Ab-i-Wakhan
Encyclopedia
Wakhan River also known in English as Ab-i-Wakhan, is the name of the Sarhad branch of the Panj River
along its upper length in Wakhan
, Afghanistan
.
The river arises in the Hindu Kush
. It is formed by the confluence of the Wakhjir River and the Bozai Darya near Kashch Goz and Bozai Gumbaz, some 40 km west of the Wakhjir Pass
. Shortly thereafter, the Little Pamir comes to an end, and the conjoined river contracts into a narrow, deep, rapid river, delimited by cliffs and steep hills. From here the banks have grown birch and juniper trees. 40 km west at Sarhad-e Broghil the river flows in a dramatic basin 3 km wide. Little if any vegetation but dwarf willow grows in this region.
At Sarhad the river contracts into a narrower valley, which is more populated. The river emerges near the villages of Langar
and Qila-e Panj, where it is joined by the Pamir River
. From that point the river is always locally spoken of as the Panj River
.
Panj River
The Panj River , also known as Pyandzh River or Piandj River , is a tributary of the Amu Darya. The river is 1,125 km long and forms a considerable part of the Afghanistan - Tajikistan border....
along its upper length in Wakhan
Wakhan
Wakhan or "the Wakhan" is a very mountainous and rugged part of the Pamir and Karakoram regions of Afghanistan. Wakhan District is a district in Badakshan Province.-Geography:...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
The river arises in the Hindu Kush
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range that stretches between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. The highest point in the Hindu Kush is Tirich Mir in the Chitral region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and is a...
. It is formed by the confluence of the Wakhjir River and the Bozai Darya near Kashch Goz and Bozai Gumbaz, some 40 km west of the Wakhjir Pass
Wakhjir Pass
The Wakhjir Pass is a mountain pass in the Hindu Kush or Pamirs at the eastern end of the Wakhan Corridor, the only pass between Afghanistan and China. It links Wakhan in Afghanistan with the Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County in Xinjiang, China, at an altitude of 4,923 m, but the pass is not an...
. Shortly thereafter, the Little Pamir comes to an end, and the conjoined river contracts into a narrow, deep, rapid river, delimited by cliffs and steep hills. From here the banks have grown birch and juniper trees. 40 km west at Sarhad-e Broghil the river flows in a dramatic basin 3 km wide. Little if any vegetation but dwarf willow grows in this region.
At Sarhad the river contracts into a narrower valley, which is more populated. The river emerges near the villages of Langar
Langar, Badakhshan
Langar is a village in the Wakhan District, Badakhshan Province in north-eastern Afghanistan. It lies on the Panj River, opposite the larger village of Langar in Tajikistan....
and Qila-e Panj, where it is joined by the Pamir River
Pamir River
The Pamir is a river in Tajikistan and Afghanistan. It is a tributary of the Panj River, and forms the northern boundary of Wakhan.The river has its sources in the Pamir Mountains in Gorno-Badakhshan province in the far eastern part of Tajikistan. It flows between the Wakhan Range and the Southern...
. From that point the river is always locally spoken of as the Panj River
Panj River
The Panj River , also known as Pyandzh River or Piandj River , is a tributary of the Amu Darya. The river is 1,125 km long and forms a considerable part of the Afghanistan - Tajikistan border....
.