Bazai Gumbad
Bazai Gumbad
بزای گمبز | |
|---|---|
The historical gumbads in the village | |
Bazai Gumbad Location in Afghanistan | |
| Coordinates: 37°8′0″N 74°0′0″E / 37.13333°N 74.00000°E | |
| Country | Afghanistan |
| Province | Badakhshan |
| District | Wakhan |
| Elevation | 12,910 ft (3,935 m) |
| Time zone | UTC+04:30 (Afghanistan Time) |
Bazai Gumbad, also reported as Buzai Gumbad and Bozai Gumbaz (Dari: بزای گمبز, lit. 'domes of the elders'[2]), is the site of domed tombs and nearby settlement of mostly ethnic Kyrgyz herders in the Wakhan District of Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan.[3] It lies in the Little Pamir on the right bank of the Bazai River, near where it joins Wakhjir River to become the Wakhan River.[1][4] It is part of the Wakhan National Park and patrolled by the Afghan National Police and Afghan Armed Forces.[5][6]
Bazai Gumbad is connected by about 60 km (37 mi) long gravel road to Sarhad in the southwest, and about the same length road to the Wakhjir Pass (Afghanistan–China border) in the east.[7] Widening of the road from Sarhad to Bazai Gumbad and then to the Wakhjir Pass has started in 2025.[8] As of December 2025, around 70% of the road project has been completed.[9] The Chaqmaqtin Lake is approximately 20 km (12 mi) to the northeast of Bazai Gumbad. Foreigners must have an Afghan visa to tour the area.[10]
History
Bazai Gumbad was historically used as one of the trade routes between Kabul and Kashgar.[11][12] The region was last conquered by Nader Shah and his army in around 1738. It has been under the control of Afghanistan since the formation of the Durrani Empire in 1747. The eastern border of Wakhan District was settled with China's Qing dynasty during the reign of Ahmad Shah Durrani. In 1891, during the Russian conquest of Central Asia, government forces from the Russian Empire had occupied Wakhan by stationing troops in Bazai Gumbad. A British national by the name of Francis Younghusband, who was traveling from Kashgar back to British India, was detained by the stationed Russian troops for having no visa or permission letter.[13][14] After the signing of the 1893 Durand Line Agreement and the 1895 Pamir Boundary Commission protocols, the Russian troops had all withdrawn from Bazai Gumbad and the Wakhan District of Afghanistan became a buffer zone between Tsarist Russia and British India.[15][16] There is no evidence to indicate that the local Pamir Mountains had ever earlier supported permanent settlements. While debris of mud buildings and similar constructions can occasionally be found, they are generally seen as only indicating relatively recent occupation and have little if any evidence of a permanent character. The shrines and tombs scattered throughout the area are all of a comparatively recent character. There are also the remains of a small fort found near this location. It is said to have been built by Bozai, a Kyrgyz chief.[1]
Climate
Bazai Gumbad is at extreme altitude, experiencing an alpine tundra climate (Köppen: ET), bordering on a subarctic climate (Dfc) that close to a monsoon-influenced subarctic climate (Dwc). The average annual temperature is −5.7 °C (21.7 °F) resulting in long, very cold winters and brief, cool summers.
| Climate data for Bazai Gumbad (2009-present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | −4 (25) |
0 (32) |
5 (41) |
10 (50) |
13 (55) |
19 (66) |
24 (75) |
21 (70) |
17 (63) |
14 (57) |
3 (37) |
−2 (28) |
24 (75) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −13.1 (8.4) |
−9.9 (14.2) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
0.2 (32.4) |
4.3 (39.7) |
8.4 (47.1) |
13.3 (55.9) |
12.1 (53.8) |
9.0 (48.2) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−11.4 (11.5) |
0.3 (32.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −21.2 (−6.2) |
−18.1 (−0.6) |
−12.6 (9.3) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
4.2 (39.6) |
9.3 (48.7) |
8.4 (47.1) |
4.8 (40.6) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
−13.3 (8.1) |
−18.8 (−1.8) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −29.0 (−20.2) |
−26.2 (−15.2) |
−20.7 (−5.3) |
−13.9 (7.0) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
0.0 (32.0) |
5.2 (41.4) |
4.7 (40.5) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−20.4 (−4.7) |
−26.1 (−15.0) |
−11.7 (11.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −46 (−51) |
−40 (−40) |
−38 (−36) |
−37 (−35) |
−23 (−9) |
−15 (5) |
−8 (18) |
−6 (21) |
−11 (12) |
−26 (−15) |
−33 (−27) |
−44 (−47) |
−46 (−51) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 16.3 (0.64) |
35.6 (1.40) |
53.0 (2.09) |
62.9 (2.48) |
57.9 (2.28) |
63.9 (2.52) |
84.1 (3.31) |
99.3 (3.91) |
91.8 (3.61) |
36.8 (1.45) |
16.6 (0.65) |
10.7 (0.42) |
628.9 (24.76) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 78 | 79 | 77 | 73 | 63 | 56 | 51 | 55 | 50 | 56 | 71 | 74 | 65 |
| Source: World Weather Online[17] | |||||||||||||
Economy
The economy of the area is based on agriculture, transport, trade, and tourism. In order to improve the local economy, the government of Afghanistan has rehabilitated and expanded the gravel road from Sarhad in the southwest to the Wakhjir Pass (Afghanistan–China border) in the east.[8][18][19][20] One of the main attractions in Bazai Gumbad is the Chaqmaqtin Lake, which is a short distance to the northeast.
References
- ^ a b c Adamec, Ludwig W., ed. (1972). Historical and Political Gazetteer of Afghanistan. Vol. 1. Graz, Austria: Akadamische Druck-u. Verlangsanstalt. p. 47.
- ^ Mock and O'Neill (2004): Expedition Report
- ^ "In Icy Tip of Afghanistan, War Seems Remote". The New York Times. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- ^ "NGA GeoName Database". National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 22 July 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
- ^ "Cabinet orders military deployment, services in Wakhan valley". Pajhwok Afghan News. 20 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ برنامه میهن من از وضعیت زندگی باشندگان پامیر بدخشان on YouTube (RTA Dari, Nov. 4, 2023)
- ^ "Wakhan Corridor Project 70% Complete, Aims for Economic Boost". TOLOnews. 15 December 2025. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
- ^ a b "Construction of the Grand Pamir Road Begins in Badakhshan". TOLOnews. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
- ^ د واخان ستراتیژیک سړک جوړېدو چارې ۷۰ سلنه بشپړې شوې. OMID Radio (in Pashto). 14 December 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "Silk Road Highway Reaches China-Afghanistan Border, Facilitating Historic Trade Routes". Bakhtar News Agency. 6 July 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
- ^ Beveridge, Annette Susannah (7 January 2014). The Bābur-nāma in English, Memoirs of Bābur. Project Gutenberg. p. 202.
- ^ Stein, Mark Aurel (1907). "Ancient Khotan". Nature. 76 (1981): 619–620. Bibcode:1907Natur..76..619H. doi:10.1038/076619a0. S2CID 3999325.
- ^ Wood, Frances (2002). The Silk Road: Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia. University of California Press. pp. 157–60. ISBN 978-0-520-24340-8.
- ^ Riddick, John (2006). The history of British India. Praeger Pub Text. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-313-32280-8.
- ^ Balland, Daniel (1 January 2000). "BOUNDARIES iii. Boundaries of Afghanistan". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ De Planhol, Xavier. "BADAḴŠĀN i. Geography and Ethnography". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "Bazai Gumbad, World Weather Online". Retrieved 22 September 2022.
- ^ "Construction of Wakhan road in Badakhshan has started: Mujahid". Ariana News. 29 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ "Traders urge govt to resume work on Wakhan corridor". Pajhwok Afghan News. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ Marty, Franz J. (21 July 2021). "High Road To China? A road to the Afghan-Chinese border is not what it might seem". www.9dashline.com. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
External links
- جاده ابریشم دوباره زنده شد on YouTube
- We meet FORGOTTEN PEOPLE of Afghanistan on YouTube (Nov. 26, 2023)
- On the Road - Pamir Heights of Badakhshan on YouTube (TOLO TV, Nov. 2, 2023)
- Satellite map at Maplandia.com