PAMIRS: MOUNTAINS, CHARACTERISTICS, GLACIERS

PAMIRS

Peak Communism (Ismoili Somoni Peak), the highest mountain in the Pamirs and the Soviet Union, in 1978

The Pamirs is a 800-kilometer-long (500-mile-long) range made up of very high rounded mountains between 5,000 and 7,000 meters (16,400 and 23,000 feet) high that stretch across eastern Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan into western China. Known as “The Roof of the World,” "The Foot of the Gods," and "Midpoint between Heaven and Earth," they occupy one of the least explored and most sparsely populated regions of the world. The Pamirs offer some of the most spectacular Alpine scenery in the world but is difficult to get to.

The Pamirs are among the highest mountains in the world, with an extraordinary mean elevation of 3,965 meters (13,000 feet). Centered in southern Tajikistan, they branch off in different directions, connecting with other great mountain ranges such as the Tian Shan in neighboring Kyrgyzstan and China. [Source: Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Physical Geography, Gale Group, Inc., 2003]

Pamir means "pasture." In some ways the Pamirs are better described as a high plateau with mountains than a mountain range. There are many flat, broad, treeless valleys that are as high as the low mountains and filled with grass. Winding through the valleys are meandering, sometimes swampy rivers, and occasionally an Alpine lake. Between the peaks are large glaciers, including 72-kilometer-long (45-mile-long) Fedchenko glacier, the longest glacier in the former Soviet Union.

The Pamir region is commonly divided into West Pamir and East Pamir. At the heart of the system is the Academy of Sciences Range, which extends about 108 kilometers (67 miles) and has an average elevation of 5,757 meters (18,888 feet). Many other peaks exceed 20,000 feet (6,096 meters).

Characteristics of the Pamirs

The Pamirs have been described as a big mountain node The mountains around Pik Kommunizma are called the Pamir Knot. Geologists regard it as a hub, from which the Tien Shan, Hindu Kush, Kunlun and Karakorum mountains branch out. All of these young mountains have been produced by the collision of the Indian subcontinent into the Asian land mass during the past 50 million years, which also pushed up the Himalayas..

The Pamirs are characterized by enormous elevation differences, with valley floors often lying at 1,700 to 1,800 meters (5,577 to 5,906 feet) and surrounding peaks exceeding 6,000 meters (19,685 feet). The northern boundary of the Pamirs is formed by the Trans-Alay Range, while the eastern border with China is marked by the Sarikol Range, whose highest point reaches 5,909 meters (19,386 feet). The famous Pamir Highway crosses the region through the Kyzylart Pass at an elevation of 4,280 meters (14,042 feet), making it one of the highest international highways in the world.

There are several high pass through the Pamirs, one of which was used by Marco Polo in 1271. Wildlife in the Pamirs incline Marco Polo sheep and snow leopards. Some yeti stories originated from here. Herders keep sheep, goats and yaks. The winters are long and harsh and the summers are cool. The Mountain-Badakhshan District in the heart of the Pamirs receives only 12.7 centimeters (five inches) of precipitation a year. The amounts of precipitation decreases as one climbs in elevation not increases as is the case with most mountain ranges in the world.

Mountains and Ranges of the Pamirs

Pamirs and the Tian Shan, Karakorums and Himalayas

The Pamir Mountains embrace three of the four highest peaks in the former Soviet Union. The highest is Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), which rises to 7,495 meters (24,590 feet) and is highest mountain in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia and the former Soviet Union. Nearby is Korzhenevskaya Peak at 7,105 meters (23,310 feet)m the fourth-highest in the former USSR.

Pik Lenina (Lenin Peak) in the Trans Alai range of the Pamirs in northeastern Tajikistan reaches 7,134 meters (23,406 feet), making it the third-highest mountain in the former Soviet Union.. Other notable landmarks include Revolution Peak, at 6,974 meters (22,881 feet).

Almost the entire territory of the Western Pamirs is occupied by mountain ridges running generally east-west. These include the Vanj Range, reaching 5,584 meters (18,320 feet), the Yazgulem Range, crowned by Revolution Peak, the Rushan Range, with elevations of about 6,000 to 6,100 meters (19,685 to 20,013 feet), and the Shugnan Range, which rises to 5,704 meters (18,714 feet). The region is also crossed by north-south mountain chains, including the Academy of Sciences Range, home to Qullai Ismoili Somoni, and the Ishkashim Range.

Geography and Climate of the Pamirs

A vast high-mountain desert stretches from the southern slopes of the Trans-Alay (Zaalay) Range in the north to the banks of the Pyanj River in the south. This remote region, known as the Eastern Pamirs, is characterized by long, severe winters, thin dry air, and broad valleys containing lakes and basins such as Alichur, Murghab, and Rangkul.

Most of the area lies at elevations between 3,500 and 4,200 meters (11,483 and 13,780 feet) above sea level. After Tibet, it is the second-highest plateau in the world. Temperatures can be extremely cold, falling to -47°C (-52.6°F) in Murghab and -50°C (-58°F) near Karakul. Summers are short and cool, with average July temperatures of only 13–14°C (55–57°F).

Geology of the Karakorum-Pamir Region

According to a report submitted to UNESCO, the Karakorum–Pamir region is one of the world's most significant geological areas. It is considered the most actively uplifted region created by continental plate collision during the last five million years. The Pamirs lie at a major tectonic junction where a corner of the Indian continental plate is being forced beneath the Eurasian plate.

Pamirs

This process has contributed to the formation of some of the highest mountains on Earth and continues to shape the landscape today. The region's concentration of extremely high peaks, mud volcanoes, and active tectonic structures provides valuable evidence of the processes associated with plate movement and mountain building. As a result, it is regarded as one of the best natural laboratories for studying the lithosphere, tectonic activity, and geodynamic processes. [Source: National Commission of the People's Republic of China for UNESCO]

The report also describes the Karakorum–Pamir region as one of the most important areas for research on the Tethys tectonic zone. Over hundreds of millions of years, the region experienced a complex geological evolution involving the opening and closing of ancient oceans along the southern margin of Eurasia. Its rocks and sedimentary layers preserve evidence of the formation, subduction, and closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean, as well as the later tectonic events associated with the New Tethys Ocean and the collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates. These geological records provide important insights into continental growth, mountain formation, and the evolution of Eurasia. Scientists regard the region as a key area for understanding the development of the Eastern Tethys and the mechanisms by which continental plates collide and merge. The area also offers exceptional evidence of changes in the Earth's crust and environment during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras, making it an important location for the study of continental dynamics and global environmental change.

The Karakorum–Pamir region is also one of the world's most important areas for glacier research. Its mountains contain nearly half of the planet's very high peaks and support some of the most extensive high-altitude glacier systems found outside the polar regions. These glaciers provide valuable information about past and present climate conditions and help scientists understand glacial processes, mountain landforms, and environmental change. The region is also an important site for the study of Central Asian dust. Ice cores extracted from Muztag Ata have preserved records of dust deposits from different periods, allowing researchers to examine their origins and patterns of transport. These records contribute to a better understanding of climate history, atmospheric circulation, and environmental change across Central Asia.

Pamiri Tajiks and People in the Pamirs

Glaciers in the Pamirs, NASA

Around 210,000 people live in the Gorno-Badakhshan region in Tajikistan. About 95 percent of them are Pamiri Tajiks (also known as Pamiris, or Pamirians, or Pamirian Tajiks). There are a few Tajiks, Kyrgyz and Russians. There are also some Pamiri Tajiks in Afghanistan, western China and Pakistan. The Gorno-Badakhshan region embraces most of the Pamirs. It accounts for 45 percent of Tajikistan’s territory but is home to only three percent of its people. The largely Shiite inhabitants of the Pamir mountains speak a number of mutually unintelligible eastern Iranian dialects quite distinct from the Tajik spoken in the rest of the country. [Source: Encyclopedia of World Cultures: China, Russia and Eurasia edited by Paul Friedrich and Norma Diamond (C.K. Hall & Company]

Pamir ethnic groups essentially differ from Tajiks. There are several dialects of the Pamir language and almost all Pamir people adhere to the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam. Pamiri people are not strong believers. There are no Islamic radicals among them. The Pamiris have close linguistic, cultural and religious ties with the people in the Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan.

Kirill Nourzhanov and Christian Bleuer wrote:“The Pamiris have always differed from other Tajiks in important cultural characteristics, such as language, religion and stronger familial affiliation. Their languages and dialects belong to the Eastern Iranian language group as opposed to the Western Iranian Tajik. The majority of Pamiris adhere to the Ismaili sect of Shiism whilst the bulk of valley and mountain Tajiks are Sunnis. All eight Pamiri sub-ethnic groups retain potent self-consciousness and can identify themselves on at least three levels: by their primary cultural name—for example, rykhen, zgamik, khik and so on—when dealing with one another; by their collective name, pomiri (Pamiri), when interacting with other groups in Tajikistan; and, finally, as Tajiks when outside the republic. In the 1980s, the official line of the Tajik leadership denied the Pamiris their cultural uniqueness: ‘the Pamiris are Tajiks by descent and their languages are nothing more than dialects of Tajik.’ [Source: “Tajikistan: Political and Social History” by Kirill Nourzhanov and Christian Bleuer, Australia National University, 2013]

Marco Polo in the Pamirs

Marco Polo (1254-1324) and his father and uncle passed through the Pamirs, a rugged mountain range with huge glaciers and many peaks over 20,000 feet, to reach Kashgar in China. Marco Polo was the first Westerner to mention the Pamirs, which he said "is the highest place in the world." Today the Pamirs are often called "The Roof of the World." [Sources: Mike Edwards, National Geographic, May 2001, June 2001, July 2001 **]

It is believed the Polos traveled through Wakhan — the long valley in present-day Afghanistan that divides the Pamirs from the Hindu Kush and reaches across to China — and may have entered present-day Tajikistan, where the bulk of the Pamirs are located. The journey through the Pamirs was the most difficult leg of the Polo's journey. It took them nearly two months to traverse 250 miles. On the 15,000 foot passes they traversed, Marco Polo wrote, "Fire is not so bright" and "things are not well cooked." The Polos may have been delayed by blizzards, avalanches and landslides. **

"Wild game of every sort abounds" in the Pamirs, Polo wrote. "There are great quantities of wild sheep of huge size...Their horns grow to as much as six palms in length and are never less than four. From these horns the shepherds make big bowls from which they feed, and also fences to keep in their flocks." The Marco Polo sheep is named after Marco Polo because he was the first to describe it. Known for its wide spreading horns, it and the argali of Mongolia are the largest members of the sheep family. **

Pamir Allay

Pamir Allay is a 500-kilometer-long mountain range that runs across the southern Kyrgyzstan border and extends all the way from Samarkand in Uzbekistan to Xinjiang in western China. The 60-kilometer-long Allay Valley is regarded as the center of hiking in the Pamirs in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is the access point for: Pik Kommunizma, Lenin Peak and Pik Korzhenevskaya as well as a number of lower mountains and treks. Climbers attempting Lenin Peak go to the International Mountaineering Camp in the valley to become acclimatized to the high altitude before trying to climb the mountain. It is best reached by helicopter or treks that originate in Kyrgyzstan.

1) Ismoili Somoni Peak (in Tajikistan south of the Kyrgyzstan border) is the highest mountain in the Pamirs and the former Soviet Union. At 7,495 meters (24,590 feet) high, it is regarded as relatively easy for experienced mountaineers to climb. It used to be called Pik Kommunizma, or Mount Communism (See Below). 2) Lenin Peak (border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) is 7,134 meters (23,405 feet) high and is regarded as relatively easy for experienced mountaineers to climb. 3) Pik Korzhenevskaya (in Tajikistan south of the Kyrgyzstan border) is 7,105 meters (23,310 feet) high and is also considered relatively easy for experienced mountaineers to climb. It is the fourth highest mountain in the former Soviet Union.

The main road to the regions is the A372, which runs between Osh and Sary Tash, near the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border, and the Gorno-Badakhshan region in Tajikistan. Unrest has closed down this area. Even in the best of times it is a restricted area and requires special permits to visit that are best arranged through travel agencies.

Lenin Peak (border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) is 7,134 meters (23,405 feet) high. It is the fourth highest mountain in the former Soviet Union and is relatively easy for experienced mountaineers to climb. The snow-covered ridges and slopes are not technically demanding. There are serious dangers from weather and avalanches though. The world's worst mountaineering accident claimed 43 climbers in July 1990, when a small earthquake triggered an avalanche that the buried the climber's camp on Lenin peak. In 1974, eight of the Soviet Union’s best women climbers died while ascending the peak.

Ismoili Somoni Peak: the Highest Mountain in the Pamirs

Ismoili Somoni Peak is the highest peak in the Pamirs and in the former Soviet Union, at 7,495 meters ((24,590 feet,, Formerly known as Mount Communism or Pik Kommunizma, it was was renamed Ismoili Somoni Peak in 2000 in honour of the 10th century founder of the first Tajik State. The peak was discovered in 1928 during a Soviet-German research. For some time it was called Stalin Peak. It was renamed Communism Peak in 1962. The summit of Ismoili Somoni Peak was reached the first time in 1933 by E. Abalakov and a group from the Tajik-Pamir research expedition via the Bivachny glacier in 1933. Until 1962 Soviet mountaineers were the only ones who had made the summit. Englishmen were the first foreigners to climb it.

According to Tourism Information Portal of Tajikistan: “The best way for tourists and mountaineers to get to the peak area is by a 30 — 40 minute helicopter flight from Jirgatol airport. Tourists are transported to the village by vehicle or by air from Dushanbe. The most convenient places for high-altitude expedition bases are in the upper reaches of the Fortambek glacier. These are the Suloev and Moskvin glades, which lead to relatively simple and safe routes to the nearest and highest peaks in the Pamirs — Ismoili Somoni Peak and Korzhenevskaya Peak (7,105 meters).

The Suloev glade is located 4,100 meters above sea level, in the pocket of the left moraine of the Turamys glacier (source of the Fortambek glacier). A medical and biological expedition of the Tajik SSR’s Academy of Sciences, which studied the problems of the adaptation of living organisms to the alpine conditions, worked on the Suloev glade in 1971 — 1977 and established two permanent houses. [Source: Tourism Information Portal of Tajikistan]

“Mountain climbers from the “Stormy Petrel” sports society established a reasonably simple way of climbing to the Pamiri glacier snow plateau (a fairly even 12 kilometers plateau at a height of 6,000 meters) and further to Ismoili Somoni Peak along the one of the mountain ridges. Since that time it has been known as “Stormy Petrel’s ridge”. In the 1980s, a shorter route to the Pamir glacier snow plateau was established from the Walter glacier along “Borodkin’s ridge”, and the mountaineers’ center slowly moved to another glade: the Moskvin, where the Alp-Navruz base camp is now located. The camp is situated in a sub-alpine zone 4,200 meters above sea level, on the eastern terrace at the junction of Walter and Moskvin glaciers (eastern tributaries of the Fortambek glacier), and it is the most convenient starting point for climbing Ismoili Somoni Peak and Korzhenevskaya Peak because of the ease of access to it. The glade near the Moskvin glacier (total area of about 10 hectares) is fairly safe from rock falls or avalanches.

“There is a small spring-water lake on the Moskvin glade, four two-bed, shielded, warmed tents where the camp administration is located during the seasonal period, 11 two-bed houses made of wood and aluminium for mountaineers and tourists, a communication center, a canteen, a shower, a sauna and other facilities. When necessary, tarpaulin tents are set up here. The main source of electric power on the Moskvin glade is a diesel generator. Natural gas provides heat for cooking. Iron tanks with diesel fuel and containers with natural gas are delivered by helicopter from Dushanbe. There is also a convenient helicopter landing-ground here.

Getting There: Location: Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast, Jirgatol district. Junction of the Academy of Sciences and the Peter I mountain ranges, In the northwest part of thePamirs. by helicopter from Dushanbe or Jirgatol, by car to Devshar village in Jirgatol district and then on foot. At present there are two ways of delivering people, shipments, and food to Moskvin glade: by helicopter from Dushanbe (flight time — 1.5 hours each way) or...

a 350 kilometers drive to the east of the capital, along the Vakhsh, Surkhob and Muksu rivers as far as Depshar (near Jirgatol), and then a 7-day walk to the final destination — through four mountain passes (Belkandov, Irgay, Tamosha and Kuray Shapak) along the northern ridge of the Peter I range, accompanied by porters specially trained in mountain conditions. At present, the camp functions on the Moskvin glade for only two to three months (July-September). The rest of the time it is not operational due to the difficulty of access and severe climate conditions (freezing temperatures, wind, snow, and altitude)..

Glaciers of the Pamirs

The Pamir Mountains contain some of the largest and most important glacier systems in Central Asia. The best known is the Fedchenko Glacier, which is generally regarded as the world's largest continental glacier outside the polar regions. It extends for about 77 kilometers (47.8 miles) and covers an area of approximately 651.7 square kilometers (251.6 square miles). Other major glaciers include the Grumm-Grzhimaylo Glacier, with an area of 142.9 square kilometers (55.2 square miles), and the Garmo Glacier, which covers 114.6 square kilometers (44.2 square miles).

These glaciers are the source of many of Central Asia's major rivers, including the Pyanj, Gund, Shahdara, Bartang, Yazgulem, and Vanj. The meltwater from these rivers provides an important water supply for Tajikistan and neighboring countries throughout the region.

Glaciers are found throughout many of Tajikistan's mountain ranges, including the Pamirs, Rushan, Muzkol, Shahdara, Hissar, and Zerafshan ranges. Together they form the country's principal mountain ice reserves and serve as a vital source of freshwater.

The elevation of glacier termini varies according to local climate conditions and the size of the glacier. Larger glaciers generally descend to lower elevations than smaller ones. The average elevation of glacier lower boundaries increases from west to east as precipitation decreases. In the Kafirnihan River basin, glaciers descend to about 3,650 meters (11,975 feet), while in the Lake Karakul basin their lower limits are among the highest, averaging about 4,860 meters (15,945 feet).

Glaciers play a crucial role in the hydrology of Tajikistan. They act as natural reservoirs, storing water in the form of ice and snow during colder periods and releasing it through melting during the warmer months. This process helps regulate river flow and provides a dependable source of water during summer, when agricultural demand is greatest.

Karakoram-Pamir Region of China

Karakoram-Pamir, including Tashkurghan National Nature Reserve (N36 10 E76 30) and Pamir Wetlands National Nature Reserve (N75 12 E75 12) was nominated to be a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010. According to a report submitted to UNESCO: The Pamirs are the most famous mountain convergence zone in the world. It is the largest mountain convergence zone that was formed by the convergence of the Tian Shan Mountains, the Kalakunlun Mountains, the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush Mountains and the Jierter-Sulaiman Mountains. It lies in the hinterland of Eurasia and extends across China, Tajikistan and Afghanistan with an area of more than 100,000 square kilometers. [Source: National Commission of the People's Republic of China for UNESCO]

“The nominated area includes the highest peaks of the Karakoram and Pamir Mountains. The Karakorams lie to the southeast of the Pamirs and to the northwest of the Tibetan-Qinghaian Plateau, along the international boundary of China and Pakistan, India and Kashmir. They are the highest mountains in the world except for the Himalayas. They have a length of more than 700 kilometers and a width of more than 100 kilometers. Topographically, the Karakorams are typical very high mountain, with a relative altitudinal difference of 3,000-5,000 meters.

The average height of the main ridge is 6,500 meters, and the main peak of the Karakorams is K2, which is the second highest peak in the world with an altitude of 8,611 meters. There are four mountain peaks of more than 8,000 meters and 29 mountain peaks of more than 7,000 meters in this area. The nominated 'Pamir Peaks' area lies on the eastern edge of the Pamirs. It is one of the main concentrations of the world's very high mountains. Of them, Kongur Tagh, the Jiubie Mountains and Mt. Muztag Ata are the highest peaks of the Pamirs, with altitudes of 7,719 meters, 7,530 meters and 7,546 meters respectively. These mountains are famous throughout the world. Mt. Muztag Ata is known as 'the Father of Glaciers' and it is a famous mountaineering base.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Tourism Information Portal of Tajikistan (traveltajikistan.tj), Tajikistan government websites, UNESCO, Wikipedia, Lonely Planet guides, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Japan News, Yomiuri Shimbun, Compton's Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.

Updated in June 2026