Sher's House Inn

Alichur Village

Murghhob District (pop 1788)

Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province

Republic of Tajikistan

August 25, 2019

Sunrise

Alichur means “Ali's curse” and is reputed to have been spoken by the prophet's son-in-law Ali on a journey through the area, on account of the harsh climate and penetrating winds.  (Above the tree line at 3991m or 2.5 mi.)

Despite the climate and the wind, I wake up early in this tiny village and walk across the plateau.  I look forward to a cloudless sky and the morning sun as it illuminates the surrounding mountains.

In the village, only one woman emerges from her yurt to prepare her household for the day.

After breakfast at Sher's House Inn (+992 900 33 05 13), Highway M41 is my route for the day.

M41 is the second highest highway in the world.  The Karakorum Highway in nearby Pakistan is the highest.

M41 is also known by its beguiling-seductive name, “The Pamir Highway.”

Please travel with me as we head west on M41.

I anticipate the high desert, the forbidding snowcapped “Soviet Mountains” and a river valley - all as I return to Khorog, the capital city of the Province.