Little Pamir

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The Little Pamir is a large valley bordered by Tajikistan to the North, Pakistan to the South (Chitral and Hunza valleys), the Wakhan Valley and the Big Pamir to the West and China to the East (Xinjiang-Uigur Autonomous Region). Although the western end of the Little Pamir is used to some extent by transhumance Wakhi herders from Sarhad and upper Wakhan for seasonal grazing, the Little Pamir is mainly the home of the yurt-dwelling, Turkic-speaking Kyrghyz and their herds. The Kyrghyz share the Little Pamir with a population of Marco Polo sheep, ibex, and other wild animals.

The Big Pamir includes the famous Lake Chaqmaqtin. The area was first explored by Marco Polo and was subsequently used as a gateway to China on the Silk Road. The Little Pamir has been commonly referred as "the roof of the world". According to Sir Lord Curzon, it includes the source of the Oxus (Amu Daria River).

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