Two motorcyclists pass through Alichur, a small village on the route to the Pamir Highway. Known as the M41 during the Soviet era, this highway stretches over 1,200 km. Winding, steep, and offering spectacular scenery, it is one of the highest highways in the world. It is often the only route connecting the Autonomous Province of Gorno-Badakhshan to the rest of Tajikistan. Geographically isolated, this region has historically been inhabited by the Pamiris, who have been regularly and severely persecuted by the Tajik central government.

Photo credits : Simone Bergonzi (Italy, @simobergz)

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High in the mountains of Tajikistan, two young girls lead their small herd of cows to pasture.

Photo credit: Cyril Caldero (France)

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At an altitude of 3,650 metres, sport—even at a beginner’s level—requires stamina and training. Murghob, the highest town in Tajikistan. 

Credits: Simone Bergonzi (Italy, @simobergz)

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In the Rushon raion, the Bartang River is fed by the waters of its tributaries descending from the Pamir peaks, before flowing into the Panj. Sometimes, these glacial waters spread out at the bottom of the valley to form a small emerald-green lake, ‘Sabzi Kul’. Jisev, Tajikistan. 

Credits: Novastan

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Somewhere along the Pamir Highway… From your jeep, you gaze at the snow-capped peaks, sometimes for eight hours a day, but you never tire of it.

Credit: Etienne Bellard (France, @etienneblld)

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Rivers are usually the meeting point for women and kids during the day. This one is taken outside of Murghob shortly before sunset.

On Wednesday 8 April 2026, INALCO organised a multidisciplinary symposium (covering anthropology, linguistics, archaeology, photography, cartography, musicology, and more) dedicated to the Pamir region, entitled ‘The Faces of Pamir: the mountain lived, inhabited, spoken’.

Credit: Etienne Bellard (France, @etienneblld)

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Walking at sunset on the Wakhan Corridor Road.

Known as the “duck’s beak”, the Wakhan Corridor is a narrow 210-kilometer-long geographical corridor located in the mountainous Pamir region, on the border with Tajikistan.

On the Pamir, you’re never disappointed with the sight.

Credits: Etienne Bellard (France, @etienneblld)

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On the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan stands Lenin Peak rises to an elevation of more than 7,000 metres. This iconic mountain of Central Asia is well-known for being relatively accessible compared to other peaks of similar height. It is the highest summit of the Trans Alay Range, part of the Pamir Mountains.
Previously called Mount Kaufmann, the peak was later renamed in honour of Vladimir Lenin, the first head of the Soviet Union. It was discovered in 1871 by the Russian explorer Alexei Fedchenko. At the time, it was believed to be the highest point in the Soviet Union, a distinction that contributed to its later renaming.

Credits: Etienne de Vaumas (France)

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The sumptuous, vibrant colours of Lake Karakul are magnified by the soft brown tones of the desert mountains and the purity of the snow-capped Pamir Mountains peaks.

According to one hypothesis put forward by French linguist Eugene Burnouf, Pamir is derived from the Sanskrit Oupa-Mira, meaning ‘the land around the lake’.

Credits: Jan Ritter (@janritter10, Austria)

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Tajikistan is the only Persian-speaking country in Central Asia, in a region dominated by Turkic languages and cultures. In Khorog, capital of the independent region of Gorno-Badakhshan or Pamir, which is undergoing severe repression, a banner recalls this historical and linguistic proximity.

Credits : Novastan.

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Hidden behind a small door on a side street, the Gurminj Museum of Musical Instruments showcases the rich musical heritage of Tajikistan and Pamir. The impressive collection of instruments belonged to actor Gurminj Zafkibekov (1929–2003), who rose to fame in Soviet cinema in the 1970s. His son and the Pamiri music group Samo have since made this collection available to the public.

Credits : Pierre-Armand Dussex (https://nomadsland.travel/fr/before-you-go/blog/mon-beau-jailoo, Switzerland)

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Panoramic view of the rugged Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan, where a folded rock ridge towers above the vast construction site of the Rogun Dam.

At the foot of the scene flows the Vakhsh River, its turquoise waters contrasting with the industrial activity in the foreground. Rising dust highlights the intensity of the work amid the raw grandeur of the mountain landscape.

Crédit : Etienne de Vaumas (France)

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The lakes and river of the Jizev Valley, a hidden paradise in the heart of the Pamir Mountains, offer some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable. Staying with one of the local host families is the best way to fully experience the local culture.

Credits: Etienne Bellard (France, @etienneblld)

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‘During my two-month hitchhiking trip across Central Asia, the Pamir Mountains stole my heart. In the Wakhan corridor, I stood in front of the Engels Glacier, surrounded by grazing cows and caught in a golden light that transformed the landscape into a stage set. It was a divine moment on the roof of the world.’
Some authors refer to the Pamir as the Biblical Eden and Mount Ararat, where Noah is said to have set foot after the Flood.

Credits : Tommaso Aguzzi (@tomaguzzi, Italy)

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The night sky reveals its full splendour in the darkness of the Pamir Mountains in the Murghob region. The basketball field of Alichur, one of the most isolated villages of the country, is a good spot for enjoying a 360° view of the Milky Way.

Credits: Etienne Bellard (France, @etienneblld)

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On the road in the Pamirs in Tajikistan.

This sign which shows the kilometers to Dushanbe, Kulob or Darvoz has already experienced many drivers and winters in icy heights.

Credits: Fiona Smith (Germany)

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… the Tajik village of Karakul is dotted with a forest of pylons. Located in the spectacular high mountain landscape of the Pamir, not far from the Kyrgyz border, this village is inhabited by members of the Kyrgyz ethnic group.

Credit : Jan Ritter (@janritter10, Austria)

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‘The man in the photo is Maqsud, a Tajik shepherd who lives with his family during the summer near the Kukjar Pass, a remote region of Gorno-Badakhshan. Next to him are the horns of the Marco Polo sheep, an animal that is in danger of extinction. This animal lives only in the Pamir mountains. Maqsud was very kind to me and took me to see one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen in my life.’

Credits : Linda Righini (@linda_erre, Italy)

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The Fann Mountains are located in the northern part of the Pamir-Alay mountain range. They include about a hundred peaks, some of which exceed 5,000 m in altitude. They are renowned for the beauty of their lakes and are part of the Ayni District.

Credits: The editorial

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For nearly a year and a half, the Pamiri minority in Tajikistan, who live mainly in the Gorno-Badakhshan region in the east of the country, have been suffering harsh repressive measures at the hands of the government of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon. But this group is not the only one to suffer from the continued authoritarianism of the regime. NGOs, activists, bloggers and homosexuals have also been targeted by the government in recent months, as shown in this overview of the state of human rights in Tajikistan.

On February 16, Radio Ozodi, the Tajik service of the American media Radio Free Europe, reported that, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Justice, the activities of the Independent Center for the Protection of Human Rights were interrupted. This is yet another obstacle to the protection of human rights in Tajikistan, targeting an organization that has been defending human rights for 13 years in the country. A measure “in line with the tactics of administrative and bureaucratic harassment of NGOs in Tajikistan that have been practised for five to seven years now” according to Syinat Sultanalieva, a researcher at the NGO Human Rights Watch.

Tajik media outlet AsiaPlus comments that the Independent Centre for the Protection of Human Rights was one of the few public bodies where it was possible to seek free legal assistance. It dealt with issues such as access to social housing for the population. According to the Ministry of Justice, some 500 public organizations were closed down in 2022 – 350 more than in 2021.

But censorship of civil society does not stop with shutting down NGOs. Bloggers and activists are also victims of accelerating repression. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, visited Tajikistan from 28 November to 9 December 2022. The crackdown on journalists and bloggers is arbitrary with “little well-founded evidence, following inadequate investigations and trials held behind closed doors,” she told Radio Free Europe journalist Bruce Pannier last December.

Bloggers and journalists targeted by authorities

In recent months, the number of arbitrary arrests of bloggers in Tajikistan has been increasing. Cabar Asia explains that at least three people have been accused of “immorality”. On 18 January, influencer Khabibulo Himmatzoda was detained for five days in Dushanbe for “offensive videos” of a possible sexual nature, reports Radio Ozodi. The same fate befell blogger Saida Latifova, who was fined on similar charges last December. According to the police, she “obscenely insulted other callers during a live broadcast on the social network Tik-Tok”.

Read more on Novastan: Humans Rights Watch continues to be concerned about Central Asia

According to Human Rights Watch researcher Syinat Sultanalieva, “it is clear that the regime is becoming more and more restrictive every year. Where there was a vibrant civil society just a decade ago, the very few bloggers and NGOs still in the country have to find ways to continue their work without being arrested.”

LGBT rights still taboo

In Dushanbe, ten members of the LGBT community were arrested on suspicion of infecting citizens with HIV, Radio Ozodi reported on 15 February.

Read more on Novastan: LGBT community harassed in Tajikistan

Sultanalieva comments: “What was interesting about this article was that the police authorities admitted to ‘monitoring’ LGBT communities in some way, which adds to the rumors about the ‘gay lists’ that the police keep.”  Nevertheless, she confirms that there are still LGBT activist groups in Tajikistan working undercover. For their part, Tajik authorities continue to deny harassment or persecution of sexual minorities.

However, Mary Lawlor said that Tajikistan does not follow the recommendations of international organizations on the rights of members of the LGBT community, because according to Tajik law, these people “offend against the norms of morality and human ethics in the country.”

Moralisation of public life

Cabar Asia notes a reinforcement of conservative moral values in Tajikistan, as the reasons for these arrests are not really specified. Indeed, under the guise of “increasing citizens’ awareness of how to use social networks and preserve culture and national identity”, the government’s objective is to reduce the margin of freedom of expression in the public space.

Read more on Novastan: Tajikistan – the fight against prostitution harms entire population

“The first goal is to increase control over public opinion, specifically those who have the power to shape public opinion,” explains Tajik media expert Abdumalik Kadyrov in the Cabar Asia article. But, by acting this way, he believes that the authorities “have gone so far that they themselves no longer know what they are doing.”

Repression of the Pamiris still continues

Another sign of authoritarian drift is that since May 2022, the Tajik authorities have been targeting members of the Pamiri community, who live mainly in eastern Tajikistan. The government reacted to peaceful protests in this autonomous province by launching a security operation that left dozens dead and hundreds detained.

Read more on Novastan: European reaction to repression in Tajikistan has no effect

According to the Tajik media outlet Pamir Daily, which has been following the trials closely, the president of the Supreme Court described the Pamiri protesters as “leaders of criminal gangs from Khorog and Rushan” [towns in the region where the demonstrations took place]. He said that all suspects had been prosecuted in accordance with the country’s laws. They were sentenced to between one year and life imprisonment. The trials were held behind closed doors, before arbitrary judges and with no transparency.

However, for Syinat Sultanalieva, “it is very difficult to speak of a turning point in the repression. This is probably a brutal show of force to regain control of the region and to send a signal to the rest of the critical people in the country.” But at this very uncertain time in Tajikistan’s history, “the authorities should be held accountable for human rights violations committed by their agencies against ordinary citizens, human rights defenders and others.”

Written by Emma Collet

Translated by William Roberts

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