name. There is an ancient balas ruby (technically spinel
Spinel
Spinel is the magnesium aluminium member of the larger spinel group of minerals. It has the formula MgAl2O4. Balas ruby is an old name for a rose-tinted variety.-Spinel group:...

) mine at Kuh-i-Lal. Ishkoshim District is a particularly attractive destination in Gorno-Badakhshan for its archeological sites and spectacular scenery.
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