• IMAGES OF TAJIKISTAN

  • IMAGES OF TAJIKISTAN

    Two small kids wandering the wide dusty streets of Karakul in northern Tajikistan

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A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY THROUGH TAJIKISTAN

Among all the Central Asian ‘stans’, for us, Tajikistan immediately stood out. It grabbed our attention from that first glimpse through the airplane window; dry and dusty mountains beckoning us with their harsh exoticism.

But those first sights, while both exciting and enticing, belied the true nature of this hugely varied country. From fertile valleys to arid high plateaus, Tajikistan’s geography served up so many diverse scenes of striking beauty. The mountains especially were a revelation, particularly the Fanns in the country’s northwest. A combination of stark peaks, steep-sided juniper filled valleys, and stunning high altitude lakes make this region one of the world’s top trekking destinations – not to mention a photographer’s dream.

Our journey along the Pamir Highway continued to reveal Tajikistan’s complex character. From the more populated deep valleys of the Pamiri west to the high uplands of the Kyrgyz east, the people and culture are as fascinating and varied as the landscape itself.

Since spending a month in Tajikistan, we’ve felt an ever present desire to return. It has a unique beauty, people of a welcoming nature, and deserves to be travelled to. Here you’ll find a collection of our favourite Tajikistan photos, a series of images summing up our lasting impressions of this stunning Central Asian country.

Click into each image to see it full size and read more about it.

MOUNTAIN LAKES

Tajikistan is a place like no other when it comes to mountain lakes. Crystal clear mirrored surfaces at dawn give way to vibrant shades of emerald green and azure blue, as light is refracted off the fine-grained particles of rock in the water. Seen from the hills above, these lakes appear opaque and full of colour, but lakeside at the break of day, they produce the most magical of reflections. The best concentration of lakes can be found in the Fann Mountains, although many others are dotted throughout the extensive Pamir region.

The rising sun lights up the mountain peaks as the landscape is reflected in the perfectly still surface of Bibidzhonat Lake in the Fann Mountains of Tajikistan
Mountains are reflected in the surface of Iskanderkul, the biggest lake in the Fann Mountains of Tajikistan
Sunrise reflections on the mirror-like surface of Alauddin Lake in the Fann Mountains of Tajikistan.
The colours begin to come out as the morning progresses at Alauddin Lake in Tajikistan's Fann Mountains
Sunrise at Kulikalon Lake in the Fann Mountains of Tajikistan. Fed by glacial meltwater, this is the biggest of three lakes in an amphitheatre-like valley, surrounded on all sides by mountains.
Morning reflections in the lake at Jizeu in the Western Pamirs of Tajikistan. Mountains, trees and a lone house are mirrored in the blue green water.

WESTERN PAMIRS

During Soviet times, the Pamir region was an autonomous province within Tajikistan known as the GBAO. This special status helped it develop in numerous socio-economic ways, and a greater than average number of academics and professionals came from this area. The same autonomous status continues today, although the economy fares less well. The capital of the province is Khorog, a town of roughly 30,000 people. The focus on education is still present, with the existence of several schools and a university, but the town is poor compared to much of Tajikistan, and the main source of income is provided by the Aga Khan Foundation.


Geographically, the Western Pamirs are characterised by a series of valleys that cut deep through the mountainous landscape. All major rivers flow to the Panj, which forms much of the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. It’s along the Panj and the M41 (Pamir Highway) where the majority of people live, with numerous settlements found at regular intervals – the largest being Khorog. These villages and towns are populated largely by Pamiri farmers and the culture is heavily influenced by the fact that many belong to the Ismaili Muslim community – a community united in their allegiance to the aforementioned Aga Khan.

The relatively fertile lands of the Western Pamirs allow for the cultivation of a variety of crops, such as wheat and barley, and the area is famous for apricots (Tajikistan’s national fruit). It’s a fascinating part of the country, still visibly marked in many ways by history, both old and new.

A busy outdoor place at lunchtime in a Western Pamirs village between Khorog and Ishkashim in Tajikistan. The bright sun is shaded by the thick trees and people are resting on benches and raised platforms.
A bowl of fresh apricots on a table at Akim Homestay in the Wakhan Valley in Tajikistan
A petroglyph of a Marco Polo (argali) sheep, carved into bare rock on the slopes above Langar in the Wakhan Valley in Tajikistan
A curious donkey in front of an old Soviet bus stop in the Wakhan Valley in Tajikistan
A Lada pulls up in front of a particularly eye catching Soviet bus stop on the Pamir Highway in Tajikistan
A bowl of Laghman with bread at a roadside lunch place in the Western Pamirs.

FROM THE AIR

Getting up in the air and gaining a different perspective can be surprising. The layout of the land often appears vastly different, resulting in an abstract image or simply giving a clearer appreciation of the surrounding geography. As the light changes, colours can be unexpected too, most notably in Tajikistan’s lakes. One thing’s for sure: a view from the air is like no other.

A top down view of the south shore of Alauddin Lake in Tajikistan's Fann Mountains, the water appearing a strange green colour from above..
Looking down on Peak Engels Meadow, a wide flat valley at 4000 metres in the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan, the languid river snaking slowly across the sandy grass.
A spit of bare land marked by a few juniper trees. The finger of land juts out into Kulikalon Lake in the Fann Mountains in Tajikistan.

MOUNTAINS

For us, the mountains are where it’s at. Dramatic displays of the planet’s violent past that puts your own place in the world into perspective – they can make us feel small in the very best of ways. And as far as mountain landscapes go, Tajikistan’s are hard to beat. The generally dry climate at altitude makes for impressively barren vistas, punctuated by pockets of life where rivers or lakes lie. When mountain sides are bare, wind erosion turns rock to fine dust and sand, creating interesting shapes and features. The colour palette is often muted, but in some cases like the Pshart Valley, vibrant hues are exposed. Tajikistan’s mountains are never far from our minds.

Pack donkeys climbing towards Alauddin Pass in the Fann Mountains of Tajikistan.
An aerial view of Jizeu Valley in the Western Pamirs, looking down towards the main village and the Bartang Valley beyond.
Local herder kids playing in the river at Peak Engels Meadow, with the mountains rising behind.
With a commanding view over the Wakhan Valley, Yamchun Fortress is remarkably well preserved given the area's susceptibility to earthquakes and landslides. Here it is with its crumbling ramparts glowing in the afternoon sun.
The view from 4700 metres at the Gumbezkol Pass, looking back towards the orange mountains of the Pshart Valley in eastern Tajikistan
The view from the 3800 metre Alauddin Pass in the Fann Mountains in Tajikistan. A lone hiker reaches the pass, dwarfed by the sharp mountains. Below, the green blue Alauddin lakes look small but still catch the eye.

FANN MOUNTAINS LIFE

One of the things that make the Fann Mountains such an attractive destination is the life you encounter along the way. Mud brick houses cling precariously to dusty slopes, donkeys trot by burdened with dried bushes, and goats are never far away. Seasonal herders invite you to share yogurt, bread and tea, while kids follow along beside you, on donkey or on foot. Villages appear throughout, some big, some small, and it’s possible to witness beekeepers in action – a practice that’s common in Tajikistan as a whole. We even came across a local outdoor ‘swimming pool’, which some kids took great delight in showing off.


It feels like a land that’s caught somewhere between the past and a very different future. Traditional farming practices still seem to be the main way of life, but community based tourism is growing and the younger generation in particular are learning English at school and from foreign visitors. Indeed, one eleven year old boy who spoke remarkably good English convinced us to stay at his family’s homestay rather than look for a camp spot. As the area becomes more popular, it will be interesting to see how it develops in the years to come.

Young boys play in a long and narrow stone pool in the Fann Mountains in Tajikistan, with mountains and juniper trees all around.
A beekeeper in the village of Guitan in Tajikistan's Fann Mountains tending to his bees.
A goatherder leads his gang of goats along the stoney path next to the icy blue Sarymat River in the Fann Mountains in Tajikistan

ZORKUL, JARTY GUMBEZ & AROUND

One of the most remote, least populated parts of Tajikistan that we visited. A detour from the main Pamir Highway route, these are places that few travellers visit. In the three to four days we spent here, we met only three cyclists and a handful of locals. At over 4000 metres, the air is dry, cold and thin, but the views are fantastic. Close to Zorkul and other lakes, birds flit merrily from here to there, furry red marmots scamper about, and yaks munch on golden grass.

 At Jarty Gumbez, a guesthouse, hunting lodge and small collection of homes form a cluster of buildings either side of the Istyk River. Hot springs bubble to the surface and are used for heating and bathing. The area is known for Marco Polo sheep – hence the hunting lodge – but it was easier to spot remains on the ground than the few animals we saw bounding into the distance. Iron Age Saka kurgan (burial grounds) give the place another point of interest while walking the surrounding landscape, where goats roam and more little marmots bolt for their holes.

From Jarty Gumbez to Murghab the ‘road’ travels through a veritable moonscape: rock, dust and gravel painted in pastel hues. Rusty and abandoned, the old Shor-bulak observatory is an impressive sight on the way. When we arrived back on the M41, it was a little like stepping out of a dream.

The skull of a Marco Polo sheep sitting on a stony hill above the Istyk River at Jarty Gumbez in Eastern Tajikistan
The old Shor-bulak Observatory in eastern Tajikistan. Sitting solitary at 4300 metres, rusty and abandoned, its rounded dome and big metal flaps gave it an alien feel, like some bizarre creature from a 1950’s sci-fi movie.
A golden glow lights up the land around Kokjigit Lake in eastern Tajikistan.
Yaks grazing in the high golden pastures near Zorkul Nature Reserve.
A Kyrgyz goatherder and his dog walking on grass next to the Istyk River near Jarty Gumbez in eastern Tajikistan
Looking westward from the Shor-bulak Observatory over dry and dusty land with mountains in the distance. The dirt trail below leads south to Jarty Gumbez and north to Murghab.

MURGHAB

Murghab is the biggest town in far eastern Tajikistan, and at 3650 m, it’s the highest too. It is also the administrative and economic centre of the Eastern Pamirs, but with a population of only 4000 people, it’s not exactly a bustling metropolis. Originally a Russian military outpost, the modern town was developed during Soviet times as a rest stop on the Pamir Highway.

These days, it continues to be just that. Many people talk of Murghab as a place to whizz through, but we took the opposite view. Wandering among whitewashed buildings was a pleasure as we observed the town’s daily life: people pumping water from the well, kids on their bikes, men and women performing a multitude of odd jobs – we even ran into a loose cow, ambling aimlessly down an alleyway. In the short time we spent here, both of us suffered from a nasty stomach bug, yet it failed to dampen our deep appreciation of the place.

A man treats his window sills of a whitewashed house in Murghab with a dark substance. Brown mountains rise in the background.
The local market in Murghab, eastern Tajikistan. The market in Murghab is housed in old containers. Houses lie on the hill behind with brown mountains rising behind.
A local woman in a bright red outfit makes her way through the whtewashed streets of Murghab with her two children.
Clothes hung out to dry in front of a house in Murghab in the afternoon sunshine.
An old Russian vehicle parked on the dusty streets of Murghab in Eastern Tajikistan.
Typically bright blankets put out to air, hanging over a high metal gate in Murghab, Tajikistan.

EASTERN PAMIRS

The Eastern Pamirs cover a larger area than the Western Pamirs but only contain a fraction of the population. The people living here are mainly Kyrgyz herders and the culture and way of life is distinctly different from that in the west. The semi-arid high plateau landscape is broken up by a variety of mountain ranges topped by sharp serrated peaks, with high altitude lakes a notable feature. The air is cold and thin, particularly where the Pamir Highway travels over its highest point, the Ak-Baital Pass at 4655 m.

Outside of Murghab, the villages are small, feeling like distant outposts in an inhospitable and unforgiving land. That of Karakul, on the shores of its namesake, is reminiscent of Murghab with its whitewashed walls and light blue painted windows and doors. The village of Rangkul, close to a lake of the same name, is a lonely and windblown frontier settlement in spitting distance of the Chinese border.

A house front in the village of Karakul in Tajikistan, shining in the early morning sun.
An old truck on the dusty streets of Rangkul in Eastern Tajikistan.
A dry an dusty house and yard in Rangkul, Eastern Tajikistan.
Mountains of many hues and shades in the Pshart Valley near Murghab in Tajikistan.
A couple of kids wandering the empty streets of Karakul in Eastern Tajikistan in the early morning sun.
A yurt camp at the foot of the Gumbezkol Valley, set against the backdrop of the Pshart Range's jagged peaks in Eastern Tajikistan.

A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY THROUGH TAJIKISTAN

We hope you’ve enjoyed our Tajikistan photos and that it’s been a good introduction to the country. If you’re thinking of heading there yourself, check out our Tajikistan page for guides, videos and other posts. Have you been to Tajikistan? Do these pictures make you want to go? Join the conversation in the comments below.

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A house front in the village of Karakul in Tajikistan, shining in the early morning sun.

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HOMEiA
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HOMEiA

I have never been to Tajikistan before. However, I really want to be there someday. Thanks for the wonderful photos. All people will fall in love with this place when seeing these photos.

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1 year ago
Going the Whole Hogg
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Going the Whole Hogg

Thanks for the kind words, it’s a beautiful country and we hope to return some day too.

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1 year ago
Leslie
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Leslie

These are gorgeous photos. Parts of Central Asia seem so mysterious. Thank you for this glimpse.

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1 year ago
Going the Whole Hogg
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Going the Whole Hogg

Thank you so much. So much of interest in this region. Glad you enjoyed having a look.

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1 year ago
Casey
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Casey

These photos are stunning! I especially love the trekking ones, it looks like an amazing place to hike. Tajikistan was never really on my travel radar, but it is now 🙂

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3 years ago
Going the Whole Hogg
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Going the Whole Hogg

Cheers, Casey! It’s such a great place to hike, either multi-day treks or just a short hike away from the main roads travelled. Time to get planning ?

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3 years ago
Fran
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Fran

Beautiful photos, thankyou

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3 years ago
Going the Whole Hogg
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Going the Whole Hogg

Thank you, Fran!

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3 years ago

Images Of Tajikistan
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