Qal'ai Khumb
Place in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, Tajikistan / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Qal'ai Khumb (Russian: Калаихум, Tajik: Қалъаи Хумб, Qal‘a‘i Xumb/Qal'haji Xumв — meaning fortress on the banks of the river of Khumb) or Qal'a-i-Khum, also Kalai-Khumb (transliterated from Russian: Калай-Хумб), is a border town located in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan, next to the border with Afghanistan. In the past it was the center of the independent Principality of Darvaz.[2] It is now the capital of the Darvoz District of Tajikistan. The Pamir Highway meets here the Panj River.
Qal'ai Khumb
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Coordinates: 38°27′59″N 70°47′48″E | |
Country | Tajikistan |
Region | Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region |
District | Darvoz district |
Elevation | 1,200 m (3,900 ft) |
Population | |
• Total | 1,909 |
Time zone | UTC+5 (GMT) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+5 (GMT) |
Area code | +992 3552 |
Climate | Csa |
Official languages |
The town is an important overnight rest stop between Kulob and Khorugh, located at a distance of 168 km (104 mi) from Kulob (or 368 km (229 mi) from Dushanbe) and 235 km (146 mi) from Khorugh.[3] It has several hotels to accommodate travelers on their way between cities.[4] The town is almost entirely surrounded by the Pamir Mountains.
The town is connected by road with Afghanistan via the Tajik–Afghan Friendship Bridge. The Saturday cross-border trade market, which was closed for several years,[5] has been reopened recently.[6][7][8]