Pamir Mountains, the Crossroads of History -- NY Times Travel

Zee's Notes: A while back I wrote of the land of the Pamir Mountains as being the inspiration of the movie Shangri-La- where people lived in peace and were healthy well into their 100's. This is an interesting look at what's happening along the Tajik-Afghan border from a travel writer.

By ANDY ISAACSON

Published: December 20, 2009

BY 9 in the morning, the bazaar on a rocky island in the Panj River was a frenetic scene of haggling and theatrics. Afghan traders in long tunics and vests hawked teas, toiletries and rubber slippers. Turbaned fortune tellers bent over ornate Persian texts, predicting futures for the price of a dollar. Tajik women bargained over resplendent bolts of fabric. All were mingling this bright Saturday at a weekly market held throughout the year and, in one form or another, for thousands of years here in the Wakhan Valley, which divides Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/12/20/travel/20Pamir.html