Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County
Encyclopedia
Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County is one of the counties of Kashgar Prefecture
in western Xinjiang
.
Plateau, where the Kunlun
, Kara Kunlun, Hindukush and Tian Shan
mountains come together, at the borders with Afghanistan
(Wakhan Corridor
), Tajikistan
(Gorno-Badakhshan Province
) and Pakistani-administered Kashmir
(Gilgit-Baltistan). The county seat is the town of Tashkurgan.
The territorial expansion of the county is 178 kilometres (110.6 mi) from north to south, and 140 kilometres (87 mi) from east to west, the total area is about 52400 square kilometres (20,231.8 sq mi), at an average altitude above 4000 metres (13,123.4 ft).
The Muztagh Ata
, at 7546 metres (24,757.2 ft), and the Kongur Tagh
, at 7719 metres (25,324.8 ft), are the main peaks in the county, while the two main rivers are the Taxkorgan River and the Tiznap (or Tiznef) River (Chinese: 提孜那甫河; Tízīnàfǔ Hé). There are several hot springs and resources of gold, iron, and copper.
BWk), influenced by the high elevation, with long, very cold winters, and warm summers. Monthly daily average temperatures range from −11.9 °C in January to 16.4 °C (61.5 °F) in July, while the annual mean is 3.58 °C (38.4 °F). An average of only 68 millimetres (2.68 in) of precipitation falls per year.
, Tashkurgan was known as Puli
(Púlí 蒲犁); during the Tang dynasty
, it was a protectorate of the Parthians, during the Yuan dynasty
it was part of the Chaghatai empire
. Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County was created in 1954 and is part of the district of Kashgar
.
to the Warring States period (475-221 BCE). The mummies were discovered in the nearby Xiabandi Valley on the old caravan route to Yarkand
. The valley has now been flooded for a hydro-electric project.
, which runs through Tashkurgan Town.
Kashgar Prefecture
Kashgar Prefecture or Kashi Prefecture is located in mid-western Xinjiang, China. It has an area of 112,057 km² and 3,979,362 inhabitants at the 2010 cenus with a population density of 36 inhabitants/km² )....
in western Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
.
Geography
Tashkurgan County is located in the eastern part of the PamirPamir Mountains
The Pamir Mountains are a mountain range in Central Asia formed by the junction or knot of the Himalayas, Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, and Hindu Kush ranges. They are among the world’s highest mountains and since Victorian times they have been known as the "Roof of the World" a probable...
Plateau, where the Kunlun
Kunlun Mountains
The Kunlun Mountains are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.The...
, Kara Kunlun, Hindukush and Tian Shan
Tian Shan
The Tian Shan , also spelled Tien Shan, is a large mountain system located in Central Asia. The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Victory Peak , ....
mountains come together, at the borders with 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...
(Wakhan Corridor
Wakhan Corridor
Wakhan Corridor is commonly used as a synonym for Wakhan, an area of far north-eastern Afghanistan which forms a land link or "corridor" between Afghanistan and China. The Corridor is a long and slender panhandle or salient, roughly long and between wide. It separates Tajikistan in the north...
), Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
(Gorno-Badakhshan Province
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province is an autonomous, mountainous province in the east of Tajikistan. Located in the Pamir Mountains, it makes up 45% of the land area of the country but only 3% of the population....
) and Pakistani-administered Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
(Gilgit-Baltistan). The county seat is the town of Tashkurgan.
The territorial expansion of the county is 178 kilometres (110.6 mi) from north to south, and 140 kilometres (87 mi) from east to west, the total area is about 52400 square kilometres (20,231.8 sq mi), at an average altitude above 4000 metres (13,123.4 ft).
The Muztagh Ata
Muztagh Ata
Muztagh Ata, or Muztagata , is the second highest of the mountains which form the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau . It is sometimes regarded as being part of the Kunlun Shan, although physically it is more closely connected to the Pamirs...
, at 7546 metres (24,757.2 ft), and the Kongur Tagh
Kongur Tagh
Kongur Tagh or Kongkoerh is at 7,649 m the highest mountain wholly within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.-Geography:...
, at 7719 metres (25,324.8 ft), are the main peaks in the county, while the two main rivers are the Taxkorgan River and the Tiznap (or Tiznef) River (Chinese: 提孜那甫河; Tízīnàfǔ Hé). There are several hot springs and resources of gold, iron, and copper.
Climate
Tashkurgan has a cold desert climate (KöppenKöppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
BWk), influenced by the high elevation, with long, very cold winters, and warm summers. Monthly daily average temperatures range from −11.9 °C in January to 16.4 °C (61.5 °F) in July, while the annual mean is 3.58 °C (38.4 °F). An average of only 68 millimetres (2.68 in) of precipitation falls per year.
Population
The total population of Tashkurgan is 27,800, among them 84% Tajiks, 4% Han and 12% other nationalities. (Figures of 1995)History
During the Han dynastyHan Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
, Tashkurgan was known as Puli
Puli
The Puli is a medium-big breed of Hungarian herding and livestock guarding dog known for its long, corded coat. The tight curls of the coat, similar to dreadlocks, make it virtually waterproof. A similar looking, but much larger Hungarian dog breed is called Komondor.- Appearance :The Puli is a...
(Púlí 蒲犁); during the Tang dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, it was a protectorate of the Parthians, during the Yuan dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
it was part of the Chaghatai empire
Chagatai Khanate
The Chagatai Khanate was a Turko-Mongol khanate that comprised the lands ruled by Chagatai Khan , second son of the Great Khan Genghis Khan, and his descendents and successors...
. Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County was created in 1954 and is part of the district of Kashgar
Kashgar
Kashgar or Kashi is an oasis city with approximately 350,000 residents in the western part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Kashgar is the administrative centre of Kashgar Prefecture which has an area of 162,000 km² and a population of approximately...
.
Museum
In Tashkurgan Town there is a museum that houses a few local artifacts, a photographic display and, in the basement, two mummies - one of a young woman about 18, and another of a baby about 3 months old which, however, was not hers. They are labelled as dating from the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
to the Warring States period (475-221 BCE). The mummies were discovered in the nearby Xiabandi Valley on the old caravan route to Yarkand
Yarkand
Yarkant County , is a county in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, located on the southern rim of the Taklamakan desert in the Tarim Basin. It is one of 11 counties administered under Kashgar Prefecture...
. The valley has now been flooded for a hydro-electric project.
Main villages
| Conventional | Sarikoli Sarikoli The Sarikoli language is a member of the Pamir subgroup of the Southeastern Iranian languages spoken by Tajiks in China... (in IPA) | Uyghur Uyghur language Uyghur , formerly known as Eastern Turk, is a Turkic language with 8 to 11 million speakers, spoken primarily by the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of Western China. Significant communities of Uyghur-speakers are located in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and various other... | Chinese Chinese language The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages... | Pinyin Pinyin Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into... |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tashkurgan Town | tɔʃqyrʁɔn | تاشقۇرغان | 塔什库尔干 | Tǎshìkù'ěrgàn | |
| Tagarma | taʁarmi | تاغارما | Taƣarma | 塔合曼鄉 | Tǎhémàn |
| Tiznap | tiznef | تىزناپ | 提孜那甫 | Tízīnàfǔ | |
| Dafdar Dafdar Dafdar or Daftar is a village in the Taghdumbash Pamir located in Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. It is inhabited by Wakhis... |
ðavðɔr | دەفتەر | Defter | 达佈达尔 | Dábùdá'ĕr |
| Weqa | watʃa | ۋەچە | Weqe | 瓦恰 | Wǎqià |
| Baldir | baldir | بەلدىر | 班迪尔 | Bāndí'ĕr | |
| Maryang | marjɔŋ | مارياڭ | Maryang | 马尔洋 | Mǎ'ĕryáng |
| Burumsal | bryŋsol | بۇرۇمسال | Burumsal | 布倫木沙鄉 | Bùlúnmùshā |
| Datong | tyŋ | داتۇڭ | Datung | 大同鄉 | Dàtóng |
| Koguxluk | quʁuʃluʁ | قوغۇشلۇق | 库克西力克 | Kùkèxīlìkè | |
| Mazar | mazur mutʃaŋ | مازار | 麻扎 | Mázhā | |
| |mulin tʃaŋ | | | ||||
Transportation
The county is served by Karakoram HighwayKarakoram Highway
The Karakoram Highway is the highest paved international road in the world, but at its peak at the China-Pakistan border it is only paved on the Chinese side. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of as confirmed by both...
, which runs through Tashkurgan Town.