Khorugh
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Khorugh Хоруғ |
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 Khorugh
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| Coordinates: 37°29′30″N 71°33′21″E / 37.49167°N 71.55583°E | ||
| Country |
 Tajikistan
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| Province | Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region | |
| District | Shughnon District | |
| Elevation | 2,123 m (6,965 ft) | |
| Population (2003) | ||
| • Total | 30,000 | |
| Time zone | GMT+5 | |
| Area code(s) | +992 3522 | |
| Climate | BSk | |
The town of Khorugh (Tajik: Хоруғ, Persian: خاروغ), also transliterated as Horog, Khoroq, Khorogh, Khorog, or Xoroq is the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan (Tajik: Kuhistoni Badakhshon, "Badakhshan Mountainous Region") Autonomous Region (GBAO) in Tajikistan. It is also the capital of the Shughnon District of Gorno-Badakhshan. It has a population of 28,000 (2000 census). Khorugh is 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) above sea level in the Pamir Mountains (ancient Mount Imeon) at the confluence of the Ghund and Panj rivers. The city is bounded to the south (Nivodak) and to the north (Tem) by the deltas of the Shakhdara and Gunt, respectively. The two rivers merge in the eastern part of the city flow through the city, dividing it almost evenly until its delta in the Panj River, also being known as Amu Darya, or in antiquity the Oxus) on the border with Afghanistan. Khorugh is known for its beautiful poplar trees that dominate the flora of the city.
Until the late 19th century, Khorugh was in an area disputed between the Emir of Bukhara, Shah of Afghanistan, Russia and Britain. The Russians emerged the winners of the region after The Great Game, which fixed the current northern border of Afghanistan on the Panj River and established the territory of Russian Pamir around Khorugh. Before 1896, when the Russians arrived and built a fort, the main town in the area was Kala-i Bar Panj (or Bar Panja Qal'a) somewhat downriver on the Afghan side. Following the fall of czarist Russia and the rise of the Soviet Union, Khorugh became the capital of Gorno-Badakhshan in 1925. Soviet leaders encouraged the migration of settlers to the area with promises of pay, medals and automobiles, but with no industry and little arable land, the effort was not successful.
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