At Zong, 5km west of Langar, this fortress was built to guard a branch of the Silk Road from Chinese and Afghan invaders. The fortress ruins, while not much in themselves, offer perhaps the most scenic views of the whole Wakhan Valley. From Mauluda Barieva's homestay, signed near Zong's western edge, the ruins are a steep one-hour hike straight up (half an hour back).
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
21.36 MILES
This 12th-century fort is the most impressive of the Wakhan Valley's many tumbledown castle ruins, complete with multiple walls and round watchtowers. The…
-
2.28 MILES
Rock faces on the steep slopes above Langar are inscribed with over 6000 ancient petroglyphs. Climbing to see them is hard work in the high altitude and…
-
18.18 MILES
Some 500m off the main road in Yamg (Ямг) is the reconstructed house museum of Sufi mystic, astronomer and musician Mubarak Kadam Wakhani (1843–1903). One…
-
2.49 MILES
By the bridge, across the main road from the village jamoat khana (prayer house; easily recognisable by its colourful murals decorating the window frames)…
-
27.7 MILES
As the road doubles back beside a small mountain stream there are brief but impressive glimpses of two iconic peaks. At over 6000m a piece, Engels (6510m)…
-
3.85 MILES
Around 10km from Langar, on a promontory fortified for at least 2300 years, these minimal castle ruins are signposted off the main Wakhan road. A path of…
-
4.34 MILES
The ruined Afghan citadel of Qala-e Panja, once the largest settlement in the Wakhan, is visible across the Pyanj River from near Zugband, some 10km west…
-
14.78 MILES
Close to Yamchun, on an obvious salt-bleached patch of mountainside directly behind the hamlet of Vrang (Вранг), is a five-level stone monument claimed to…
Nearby Tajikistan attractions
2.28 MILES
Rock faces on the steep slopes above Langar are inscribed with over 6000 ancient petroglyphs. Climbing to see them is hard work in the high altitude and…
2.49 MILES
By the bridge, across the main road from the village jamoat khana (prayer house; easily recognisable by its colourful murals decorating the window frames)…
3.85 MILES
Around 10km from Langar, on a promontory fortified for at least 2300 years, these minimal castle ruins are signposted off the main Wakhan road. A path of…
4.34 MILES
The ruined Afghan citadel of Qala-e Panja, once the largest settlement in the Wakhan, is visible across the Pyanj River from near Zugband, some 10km west…
14.78 MILES
Close to Yamchun, on an obvious salt-bleached patch of mountainside directly behind the hamlet of Vrang (Вранг), is a five-level stone monument claimed to…
18.18 MILES
Some 500m off the main road in Yamg (Ямг) is the reconstructed house museum of Sufi mystic, astronomer and musician Mubarak Kadam Wakhani (1843–1903). One…
21.36 MILES
This 12th-century fort is the most impressive of the Wakhan Valley's many tumbledown castle ruins, complete with multiple walls and round watchtowers. The…
27.7 MILES
As the road doubles back beside a small mountain stream there are brief but impressive glimpses of two iconic peaks. At over 6000m a piece, Engels (6510m)…