Pamir Mountains

node · earth · Gorno-Badakhshan, extending into Afghanistan, China and Kyrgyzstan

A high mountain knot where the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun and Hindu Kush converge, known in Persian as Bam-i-Dunya, the Roof of the World. Most of it lies in the Gorno-Badakhshan region of Tajikistan, extending into Afghanistan, China and Kyrgyzstan. Ismoil Somoni Peak, at 7,495 m, is the highest point in Tajikistan. The Pamir is the reason the routes narrow: a handful of high passes, including the Wakhjir at about 4,920 m in the Wakhan corridor, are the only practical crossings between Central Asia and the Tarim Basin, and they close with snow. Xuanzang crossed the range on his return journey and described the cold.