Khorog
Encyclopedia
The town of Khorugh also transliterated
as Khoroq, Khorogh, Khorog, or Xoroq) is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan (Tajik
: Kuhistoni Badakhshon, "Mountainous Badakhshan") Autonomous Province (GBAO) in Tajikistan
. It is also the capital of the Shughnon District
of Gorno-Badakhshan. It has a population of 28,000 (2000 census). Khorugh is situated 2,200 m above sea level in the Pamir Mountains
(ancient Mount Imeon
) at the confluence of the Ghund and Panj
rivers. The city is bounded to the south (Nivodak) and to the north (Tem) by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the Panj River
, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus) on the border with Afghanistan
. Khorugh is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora
of the city.
Until the late 19th century, Khorugh was in an area disputed between the Emir of Bukhara
, Shah of Afghanistan
, Russia
and Britain
. The Russians emerged the winners of the region after The Great Game
, which fixed the current northern border of Afghanistan on the Panj River and established the territory of Russian Pamir
around Khorugh. Before 1896, when the Russians arrived and built a fort, the main town in the area was Kala-i Bar Panj (or Bar Panja Qal'a) somewhat downriver on the Afghan side. Following the fall of czarist Russia and the rise of the Soviet Union
, Khorugh became the capital of Gorno-Badakhshan in 1925. Soviet leaders encouraged the migration of settlers to the area with promises of pay, medals and automobiles, but with no industry and little arable land, the effort was not successful.
Aga Khan Foundation
providing almost the only source of cash income. However, the city does have its own university (Khorugh State University
), founded in 1992), twelve schools, and several hospitals. There is a museum and the second highest botanical garden in the world.
Khorugh is also host to one of three campus
es of the University of Central Asia
(UCA). The University
was founded in 2000 by the governments of Kazakhstan
, the Kyrgyz Republic
and Tajikistan
, and His Highness the Aga Khan
. It is the world’s first internationally chartered institution of higher education. The UCA currently operates a School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE), with a School of Undergraduate Studies and a Graduate School of Development in the process of being established.
at the point where it leaves the Panj valley and heads east up the Gunt valley. The Pamir highway is the main road in Gorno-Badakhstan and connects the Tajik capital of Dushanbe
toward the west to the Republic of Kyrgyzstan
to the northeast. The highway is very difficult to pass in both directions, especially during winter and spring. Khorugh also has a small airport, which can accommodate very small capacity airplanes like AN-28 and the Jet Yakovlev YAK-40 and helicopters.
Recently the Pamir Highway
was connected to the Karakorum Highway of China and Pakistan, also known as KKH.
BSk) with cold, relatively wet winters and hot, dry summers.
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
as Khoroq, Khorogh, Khorog, or Xoroq) is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan (Tajik
Tajik language
Tajik, Tajik Persian, or Tajiki, is a variety of modern Persian spoken in Central Asia. Historically Tajiks called their language zabani farsī , meaning Persian language in English; the term zabani tajikī, or Tajik language, was introduced in the 20th century by the Soviets...
: Kuhistoni Badakhshon, "Mountainous Badakhshan") Autonomous Province (GBAO) in 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....
. It is also the capital of the 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...
of Gorno-Badakhshan. It has a population of 28,000 (2000 census). Khorugh is situated 2,200 m above sea level in the Pamir Mountains
Pamir Mountains
The Pamir Mountains are a mountain range in Central Asia formed by the junction or knot of the Himalayas, Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, and Hindu Kush ranges. They are among the world’s highest mountains and since Victorian times they have been known as the "Roof of the World" a probable...
(ancient Mount Imeon
Mount Imeon
Mount Imeon is an ancient name for the Central Asian complex of mountain ranges comprising the present Hindu Kush, Pamir and Tian Shan, extending from the Zagros Mountains in the southwest to the Altay Mountains in the northeast, and linked to the Kunlun, Karakoram and Himalayas to the southeast...
) at the confluence of the Ghund and Panj
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....
rivers. The city is bounded to the south (Nivodak) and to the north (Tem) by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in 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....
, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus) on the border with 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...
. Khorugh is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
of the city.
History
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
, Shah of 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...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
. The Russians emerged the winners of the region after The Great Game
The Great Game
The Great Game or Tournament of Shadows in Russia, were terms for the strategic rivalry and conflict between the British Empire and the Russian Empire for supremacy in Central Asia. The classic Great Game period is generally regarded as running approximately from the Russo-Persian Treaty of 1813...
, which fixed the current northern border of Afghanistan on the Panj River and established the territory of Russian Pamir
Russian Pamir
The Russian Pamir is a former territory of Imperial Russia, now the province of Gorno-Badakhshan of Tajikistan. The regional capital is Khorugh....
around Khorugh. Before 1896, when the Russians arrived and built a fort, the main town in the area was Kala-i Bar Panj (or Bar Panja Qal'a) somewhat downriver on the Afghan side. Following the fall of czarist Russia and the rise of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Khorugh became the capital of Gorno-Badakhshan in 1925. Soviet leaders encouraged the migration of settlers to the area with promises of pay, medals and automobiles, but with no industry and little arable land, the effort was not successful.
Migration is playing an increasingly important role in the life of Khorugh. Historically, migration was part of Soviet policy for development. In the early 1950s the Soviet government encouraged migration of residents of Rushan district of Gorno Badakhshan to other parts of Tajikistan, especially to the area of Qumsangir, situated in the southern part of today's Khatlon region as the area needed workforce. This policy of migration is still encouraged by the present government of Tajikistan with the hope of creating better environment for the inhabitants and, to some extent, regulate the population density and land use within the country. With regard to Khorugh, migration plays a key role in its expansion and development. Although the youth has a tendency to go to Russia, they do come back or send resources back to build new houses. As a result of remittances and new migration from rural areas, though still tiny, Khorugh is slowly expanding in many directions. One sign of this intense migration is that the gap, once existed between Khorugh and village Tem is now filled with newly built houses. The same is true about the gap between village Tem and village Proshinev.
Facilities
Modern Khorugh is one of the poorest areas of Tajikistan, with the charitable organizationCharitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
Aga Khan Foundation
Aga Khan Foundation
The Aga Khan Foundation is a private, not-for-profit international development agency, which was founded in 1967 by . AKF seeks to provide long-term solutions to problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy and ill health in the poorest parts of South and Central Asia, Eastern and Western Africa, and...
providing almost the only source of cash income. However, the city does have its own university (Khorugh State University
Khorugh State University
Khorugh State University , is a public university located in Khorugh, GBAO, Tajikistan. It is located in the center of Khorugh , the only urban center in the region...
), founded in 1992), twelve schools, and several hospitals. There is a museum and the second highest botanical garden in the world.
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
es of the University of Central Asia
University of Central Asia
The University of Central Asia was founded in 2000 by the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and His Highness the Aga Khan...
(UCA). The University
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
was founded in 2000 by the governments of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, the Kyrgyz Republic
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
and 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....
, and His Highness the Aga Khan
Aga Khan IV
Prince Karim, Aga Khan IV, NPk, NI, KBE, CC, GCC, GCIH, GCM is the 49th and current Imam of the Shia Imami Nizari Ismaili Muslims. He has held this position under the title of Aga Khan since July 11, 1957, when, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan...
. It is the world’s first internationally chartered institution of higher education. The UCA currently operates a School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE), with a School of Undergraduate Studies and a Graduate School of Development in the process of being established.
- Aga Khan Lycée, Khorugh
- University of Central AsiaUniversity of Central AsiaThe University of Central Asia was founded in 2000 by the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and His Highness the Aga Khan...
- Khorugh State UniversityKhorugh State UniversityKhorugh State University , is a public university located in Khorugh, GBAO, Tajikistan. It is located in the center of Khorugh , the only urban center in the region...
Transportation
There is a bridge to the Afghan side of the river. Khorugh is situated along the Pamir HighwayPamir Highway
The M41, known informally and more commonly as the Pamir Highway is a road traversing the Pamir Mountains through Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia...
at the point where it leaves the Panj valley and heads east up the Gunt valley. The Pamir highway is the main road in Gorno-Badakhstan and connects the Tajik capital of Dushanbe
Dushanbe
-Economy:Coal, lead, and arsenic are mined nearby in the cities of Nurek and Kulob allowing for the industrialization of Dushanbe. The Nurek Dam, the world's highest as of 2008, generates 95% of Tajikistan's electricity, and another dam, the Roghun Dam, is planned on the Vakhsh River...
toward the west to the Republic of Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
to the northeast. The highway is very difficult to pass in both directions, especially during winter and spring. Khorugh also has a small airport, which can accommodate very small capacity airplanes like AN-28 and the Jet Yakovlev YAK-40 and helicopters.
Recently the Pamir Highway
Pamir Highway
The M41, known informally and more commonly as the Pamir Highway is a road traversing the Pamir Mountains through Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia...
was connected to the Karakorum Highway of China and Pakistan, also known as KKH.
Climate
Khorugh experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classificationKöppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
BSk) with cold, relatively wet winters and hot, dry summers.
Photo gallery
External links
- Gorgâni, Tirdâd (May 2005)."Welcome to Xoroq (Khorogh)" (web archive, 1 August 2008).
- Tourist Information Office in Khorog Pamirs Tourism Association
- A great homepage on the Tajik Pamirs
- http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1101314/M/ Airport of Khorugh.
- A Bird's Eye View of Khorog