Langar
Langar is a large settlement located in the Wakhan Valley in Tajikistan. The village is located on the altitude of about 3000 meters above sea level and is the highest mountain settlement in the Southern Pamirs.
All of the sides around, the village of Langar is surrounded by the mountains of the Pamirs and the Hindu Kush, which shelters it from most of tourists. The settlement has a harsh windy climate, it is very cold here in winter and in summer as well.
Not far from Langar, the Wakhandarya River flows, which flows into the Pamir River, forming a new full-flowing Pyanj River. In the village there is an interesting ancient mazar, in the center of which there is an altar decorated with horns of Siberian goats and argali. According to the locals, ancient cult rituals, consisting of a mixture of pagan, Zoroastrian and Ismaili beliefs, are still held in this mazar.
Slightly above the village of Langar, in the mountains above the valley of Wakhan, is the ancient fortress of Rathm, built during the time of the Kushan kingdom. This fortress served an important role - it was the main defensive structure, blocking the entrances to the valley. The fortress of Rathm was destroyed in 1883 during the war with the Afghans.
Today, the village of Langar is one of the starting points when climbing the Eastern Pamirs - the highest highlands in the world after Tibet. The road from Langar to the Eastern Pamir passes through the Khargush Pass and the famous lake Zorkul (Big Lake). The area of the water surface of this beautiful lake is almost 40 square kilometers. The lake and its environs are part of the Zorkul State Reserve, which the Government of Tajikistan has listed as candidates on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The lake has such a species of fish as a Schizopygopsis, which is also found in India and Tibet, but is not found in the rest of Tajikistan.
Pamir is a unique place, the world of stone, the purest sky and mountains sleeping for centuries. The air itself is dangerous and inhospitable here - low oxygen content can play a cruel joke with an unprepared rock climber. There is almost nothing but stony wastelands and almost no precipitation (even less than in the Sahara), there are no plants without water, there are no animals and no people live. When climbing to the Eastern Pamir, only strange extraordinarily beautiful landscapes of desert mountains are waiting for you.