Taghdumbash Pamir ( or historically ) or Taxkorgan Valley
is a ''
pamir'' or high valley
in the south west of
Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County
Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County (also known as Taxkorgan County, sometimes spelled Tashkurgan, Tashkorgan and Tash Kurghan Tadzhik Autonomous Hsien) is an autonomous county of Kashgar Prefecture in Western Xinjiang, China. The county seat is t ...
, in
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwes ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
. It lies to the west of the
Karakoram Highway
The Karakoram Highway ( ur, , translit=śāhirāh qarāquram; known by its initials KKH, also known as N-35 or National Highway 35 ( ur, ) or the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway) is a national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in ...
. It is inhabited by
Wakhi,
Kirghiz and
Sarikolis animal herders, who graze
yaks
The domestic yak (''Bos grunniens''), also known as the Tartary ox, grunting ox or hairy cattle, is a species of long-haired domesticated cattle found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau, Kachin ...
and other animals on the grasslands of the pamir.
The name Taghdumbash Pamir is also sometimes applied to the
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have ari ...
s surrounding the pamir, on the borders of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
, and
Tajikistan, straddling the
Pamir Mountains along the
Sarikol Range
The Sarikol Range (russian: Сарыкольский хребет; zh, s=萨雷阔勒岭, 色勒库尔山脉; tg, Рашти Куҳи Сариқӯл) is a mountain range in the Pamirs on the border of Tajikistan and the People's Republic of China ...
, the
Hindu Kush, the
Mustagh mountains, and the
Wakhan. The range divides
Badakhshan Province
Badakhshan Province (Persian/ Uzbek: , ''Badaxšān'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan in the north and the Pakistani regions of Lowe ...
in Afghanistan,
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province in Tajikistan, and
Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan.
During the
Qing dynasty, the Chinese claimed
suzerainty
Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is ca ...
over the area but permitted the
Mir of
Hunza to administer the region in return for a
tribute.
According to British colonial sources, this arrangement started during early Ayosh dynasty of
Mir of Hunza, as the Mir conquered the Kirghiz nomads of Taghdumbash Pamir.
The Mir erected a cairn in
Dafdar to evidence his control. The tribute system continued up until 1937.
In 1984, the pamir and surrounding area was designated
Taxkorgan Nature Reserve
The Taxkorgan Nature Reserve (officially spelled Taxkorgan Natural Reserve) is a nature reserve in Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. It is situated around the Taghdumbash Pamir of Pamir Mountains and Karakorum Mountains. It covers about wa ...
.
Chalachigu Valley
Chalachigu Valley or Karachukur Valley is a valley in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. It borders Afghanistan to the west, Tajikistan to the north and Pakistan to the south. It borders Taghdumbash Pamir t ...
, an offshoot of the pamir is the only place in China where
Marco Polo sheep can be found.
References
External links
*
Valleys of Xinjiang
Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County
{{Xinjiang-geo-stub