One of the major historic sites of the Tajik Wakhan Valley, Vrang Stupa |
A short way up that hill behind the village of Vrang are the remains of an ancient Buddhist Monastery |
The driver leads the way up to the stupa at Vrang |
Our driver from Pamir Highway Adventures |
Climbing to the Buddhist Monastery at Vrang, Tajikistan |
The village of Vrang with the Panj River and the mountains of Afghanistan across the Wakhan Valley |
The wall to the Buddhist complex with its stupa |
Remains of the gate to Vrang |
Information plaques about the Vrang archaeological site |
The Buddhist stupa is believed to date from the 5th-6th Century |
Cliffs above Vrang |
Gorge splitting the monastery from another set of caves, Vrang |
Up to 60 small caves used as monk's cells have been carved into the cliff |
Some historians believe Vrang may have its origins at a Zoroastrian fire temple |
Village of Vrang seen from the Buddhist stupa, Wakhan Valley |
Village of Vrang seen from the Buddhist stupa, Wakhan Valley |
Remains of the monastery wall protecting the stupa |
With more time, there are other trails that look like they might be interesting to explore |
From Google Earth it looks like the trail leads into the upper gorge at Vrang |
Down in the village of Vrang, Tajikistan |
Vrang, Tajikistan |
Vrang, Tajikistan |
The stupa rises like a stepped pyramid above the village of Vrang, Wakhan Valley |
Large caves have been cut into the hillside beneath the stupa at Vrang |
Traveling into the gorge beneath the Vrang Stupa |
The caves appear empty and difficult to access |
Vrang stupa and Buddhist monastery with the mountains of Afghanistan, Wakhan Valley |
A small stream has caved out a narrow gorge at Vrang |
The gorge at Vrang |
Walkways on either side of the mouth of the gorge at Vrang |
The stream as it leaves the gorge and enters the village, Vrang, Wakhan Valley |
The Buddhist Monastery at Vrang with the stupa on top of the hill cut with caves |
The second set of caves to the west of the stupa across the stream |
The village of Vrang, Tajikistan |
"Welcome" written in English on the hillside at Vrang |
Sandy section of the Wakhan Valley with the mountains between Eshmareh and Qala Panja, Afghanistan |
A military outpost between Eshmareh and Qala Panja, Afghanistan, across the river from Vrang in the Wakhan Valley |
The next village to the west of Vrang Stupa |
Mountains on the Tajikistan side of the Wakhan Valley |
The village of Yamg is about 5 km west of Vrang and has two interesting sights |
Observatory in the village of Yamg founded by Sufi Mubarak Qadam (Mubarak-i Wakhani) in the 19th C. |
Stone instrument, part of the Yamg Observatory, Tajikistan |
View through the stone to a point on the mountain |
Historic tablets in English and Tajik about the Yamg Obervatory and the Sufi Mubarak-i Wakhani, Tajikistan |
History of the Yamg Observatory |
The Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum at Yamg, Tajikistan |
Hindu Kush - Lunkho E Dosare (6902m/22,644 ft), Afghanistan-Pakistan |
Horns of a March Polo sheep with the Hindu Kush in the background, Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum, Yamg |
Horns of an Ibex with the Hindu Kush in the background, Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum, Yamg |
Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum, Yamg, Tajikistan |
The Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum is housed in a traditional Pamiri house |
Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum |
Art on the south facing porch of the Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum |
Book about the Isma'il- Sufi Sage of Pamir, Mubarak-i Wakhani |
Pamiri Polular Anthropomorphic Caldendar, Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum |
Pamiri Polular Anthropomorphic Caldendar detail |
Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum, Tajikistan |
Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum, Tajikistan |
Nosiri Khusrav |
Skylight of the Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum, a traditional Pamiri building |
Detail of the skylight of the Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum |
Detail of the pillars of the Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum |
Detail of the pillars of the Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum |
Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum, Wakhan Valley, Tajikistan |
Traditional Pamiri stringed musical instrument |
This stringed instrument is modeled on the crest of the hoopoe bird |
The hoopoe bird on a book entitled Journey into the Past |
Demonstration of a traditional Pamiri stringed instrument, Mubarak-i Wakhani Museum |
Traditional Pamiri stringed instrument |
Pamini man's cap |
School in the village of Yamg, Wakhan Valley |
Yamg, Wakhan Valley, Tajikistan |