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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 {{Tajikistan-geo-stub