Murghob () or Murghab (, ''Murgab'', from the
Persian word ''margh-ab'', meaning 'prairie river') is the capital of
Murghob District in the
Pamir Mountains
The Pamir Mountains are a Mountain range, range of mountains between Central Asia and South Asia. They are located at a junction with other notable mountains, namely the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun Mountains, Kunlun, Hindu Kush and the Himalaya ...
of
Gorno-Badakhshan,
Tajikistan
Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...
. With a population of just under 7,500, Murghob is the only significant town in the eastern half of Gorno-Badakhshan. It is the highest town in Tajikistan (and of the former
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
) at 3,650 meters above sea level. It is where the
Pamir Highway crosses the
Bartang river.
[Jamoat-level basic indicators]
United Nations Development Programme in Tajikistan, accessed 5 October 2020
The
Pamir Highway goes north to
Sary-Tash and on to
Osh in
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...
and southwest to the region's capital
Khorugh. Another road goes east over the
Kulma Pass to the
Karakoram Highway
The Karakoram Highway (, ), also known as the KKH, National Highway 35 (), N-35, and the ChinaPakistan Friendship Highway, is a National Highways of Pakistan, national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab p ...
in China connecting to
Tashkurgan to the south and
Kashgar to the north.
History
From 1892 to 1893, a fortification named Shadzhansky Post () existed on the site of the current town of Murghob. Some historical records attest that, in 1893, Russian soldiers established Pamirsky Post (, ) in the area as the main Russian fortification in the Pamir Mountains. It was to be their most advanced military
outpost into
Central Asia
Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
. Other records published much later state that Pamirsky Post was actually established elsewhere on 26 July 1903, as new barracks near the village of Kuni Kurgan.
The modern town of Murghob was constructed during the period of
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
rule in Tajikistan as a rest stop along the
Pamir Highway. The old Soviet military outpost closed in 2002, causing economic hardship partially offset by a rise in tourism.
Climate
Murghob has an alpine
tundra climate (''ET'') in the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
. The average annual temperature is . The warmest month is July with an average temperature of and the coolest month is January with an average temperature of . The average annual precipitation is and has an average of 87.1 days with precipitation. The wettest month is May with an average of of precipitation and the driest month is September with an average of of precipitation.
References
Citations
Sources
"Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan: Trekking Routes" (map) www.pamirs.org. Retrieved 25 August 2005.
* Jennings, David. (18 – 25 July 2004
Populated places in Gorno-Badakhshan
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