Pamir - mountains in Central Asia. Description, history and photos

The mountainous country of the Pamirs has been attracting adventurers for a long time. Once it was the highest mountain region in the USSR. Many dreamed of conquering the Pamirs... No wonder it got its name - "the roof of the world." There are many famous seven-thousanders of the planet here. And although the Pamir mountains are not as high as, for example, the Himalayas and the Karakorum, some of its peaks have remained unconquered.

Location of Pamir

The Pamirs are mountains, or rather, it is a large mountainous country located in the southern part. The territory of the Pamirs is located within the borders of four states: Tajikistan (the main part), Afghanistan, China and India. The Pamir Highlands formed at the junction of the spurs of such mountain systems as the Hindu Kush, Kunlun, Karakoram and Tien Shan. They occupy an area of ​​sixty thousand square kilometers of the Pamir Mountains. The photo below shows how vast this mountainous country is.

There is no consensus on the origin of the name of the mountainous country. Among the transcripts there are such as the "roof of Mithra" (the sun god in Mithraism), as well as the "roof of the world", "foot of death" and even "bird's paw".

The highest mountains of the Pamirs

The Pamirs themselves reach almost eight thousandth height. Rising above all the peaks of this mountainous country is the peak of Kongur. It is located in China, and its height is 7.72 km. 200 meters below the peak of Ismail Samani - 7.5 km, which used to be called Communism Peak in Soviet times, and before that - even Stalin Peak. The Pamirs, whose mountains have Russian names, were part of the Soviet Union until the 1990s.

Peak Abu Ali ibn Sina (in the Russian version - Avicenna Peak), named after a medieval scientist and doctor, 7.13 km high, also changed its name twice. In the period before perestroika, it was called Lenin Peak, and initially Kaufman Peak (end of the 19th century) was named by the discoverers.

Also widely known is Korzhenevskaya Peak (height 7.1 km), named by a Russian scientist in honor of his beloved wife.

Features of the Pamirs

Pamir - mountains, which are an uneven quadrangle with raised edges. The area is rich in deposits of gold, coal, mica, rock crystal, lapis lazuli.

long, harsh winters(at an altitude of 3.6 km, the average January temperature is 18 degrees Celsius, and the cold period of the year lasts from October to April, including the extreme months), alternating with short and cool summers (the average temperature of the hottest month, July, is only about 14 degrees Celsius). The humidity regime varies greatly over a wide range, depending on the area, from 60 to 1100 millimeters of precipitation per year.

However, the unusually harsh climate is accompanied by a fairly diverse composition of the fauna. Especially memorable animals are argali - large ones whose horns can reach thirty kilograms of weight. As well as shaggy yaks and a handsome man. In addition to them, several species of goats (kiyki, markhor), long-tailed marmots, urmal sheep, foxes and Tibetan wolves live at different heights.

In the highlands of the Pamirs, birds such as the finch, large lentil, desert bullfinch, snowcock live. And at the reservoirs nesting ducks, Indian geese, golden eagles, white-tailed eagles.

Among the ichthyological diversity, one can especially note such endemic fish as naked osman and marinka (the latter belongs to the category of poisonous ones).

History of conquest

The history of the systematic study of the mountainous country began in 1928, when the Soviet expedition to the Pamirs took place. In its course, it was possible to open the huge Fedchenko glacier, conquer Lenin Peak and make a number of important measurements.

In 1933, he succumbed to Soviet climbers (the highest in the territory of the former USSR), and in the 50s of the twentieth century, the peaks of Korzhenevskaya, Revolution, Muztag-ata (7.55 kilometers) and Konturtyube (7.6 kilometers) were conquered. The highest peak of the Pamirs was reached in 1981 by an English expedition led by Bonengton.

Lakes of the Pamir Highlands. Astrakhan

Most big country- Kara-Kul. The name has several explanations. According to one of them, it is deserved by the dark shade of water during strong wind. According to another version, the waters of the Black Lake suddenly rose, flooding the coastal village, and the people's grief from this terrible tragedy is encrypted in the name.

It rises above the Eastern Pamir lake. Mountains, where there are various large lakes. The deepest of them is Sarez (0.5 km deep), and the largest is Kara-Kul. At an altitude of 4000 m, a huge lake with an area of ​​​​380 square kilometers and a depth of up to 240 meters is almost lifeless. Since the lake has no runoff, its waters are very salty, and since the slowly melting remains of an ancient glacier lie at the bottom, the water is also extremely cold.

Despite the almost complete absence of ordinary flora and fauna in the lake, folk rumor inhabits its waters with various mythical creatures. In particular, it is believed that dragons, a flying horse that kidnaps foals, and even mermaids live in its waters. However, the icy waters of the lake do not encourage tourists to swim, and the mermaids, apparently, have to go on a diet.

): 44 000
China China(Tashkurgan-Tajik Autonomous County and adjacent areas - 23,350 people (84% of the population of the county)): 41,028 (total in China, trans. 2000)
Russia Russia: 363 (2010)

resettlement

The areas of settlement of the Pamirs - the western, southern and eastern Pamirs, which merges with the Hindu Kush in the south - are high-mountainous narrow valleys with a rather harsh climate, almost never falling below 2,000 m above sea level and surrounded by steep ridges covered with eternal snows, the height of which in some places approaches 7,000 m. To the north of the Hindu Kush watershed, the valleys belong to the basin of the upper reaches of the Amu Darya (Upper Kokcha, Pyanj, Pamir, Vakhandarya). The eastern slopes of the Pamirs belong to the basin of the river. Yarkand, south of the Hindu Kush, the Indus basin begins, represented by the Kunar (Chitral) and Gilgit rivers. Administratively, this entire territory, which has long been an eclectic, but a single area, was divided between Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and China as a result of expansion in the 19th century. Russian, British and Chinese empires and their satellites (Bukhara and Afghan emirates). As a result, the areas of many Pamir peoples were artificially divided.

Ethno-geographical units in the Pamirs are the historical regions: Shugnan, Rushan, Ishkashim, Vakhan, Munjan, Sarykol - in general, they initially coincided with the peoples formed in them. If, in terms of material and spiritual culture, the Pamirs, thanks to millennial mutual contacts, have become much closer to each other, then the study of their languages ​​shows that different Pamir peoples came out of at least four ancient Eastern Iranian communities, only remotely related to each other and brought to the Pamirs independently.

Geography and climate in places of settlement

The area of ​​Badakhshan as a whole - 108159 km², population 1.3 million people.

Tajik part of Badakhshan (Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region). - 64,100 km², 216,900 people. Most of the territory of GBAO is occupied by the highlands of the Eastern Pamirs (the highest point is Ismoil Somoni Peak, the former peak of Communism (7495 m)), because of which it is sometimes called the "Roof of the World". On the slopes of the mountain there are powerful firn fields and glaciers with a total area of ​​136 km².

To the west and northwest of the summit is the Pamir Firn Plateau, one of the longest alpine plateaus in the world. The plateau stretches from east to west for 12 km. The width of the plateau is 3 km. The lower point of the plateau is located at an altitude of 4700 m, the upper one - at an altitude of 6300 m.

Pamir-speaking peoples

The classification of the Pamir peoples is usually based on the linguistic principle.

Northern Pamirs

• Shugnano-Rushans- a group of peoples inhabiting adjacent valleys, speaking closely related dialect languages, which allows them to understand each other tolerably when communicating; often Shugnan is used as the intervalley Shugnano-Rushan language.
  • Shugnans- Shugnan (Taj. Shughon, Shugn. Xuɣnůn) - part of the river valley. Panj in the region of Khorog, the valley of its right tributaries (Gunt, Shahdara, Bajuv). The right bank of the Pyanj River belongs to the Shugnan and Roshtkala districts of the GBAO of Tajikistan, the left bank belongs to the Shignan district of the Afghan province of Badakhshan. The leading ethnic group of the Pamirs, numbering approx. 110 thousand people, of which in Afghanistan, approx. 25 thousand
  • Rushantsy- Rushan (taj. Rӯshon, rush. Riẋůn), an area below Shugnan along the Pyanj at the confluence of the Bartang River. The right-bank part is located in the Rushan region of the GBAO of Tajikistan, the left-bank part is in the Shignan region of the Afghan province of Badakhshan. The total number is approx. 30 thousand people It also includes small adjacent groups with separate languages ​​and separate self-consciousness:
    • Khuftsy- Huf (taj. Huf, huf. xuf) southeast of Rushan;
    • Barthangians- the middle and upper reaches of the river. Bartang;
      • roshorvtsy- Roshorv (taj. Roshorv, rosh. Rōšōʹrv, self-named rašarviǰ) - the upper reaches of the Bartang.
• Sarykoltsy(Chinese 塔吉克语 Tǎjíkéyǔ"Tajiks") inhabit Sarykol (Uig. ساريكۆل , Chinese 色勒库尔 Sеlēiküěr) in the river valley. Tiznaf (Tashkurgan-Tajik Autonomous County) and the upper Yarkand in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. Number approx. 25 thousand people

• Yazgulyam people- the people inhabiting the Yazgulyam valley (in the language of the Yazgulyam people - Yuzdam listen)) in the western Pamirs and belonging to the Caucasoid race.

Southern Pamirs

The Southern Pamirs are a relic population group south of Shugnan, speaking two closely related dialect languages:

• Ishkashim people- Ishkashim along the banks of the Panj (taj. Ishkoshim, ishk. Škošm): the village of Ryn in GBAO (Ishkashim district) and the village of Ishkashim in the eponymous region of Afghan Badakhshan. OK. 1500 people
• Sanglichians- river valley Varduj in Afghan Badakhshan, the left tributary of the Pyanj, with the main village of Sanglech. The number is critical (100-150 people). To the north of Sanglech, in the Zebak region, the Zebak language used to exist, which has now been completely replaced by Tajik (Dari).
• Wakhians- historically inhabit the Wakhan region (taj. Vakhon, vah. Wux˘), which includes the upper reaches of the Pyanj and its source Vakhandarya. The left bank of the Pyanj and the valley of the Vakhandarya (Wakhan corridor) belong to the Vakhan region of the Afghan Badakhshan, the right bank - to the Ishkashim region of the GBAO of Tajikistan. In the 2nd half of the XIX century. The Wakhans also settled widely south of the Hindu Kush - in the valleys of Hunza, Ishkoman, Shimshal (Gilgit-Baltistan) and the river. Yarkhun in Chitral (Pakistan), as well as in Chinese Xinjiang: Sarykol and on the river. Kilyan (west of Khotan). The total number of Vakhans is 65-70 thousand people.
• Munjanians(Dari منجی munǰi, munj. məndẓ̌i˘) inhabit the river valley. Munjan in the upper reaches of the river. Kokcha (region of Kuran and Munjan in Afghan Badakhshan). Number - approx. 4 thousand people
  • Yidga(Urdu یدغہ ‎ , yidga yiʹdəγa) - a part of the Munjans who moved across the Hindu Kush range in the 18th century. in the Lutkuh valley of the Chitral region (Pakistan). Number - approx. 6 thousand people

Close and neighboring peoples

Tajik-speaking Pamirs

From the west, the valleys of the Pamir peoples surround the territories occupied by Tajiks, who speak the Badakhshan and Darvaz dialects of the Tajik language (Dari). The Badakhshan Tajiks are largely close to the Pamirs proper. In some areas, the Tajik language has supplanted the local Pamir languages ​​in historical time:

• Yumgan (dari یمگان , Yamgan, district of the same name in the province of Badakhshan) - in the 18th century. (Shughni language)
• Zebak (Dari زیباک , district of the same name in the province of Badakhshan) - in the 20th century. (zebak language)

In addition, in the array of Pamir-speaking peoples there are Tajik-speaking groups of villages:

• Goron region (taj. Goron) on the river. Panj between Ishkashim and Shugnan (right bank in the Ishkashim district of GBAO)
• Right-bank Wakhan (4 villages).

neighboring nations

The Tajik language is for the Pamirs the language of religion (Ismailism), folklore, written literature, as well as a means of communication between various Pamir peoples speaking different languages.

In addition to the Tajik language, the Shughni language and, to some extent, the Wakhan language are common in communication between different nationalities.

The Shugnan language has been playing the role of the language of oral communication between the Pamirs for almost a long time.

At the present stage, there is an increased expansion of the Tajik language, which, for example, is actively replacing the Wakhan language from all areas of application, including the family sphere.

The Wakhan language, as a spoken language, occupies a dominant position in the entire Wakhan. Communication between the Vakhans and the Tajik-speaking population of Vakhan, as well as the Vakhans and Ishkashims, is usually conducted in the Vakhan language.

For some Pamir peoples living in China, the language of interethnic communication is Uighur and Chinese. In Afghanistan, this is Dari and, to a lesser extent, Pashto. According to the Constitution of Afghanistan, the Pamir languages ​​are the official languages ​​in places where the Pamirs are densely populated.

Ethnogenesis and history

The origin of the Pamirs speaking heterogeneous Eastern Iranian languages ​​is associated with the expansion of the nomadic Saks, which, in all likelihood, took place in several waves, in different ways, and various Iranian-speaking communities participated in the settlement of the Pamirs, which emerged even outside the region. One of them, the Pravakhans, was originally close to the Saks of Khotan and Kashgar and penetrated into the Wakhan, apparently from the east - from the Alai Valley. In historical times, the Kirghiz came to the Pamirs along the same route. Praishkashims formed in the Tajik and Afghan Badakhshan and penetrated here from the southwest. The Munjan language shows the greatest affinity with the Bactrian language and more distant with Pashto. Probably, the Munjans are a remnant of the Bactrian community, who survived in the mountains like the Yaghnobis - the remnants of the Sogdians. The North Pamir community, which broke up into the Vanj, Yazgulyam and Shugnan-Rushans, judging by the dialect division, penetrated the Pamir from the west along the Pyanj and its expansion ended in Shugnan. Approximate dates for the beginning of the Iranianization of the region (according to linguistic data and archaeological excavations of the Saka burial grounds) - VII-VI centuries. BC e. The earliest waves are Pravakhans and Praishkashims. It should be noted that initially the Pamirs inhabited only the Pyanj basin and its tributaries. The expansion of the Sarykol people into Xinjiang, the Yidga and the Wakhans into the Indus Valley belong to a later era.

Since ancient times, probably long before Iranianization, the Pamir Mountains were one of the main suppliers of lapis lazuli and ruby ​​for the ancient world. Nevertheless, the life of the ancient Pamirs remained very closed. The isolation of the Pamirs was interrupted starting from the 2nd century BC. BC e., when, with the establishment of Central Asian-Chinese relations through the Pyanj valley, caravan trade was established, which was called the Great Silk Road (in the form of its southern segment). Numerous attempts to conquer the Pamirs by world empires (Sassanids, Turks, Chinese, Arabs, Mongols, Timurids, etc.) either failed or ended only in temporary successes and the establishment of nominal dependence on external power. In fact, until the 19th century the Pamir regions were independent or semi-independent principalities.

According to studies of the Soviet and post-Soviet period, outside outside the Gorno-Badakhshan region (GBAO), representatives of the Pamir peoples from GBAO call themselves "Pamir Tajiks" .

Regarding ethnic self-identification outside GBAO, for example, among labor migrants in the Russian Federation, two types of self-identification are characteristic:

1. for contacts with government agencies (law enforcement and migration agencies) - introduce themselves as Tajiks according to passport data, based on considerations of nationality (Tajiks are citizens of Tajikistan) and partially ethnicity (85% of Pamiris did not consider themselves Tajiks in the survey);
2. among compatriots (natives of GBAO) - exclusively "Pamirs", with a specification of the nationality (Rushans, Vakhans, Ishkashims, etc.).

According to an anonymous survey of Pamirs conducted in Tajikistan by non-identified representatives of the Memorial NGO, the Tajik authorities are implementing a policy of imposing the image of a “Tajikist”, which means the unification of all citizens of Tajikistan, regardless of nationality, under the generalized concept of Tajik in ethnic terms. According to the respondents, the Pamirs refuse to recognize themselves as Tajiks.

Researchers of ethnic self-identification and ethnicity of the peoples of the Pamirs note that there is no unequivocal answer to the question of the ethnicity of the Pamirs, which is explained by both objective and subjective circumstances. In their opinion, objectively, the ethnic self-consciousness of the Pamirs does not quite fit into the framework of the accepted criteria. Subjective circumstances arose after the fact that, for ideological reasons, the ethnic characteristics of the peoples of the Pamirs are deliberately denied. They argue that for the Pamirs, the concepts of nationality and ethnicity are not equivalent.

Settlement and housing

A specific habitat with a complex relief was the most important natural and geographical factor in the construction of settlements and the formation of the architecture of this nation. In addition to the specific relief, folk architecture was influenced by a dry, contrasting climate. The long warm period of the year is characterized by an almost complete absence of precipitation and sharp diurnal temperature fluctuations. The cold period is set in November and lasts until April. The minimum temperature in winter is -30, the maximum in summer is +35. The temperature regime also varies with altitude. The abundance of water sources provides irrigated agriculture, and the meadows in the side gorges at an altitude of more than 3000 m - distant pasture cattle breeding. (Mamadnazarov 1977: 7-8) Pronounced building traditions determine the regional character of settlements, estates and residential buildings. When choosing a settlement site, the possibility of rockfalls was taken into account, snow avalanches and flood waters. The traditional form of settlement of the Pamirs is a village. With a large amount of land suitable for farming, dwellings in the countryside are located freely, each house has a yard of a larger or smaller size and very often vegetable gardens and small plots of fields.

There are villages in which dwellings are located in several groups at a considerable distance from each other, creating the impression of separate farms connected to each other by common ditches, between which sections of fields and gardens stretch almost continuously. Closely related families usually live in such farms. If the village is located in an inconvenient place for agriculture, then the location of the dwellings is very concentrated. There are almost no courtyards in such a village, and the dwellings are located in steps along the mountainside. Such trees are usually found in narrow mountain gorges. The water supply of the villages is different. According to the sources of supply and use of water, villages can be divided into three categories: 1 - villages using water from mountain springs; 2 - using water mainly from turbulent mountain streams and rivers; and 3 - using coming from afar, very long ditches with more or less slow flow water. The dwelling of the Pamirs, despite the seeming uniformity, represents, however, very significant differences, depending on natural building resources, climate, household skills, and the social and property status of its owner. Usually the dwelling is one-story, but if it is located on a steep slope, then sometimes a barn is arranged below. An attached second floor is very rare in larger and more affluent homes. The building material is usually the earth (loess or clay), from which the walls are made. In villages located in narrow gorges on stony soil, where the loess is expensive and inaccessible, most of the dwellings and all the outbuildings are made of stones held together by clay. The basis for the roof is several logs laid on the walls, on which a flooring of poles is laid, covered with earth and clay from above. From the inside of the building, the roof is supported by pillars. The dwelling is usually divided into winter and summer premises. The winter part - hona - is a square or rectangular room, most of the floor of which is raised in the form of a platform or adobe bunks, which serve for sleeping, seating, etc. In the passage between the bunks under the hole in the ceiling, a pit breaks out for water drainage covered with wooden grating. A small door leads to the hona either from the street or courtyard, or from the summer room. A window for letting in light is a hole in the wall, which usually has a wooden sash.

Until the 1930s, there were almost no glazed windows in mountain villages. To heat the premises, a fire pit was built, which is used for baking bread (flat cakes). Food is cooked in the hearth, which is a recess in the form of a cone cut off from the top and side, with smooth walls and a wider bottom. A fire is kindled at the bottom of the recess, and a flat, wide cauldron is placed on top. Why is it arranged either in a special elevation in the corner or along one of the walls, or in the aisle, thicker than the bunks. Young cattle and poultry are kept in the khona in winter, for which a special room is arranged on the side of the entrance, closed by a door. It is necessary to mention the so-called “summers”, where livestock is driven away for the summer and where most of the women of the village with small children live for several summer months, storing dairy products for future use. For housing there are small huts built of stones, often not plastered over and not insulated. Almost every village has a mosque, except for the smallest ones (Ginzburg, 1937: 17-24).

The houses of the Pamirs are not like the dwellings of other peoples. Their device remains unchanged for many centuries, passing from generation to generation. Each architectural element of the Pamir house has its own esoteric meaning - pre-Islamic and Islamic. Each element of the house is important in a person's life. The house embodies the whole universe, reflecting the divine essence of man and the harmony of his relationship with nature. The support of the Pamir house are 5 pillars. They are named after 5 saints: Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hussein. Pillar Muhammad - the main one in the house. This is a symbol of faith, male power, the eternity of the world and the inviolability of the house. Beside him, a newborn boy is placed in the cradle. The Fatima pillar is a symbol of purity, the keeper of the hearth. During the wedding, near this pillar, the bride is dressed and decorated so that she is as beautiful as Fatima. Ali's pillar is a symbol of friendship, love, fidelity, agreements. When the groom brings the bride to his house, they are seated near this pillar so that their family life is full of happiness and healthy children are born to them. The Hassan pillar serves the earth and protects it, taking care of its prosperity. Therefore, it is longer than other pillars and is in direct contact with the ground. The pillar of Hussein is a symbol of light and fire. Prayers, religious texts are read near it, prayers are performed and the ceremony of lighting a candle (“charogravshan”) is performed after the death of a person. The four-step arch of the house - "chorkhona", symbolizes 4 elements: earth, water, wind, fire.

Marriage and family

The most archaic family form among the Pamirs was a large patriarchal family based on the principles of agnatic kinship. The indivisibility of the economy was the basis of existence big family, which in turn was based on joint ownership of land. At the head of such a family was an elder who disposed of all property, the distribution of work in the family and other matters. Within the family, patriarchal relations dominated, the younger unquestioningly obeyed the elders, and all together the elder. However, with the penetration of commodity-money relations into the settlement areas of the Pamirs, the communal way of life was undermined, which led to the disintegration of large patriarchal families. The patriarchal family was replaced by a monogamous family, which still retained patriarchal relations to one degree or another.

With the establishment of Islam, the superiority of men over women was legalized. According to Sharia law, the husband had an advantage in the matter of inheritance, as a witness, the husband's right to divorce was legalized. In fact, the position of a woman in the family depended on the degree of her participation in production, rural labor, therefore, in the mountainous regions, where a woman took a greater part in productive activities, her position was relatively freer. Family marriages played a significant role among the Pamirs; they were also stimulated for economic reasons. Cousin marriages were especially favored, mainly marriages to the daughter of the mother's brother and the daughter of the father's brother.

Among the Pamirs, the first ceremony associated with marriage was matchmaking. The next stage of the marriage was the engagement. After the matchmaking and engagement, the bride and groom begin to hide from their new relatives. During the year, the entire dowry is collected and paid to the bride's father, and relatives help the groom's father to collect it. Kalym was mainly of a natural character. Marriage is matrilocal (Kislyakov 1951: 7-12). As traces of the matrilocality of marriage, the custom remains that the bride, after the wedding, stays in her husband's house for only 3-4 days, and then returns to her father's house and the actual marriage begins here. (Peshchereva 1947: 48)

After the withdrawal of American troops from the territory of Afghanistan, the attention to the Pamirs increased in the press. Many are afraid of destabilization of the situation in this region, which is actually isolated from outside world. The "roof of the world" is a special place, since almost everyone in this region belongs to the Ismailis.

Many mistakenly confuse local residents with Tajiks and other peoples. The article will be able to explain who the Pamirs are and why they are considered to be a separate ethnic group.

General information

Since the Pamirs live in a highland area, which is divided between four states, they are often equated with other peoples. Their historical region (Badakhshan) is located in Afghanistan, Pakistan, China. Most often mistakenly confused with Tajiks. Who are the Pamirs?

They are attributed to the totality of Iranian peoples who speak the heterogeneous languages ​​of the Eastern Iranian group. The majority of the Pamirs profess Islam. By comparison, Tajiks, for example, speak a Western Iranian dialect and are predominantly Sunni.

Territory of residence

Pamirs are settled on the territory of the western, southern, eastern Pamirs. In the south, these mountains merge with the Hindu Kush. The area consists of narrow valleys located at an altitude of two or more thousand meters above sea level. The climate in this area is distinguished by its severity. The valleys are surrounded by steep ridges up to seven thousand meters above sea level. They are covered with eternal snows. It is not for nothing that the expression "Roof of the World" is used as the name of this area (the area where the Pamirs live).

The peoples who live in the Pamirs have a similar culture and traditions. However, the researchers were able to prove (by studying languages) that these peoples belong to several ancient Eastern Iranian communities that came to the Pamirs separately from each other. What nationalities are the Pamirs made up of?

Diversity of nationalities

The Pamir peoples are usually divided among themselves according to the linguistic principle. There are two main branches - these are the northern and southern Pamirs. Each of the groups consists of separate peoples, some of which may speak similar languages.

Northern Parmirians include:

• the Shugnans are the leading ethnic group, numbering more than one hundred thousand people, of which about twenty-five thousand live in Afghanistan;
• Rushanians - about thirty thousand people;
• Yazgulyam people - from eight to ten thousand people;
• Sarykols - are considered part of the once single group of Shugnano-Rushans, which has become isolated, its number reaches twenty-five thousand people.

The Southern Pamirs include:

• Ishkashim residents - about one and a half thousand people;
• Sanglichians - the number is no more than one hundred and fifty people;
• Wakhans - the total number reaches seventy thousand people;
• Munjans - about four thousand people.

In addition, there are many close and neighboring peoples who are very close to the Pamirs. Some of them eventually began to use the local Pamir languages.

Language

Pamir languages ​​are very numerous. But their scope is limited to everyday communication. Historically, the Persian language (Tajik) has had a great influence on them since ancient times.

For the inhabitants of the Pamirs, the Persian language has long been used in religion, literature, and oral folk art. It is also a universal tool for international communication.

Pamir dialects were gradually replaced. In some mountain peoples, they are used less and less even in everyday life. For example, in GBAO (Gorno-Badakhshanskaya), the official language is Tajik. It is on it that schools are taught. Although, if we talk about the Afghan Pamiris, there are practically no schools on their territory, so the population is generally illiterate.

Surviving Pamir languages:

• Yazgulyam;
• Shughni;
• Rushansky;
• hufi;
• Bartangian;
• Sarykol;
• Ishkashim;
• Wakhan;
• Munjan;
• yidga.

All of them are included in the group of Eastern Iranian languages. In addition to the Pamirs, the representatives of the Eastern Iranian ethnic groups were the Scythians, who once lived on the territory of the Northern Black Sea region and left behind historical monuments in the form of burial mounds.

Religion

From the end of the first millennium BC, the Pamir tribes were influenced by Zoroastrianism and Buddhism. Islam began to penetrate and spread widely among the masses from the eleventh century. The introduction of the new religion was closely connected with the activities of Nasir Khosrov. He was a famous Persian poet who fled to the Pamirs from his pursuers.

Ismailism had a great influence on the spiritual life of the inhabitants of the Pamirs. According to the religious factor, it is easy to understand who the Pamiri is (what kind of nation, we considered above). First of all, the representatives of these peoples belong to the Ismailis (the Shia branch of Islam, which was influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism). How does this direction in Islam differ from traditional beliefs?

Main differences:

• Pamiris pray twice a day;
• believers do not fast in Ramadan;
• women did not wear and do not wear a veil;
• men allow themselves to drink moonshine from mulberry.

Because of this, many Muslims do not recognize the Pamiris as true believers.

Family traditions

Relationships to family and marriage will make it possible to understand who a Pamiri is. What kind of nation and what are its traditions, will be able to tell the family way of life. The most ancient version of the family was based on the principle of patriarchal relations. The families were big. At their head was an elder, to whom everyone unquestioningly obeyed. This was before the advent of commodity-money relations. The family became monogamous, preserving patriarchal traditions.

This continued until the establishment of Islam. The new religion legalized the superiority of the male over the female. According to Sharia law, a man had advantages and rights in most cases, for example, in matters of inheritance. The husband received the legal right to divorce. At the same time, in the mountainous regions, where women took an active part in rural labor, their position was freer.

In some mountain peoples, family marriages were accepted. Most often this was stimulated by economic reasons.

Main occupations

To understand who the Pamiris are, it is worth studying their way of life better. Their main occupation has long been high-mountain agriculture, which is combined with animal husbandry. As pets they bred cows, goats, sheep, donkeys, horses. The cattle were undersized, not of good quality. In winter, the animals were in the villages, and in the summer they were driven out to pastures.

The traditional home crafts of the Pamirs, first of all, include the processing of wool and the dressing of fabrics. Women processed wool and made threads, while men wove the world-famous striped

The craft for processing horns, especially wild goats, was developed. Combs and handles for bladed weapons were made from them.

National cuisine

Learning about culture and religion, you can understand who the Pamiris are. This knowledge can be supplemented by considering the traditional food of representatives of these peoples. Knowing traditional occupations, it is easy to guess that there is very little meat in the diet of the Pamirs. This is due to the fact that there is nowhere to graze livestock, so they save it for milk and wool.

The main food products include wheat in the form of flour and crushed cereals. Flour is used to make noodles, cakes, dumplings. The mountain peoples also eat fruits, walnuts, legumes, vegetables. Of the dairy products, the most popular among them is tea with milk, sour milk. Wealthy Pamirs drink tea with milk, adding a piece of butter.

Traditionally, beliefs are commonly understood as religious ideas, the system of which forms the ideological content of religion. True, in Western Jewish science, the term "beliefs" often refers to views that do not have a theological character. One way or another, already at an early stage in the development of human society, religious ideas played a significant, if not decisive, role in people's lives. They were a human response to environmental influences. Over time, primitive beliefs developed into an independent system of religious beliefs.

Rites adequate to them are most closely connected with them - symbolic actions performed with a religious purpose, that is, giving certain events in a person's life a theological meaning. Moreover, the sequence and methods of behavior in the course of performing these rites are invariant and, as a rule, are performed traditionally, in accordance with custom or a specially developed “scenario”. In most cases, these rites are collective in nature and are arranged on the occasion of birth, death, marriage, etc.

From the point of view of religious beliefs and traditions, the western part of the Pamirs, officially called the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) and part of the Republic of Tajikistan, is a unique region. This exclusivity is primarily due to its geographic location. Even in ancient times, various ethnographic groups inhabited the few high-mountain valleys suitable for habitation and agricultural activities. “... Here is a valley and here is a valley,” the orientalist General A.E. Snesarev rightly noted, “and between them there is a ridge and there is no pass; in this case there will be two different communities, two peoples, often speaking completely different languages, having no connection with each other. Indeed, the peoples now inhabiting GBAO - the Bartans, the Vakhans, the Ishkashims, the Khufts, the Shugnans, and others - speak mutually incomprehensible and until now unwritten East Iranian languages ​​(the language of the lowland Tajiks belongs to the western branch of the Iranian languages). The role of lingua franca is played by the Tajik language, as well as the language of the Shugnans, the largest in the autonomous region in terms of their number of people.

Despite the ethno-differentiating significance of the natural and geographical factor, Ismailism has been and remains a powerful integration stimulus - one of the currents of Shiite Islam, whose followers now live in more than 20 countries of the world. Ismailism penetrated the Pamirs in the 10th-11th centuries. Ismailis, like Shia Muslims, claim that after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, his follower - cousin and son-in-law (husband of the Prophet's daughter Fatima) Ali - was the first imam, i.e., the spiritual leader of the Muslim community, and that the spiritual leadership, known as imamate, is therefore hereditary through Ali and his wife Fatima.

Based on the doctrinal provisions of Ismailism, its opponents questioned the legitimacy of this movement, spreading fabrications in their writings about "unworthy goals, immoral views and lecherous practices of the Ismailis." Ismaili imams were accused of non-Alid origin, and the teaching itself was considered by orthodox Sunni Muslims (rulers, theologians, etc.) as a heresy and a conspiracy against Islam, based on pre-Islamic beliefs. The historian-orientalist N. M. Emelyanova had to relatively recently, in 2004, encounter similar views during her work in the Sunni regions of Afghan and Tajik Badakhshan. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Ismailis were persecuted and repressed, including for religious reasons. During the civil war in Tajikistan, namely in late 1992 - early 1993, many people from GBAO were exterminated just because they were from the Pamirs, which implied their religious affiliation.

That is why Ismailism to this day plays in the culture of the peoples of the region we are considering not only the most important socio-ideological, but also ethnointegrative role. Here one cannot but agree with the famous religious ethnographer S. A. Tokarev, who considered religion as one of the ethnic features. “From the very beginning to the very end,” he wrote, “religion is a form of social connection, mutual contraction (integration) of fellow believers and mutual repulsion (segregation) of non-believers. In this sense, it performs the same (more precisely, analogous) role that any other “ethnic feature”: language, forms material culture, folk art, etc."

By the time of the adoption of Ismailism, various pre-Islamic cults existed among the inhabitants of different valleys of the Western Pamirs: fire worship, Manichaeism, elements of ancient Iranian beliefs, etc. Some of the traditional religious ideas and practices are totemism, magical rites, the use of amulets, the veneration of animals (zoolatry), the others have survived to the present day. Neither the pre-Islamic nor the Ismaili layer is comprehensive; they predominate in various spheres of spiritual life. The mechanism of their interactions is quite complex, and its detailed study by specialists - religious scholars, ethnographers, historians - is yet to come. Today, one can only state the obvious fact of the existence of syncretism in the religious life of the Pamiris - a mixture and interpenetration of various forms of beliefs.

In the works of humanities scholars since the Soviet era, there has been a point of view that later religions absorb the beliefs, rituals, traditions that preceded them and, rethinking them, adapt them to their concepts. As the ethnographer L. A. Tultseva writes, for example, “any religion in real life exists in close unity with the beliefs that it inherited from other, earlier religions, forming a syncretic alloy.”

Many researchers (B. A. Rybakov, V. N. Basilov in the main part of their works, G. P. Snesarev and others) wrote about folk religion, which includes, along with the official ideology, early pre-monotheistic (pre-Christian or pre-Muslim) ideas and rituals are pagan in nature. It was about the so-called everyday, or folk, Christianity and Islam. The latter, in particular, was characterized by the closest intertwining of local pre-Muslim religious traditions with the norms, institutions, ideas and rituals of Islam. Moreover, it is important to note that in the minds of some Christians and Muslims, all beliefs and rituals, regardless of their origin, represent true Christianity and Islam.

The synthesis of monotheistic dogma and "pagan" beliefs gave rise to researchers to call folk religion "dual faith". This term is still used in scientific everyday life and is understood, as a rule, unambiguously - as a formal, mechanical combination in the folk religion of "two faiths". According to T. A. Bernshtam, ethnographers who study the religious beliefs of the Eastern Slavs, including Russians, believe that “paganism” constitutes a large and essential part of the folk belief system, badly and transparently covered by Christianity, which is enough to “remove” to expose pre-Christian archaic almost in "pure form". The author emphasizes that by paganism she understands "a layer of views of non-Christian origin or archaic forms of syncretism."

In the last decade, in a number of works by Russian authors, there is a point of view that differs from the traditionalist one. Its essence boils down to the fact that the ancient pagan beliefs, in one form or another preserved in monotheistic religions, are not inherently paganism. They not only lose their former external design, but also change their content as a result of its processing in the spirit of the dominant worldview.

The question arises: why do the ancient forms of beliefs, which traditionalists call pagan, and the ritual actions associated with them exist to this day? Most likely, because they are connected with the actual problems of people's life, reflect the eternal aspects of being and human perception of the world around. The external form of rituals can be transformed, the terminology may change, but the essence of these beliefs remains unchanged. After all, now, like many centuries ago, traditional beliefs and rituals are associated with ensuring fertility, healing from diseases, obtaining the necessary information from representatives of the supernatural spiritual world to make decisions in certain life situations, etc.

That is why it should rather be said that it was later religions that adapted to ancient beliefs, customs and rituals, and not vice versa. In our opinion, ancient beliefs and later religions coexist within the framework of the dominant religious system, mutually influence each other and mutually penetrate each other with separate features.

A vivid example of this is the religious situation in the Pamirs. Under the domination of official Ismailism here, the Badakhshans still retain the so-called primitive, or pagan, beliefs - totemism, magical rites, the use of amulets, zoolatry, the cult of ancestors, etc. Their appearance was due primarily to harsh natural and climatic conditions, lack of housing and economic space, isolation from lowland areas, illiteracy of the local population and other factors.

The origins of traditional beliefs go back to the ancient personification of the nature and spirits of dead people. Animistic ideas are universal for all human cultures - belief in the existence of spirits and the possibility for a person to communicate with them. Most religious scholars believe that animism is the initial core from which all later religions grew. Moreover, the ancient animistic views to date coexist and exist in parallel with the dogmas of later developed religions.

In this regard, I would like to note two facts. Firstly, traditional ideas, in particular animistic ones, are characteristic of peoples who still retain to some extent the patriarchal way of life, surviving forms of the community and archaic features of culture. Pamir is one of such societies. Secondly, among the peoples of Central Asia, ancient beliefs and rituals, including animistic ones, merged with Islam. At the same time, they were deformed under the influence of the latter and acquired, so to speak, a Muslimized coloring.

And if Christianity, for example, unequivocally considers all lower spirits as hostile to man, then in Islam the attitude towards them is different. Muslims call spirits jinn and are material beings created by Allah from a “pure flame” (Sura 55:15) even before the appearance of people (Sura 15:26–27). According to Islamic doctrine, they have the appearance of people of both sexes, that is, they are anthropomorphic, endowed with consciousness, have free will and are responsible for their actions. Moreover, Islam recognizes some of the lower spirits as believers, i.e. worshiping Allah, and the other part as “infidels”, or shaitans who tempt people and contribute to the spread of unbelief and sins.

Along with the general Muslim name "jinn", the Pamirs and other peoples of Central Asia use private names when they talk about this or that demonic creature. The composition of pandemonium in the Central Asian region is more or less homogeneous. All the peoples inhabiting it, including the Pamirs, have ideas about pari (peri, pari), devas (maidens, divas), albasty (almasty) and some others. At the same time, the Pamirs have unequal, in comparison with other Central Asian peoples, ideas about the same object of demonology - the totality of knowledge about evil spirits. Moreover, there is even a difference in views within the Pamir region. This may indicate either the deformation of folk beliefs in the course of centuries, or the polysemantic nature of certain spirits.

The first of the Russian researchers who described in more or less detail the "demonological pantheon" among the Pamirs was Count A. A. Bobrinskaya. He rightly noted that the highlanders, feeling helpless before the power of nature, turned to their imagination, "revived" the world around them and clothed its representatives in new images, and a host of spirits filled the mountains, gorges, caves, forests, streams and even houses. “On all his paths,” this researcher wrote, “the highlander has to face them, defend himself, cunning, appease, fight ...”. Later, scientists - ethnographers and oriental historians - managed to collect quite extensive material not only about Pamiri demonology, but also about relics of other traditional beliefs and rituals. Beliefs in good and evil jinn are still preserved among a part of the population of GBAO, especially those living in remote high-mountain villages.

All our informants agree that spirits are especially active at night, especially at night, they can be found in the form of a person of both sexes, as well as in the form of a dog, horse, cow and other creatures near the water, on a heap of ashes near a human dwelling, in a barn, etc. Depending on the role that jinn, or spirits, perform in a given situation, they can be conditionally divided into three groups, or categories.

The first includes those who are hostile towards a person and are capable of not only making him crazy, sending a bodily illness or beating him, but even killing him. These demonic creatures cannot be propitiated - they must be driven out or neutralized by performing magical rites. True, the Pamirs believe that harmful spirits can still be made useful if they are subdued and forced to serve by force.

One of the most "harmful" characters in the traditional beliefs of the Pamir peoples is Almasty. The question of the origin of this demonic creature is debatable: some researchers attribute it to Turkic mythology, others to Iranian. There is an assumption that the image of Almasty was formed in the era of the most ancient contacts of ethnic communities before their settlement in the territory of modern habitation.

According to the ideas of the Pamiris, Almasty is a hairy, ugly woman with long breasts, which she can throw behind her back. Gluttony and cannibalism are attributed to her. Even today in Shugnan they say about female gluttons: “She is like Almasty”. A book, a coin or a hair in the hands of an almasty is a formidable weapon against a person. Having selected these objects, a person completely subjugates this creature. The Pamirs still use various kinds of amulets, charms, fire and burning coals as protection against Almasty.

It is believed that this evil demon in a female form harms mainly women in childbirth. The reason for the hostility towards them, as my informants in Shugnan explained, is that one night a woman poured out hot water and scalded an Almasty child. After that, the latter began to take revenge on women in labor and newborns.

Among the Pamirs, there is a widespread belief in the existence of devas - evil spirits of mainly anthropomorphic appearance, ideas about which date back to the era of the Indo-Iranian and Indo-European community. In the folklore of the Iranian peoples, including the Pamirs, devas appear as male giants covered with wool, living in hard-to-reach places, for example, inside mountains or in the bowels of the earth. They guard the treasures of the earth and are hostile towards man.

In popular belief, the deva acts as an omnipotent being. Among the Shugnans even today one can hear such an expression: “He (she) teaches a maid”, which indicates the ingenuity or cunning of a person.

The second group includes patron spirits, which, however, in case of non-fulfillment of their desires or some kind of misconduct, could send a disease to a person. It was possible to get rid of her only if the requirements of these demonic beings were met.

The spirits of this category also include the so-called pure spirits that live in sacred places - mazars (or ostons, as they are called in the Pamirs). In the legends and myths of the Pamiris, there are such characters as chiltans, whose image is of Tajik-Persian origin. According to the ideas common among the peoples of Central Asia, chiltans are forty powerful saints who rule the world. In the Western Pamirs, this term, translated into Russian as "forty people", or "forty persons", is directly related to the Ostons. For example, one of these sanctuaries is located in the Shugnan village of Vezdar in the Roshtkala region of GBAO. Back in the 1920s, the famous Pamir scholar M.S. Andreev collected material about chiltans in Yazgulem. There he was told that among the chiltans there are four poles (qutb) that govern the four sides of the world.

The history of the ostons associated with the chiltans goes back to ancient times and is possibly associated with pre-Islamic fire temples. It is no coincidence that chiltans are sometimes called "standing by the fire." For example, in the center of the sanctuary in the village of Vezdara mentioned above, there is a large amount of ash ancient origin. Researchers have yet to figure out the genetic link between this kind of ostons and fire. Be that as it may, in the views of some peoples, chiltans are directly related to economic life - they act as patrons of a mountain goat during hunting, managers of water, etc. The Ismalite Pamirs read a special spell "Chihil Ism" ("Forty Names") to drive out evil spirits.

The third category is made up of spirits that are able to enter into intimate relations with a person and even create a family, if in this case the term is appropriate, referring to marital relations, due to the common life and mutual help.

This group includes, perhaps, the most common spirit in the Pamir mountains - pari (peri, peri). The genesis of this image, according to V.N. Basilov, should be sought in the mists of time - in the ancient layers of Iranian mythology, and the term "bet", according to B. A. Litvinsky, perhaps goes back to the reconstructed Indo-European word per - "to bring into the world, give birth", or pele - "to fill" . In the folklore of the Pamiris, pari often appears in an anthropomorphic form, and mainly in the form of an evil, repulsive-looking girl or a benevolent and beautiful girl. The latter usually acts as an intercessor. Among the residents of GBAO, there is still an expression “The bet helped him” if one of the men was lucky in business.

In the Pamiri fairy tales, there are frequent cases when the bettors took people with them and flew with them through the air. According to the beliefs of the Bartang people, paris are beautiful mountain spirits. If a betting girl falls in love with a young man, she takes him to the mountains with her. These spirits are able not only to fall in love, but also to marry. So, in the Ishkashim fairy tale “Prince Amad”, the bet marries a young man named Amad. It is believed that extraordinary people are born from marriages with a bet. At the same time, according to the beliefs of the Yazgulyam people, for example, when a bet takes a young man as a husband, he loses his mind.

Along with the human form, this spirit can also appear in a zoomorphic image. Residents of one of the Bartang villages considered themselves descendants of the hunter Baig and the bet that bred mountain goats. Once Baig went to his chosen one from his native village. He did not attach importance to the fact that a fellow villager followed him with a dog. At this time, his wife-bet with relatives milked goats. The dog barked, the goats fled, and the milk spilled. As a result, the angry bet left her "earthly husband."

In the Pamir pandemonium there are also genies, which cannot be placed in any of the above groups. These demonic creatures can be conditionally called prankster spirits. They do not wish harm to a person, and at the same time one cannot expect good from them - for example, they arrange pranks in relation to lonely travelers.

We will not list all the demonic creatures known in the Pamirs. Let's just say that recently the pre-Islamic name of deva and the Muslim jinn has been established behind all spirits. All incorporeal or material beings that live in a person or the surrounding world, according to popular beliefs, are afraid of the mention of the name of Allah. Therefore, until now, when Ismailis visit abandoned houses, outbuildings and similar buildings, where there is a possibility of meeting with spirits, they widely use the Muslim formula "In the name of Allah." Jinn also bypass dwellings where there is a holy book of the Koran.

Until now, in the life of the Pamirs, especially those living in remote high-mountain valleys, great importance have magical methods of treatment-and-prophylactic, agrarian and commercial character. Especially often they are practiced in the rituals of the life cycle - wedding, maternity, funeral, etc. For example, during a wedding, a special role is assigned to women with many children, whose fertility is believed to be magically transmitted to the newlyweds. In addition, the birth of children is magically promoted by showering the bride and groom with dried fruits, bean flour or sweets. In order to protect against demonic forces, the clothes of the young must be red.

A few decades ago, barren young women came to the ostons, where they tied scarves, scraps of cloth or pet hair to the trees or poles standing there in order to receive the grace-filled help of the saints. Since, as the people believe, jinn are especially dangerous for women in childbirth and young children, both of them were supposed to have a variety of amulets with them.

Like many other peoples of the world, among the Pamirs, in case of difficult childbirth, the mother and relatives of the woman in labor untied knots on dresses in the house, untwisted the knots in her hair and opened all the locks. In the Pamirs, as well as in other regions of the Earth, three days after the birth of a child, they put on the first shirt, which is called the “forty-day shirt” among the Badakhshans and borrowed from an old man or old woman, from whom longevity should magically pass to the newborn. In order to protect it, beads were sewn to it. And before putting a shirt on a child, a knife with a wooden handle was passed through its collar so that the baby would grow up strong, like iron, and kind, with a soft character, like a tree. Usually a forty-day shirt was kept until the birth of the next child in the family.

To protect the baby from demonic forces, especially in the first forty days, which were considered the most dangerous, various amulets were used. Thus, claws of an eagle or a bear, wolf teeth and even dog droppings were hung on the upper crossbar of the cradle, and shreds of round-shaped fabric of different colors were sewn onto children's clothes or ornamental patterns were embroidered in the form of a solar circle or an open palm-five - a symbol of the Ismailis. In order to protect the child from evil forces, he was given two names - a real name and a nickname - and they tried not to call him by his true name until he came of age.

Of all the beliefs related to the illness and death of a person, the belief in the evil eye occupies the most prominent place. This harmful type of magic, according to the ideas of the Pamirs, is transmitted in two ways: verbally or with an unkind look. From the "evil eye" and other magical tricks, as it is believed by the people, amulets called tumors help. These are paper strips folded and sewn into shreds of matter, on which surahs from the Koran or texts from other Islamic religious books are written. At the same time, amulets with "magic" spells read on them can be used to harm a particular person. They are left, for example, in one of the corners or at the threshold of the enemy's house. Along with amulets, household items are often used as harmful "things" - iron locks, pins, etc., on which the spell is "recited". This procedure is called sorcery (serčid).

An additional impetus to the popularization of magical rites among the people was the appearance in the late 1990s in the Pamirs of many psychics, telepaths, clairvoyants, etc. Their role was played not only by adults of both sexes, but even by schoolgirls of the fifth-seventh grades. Both illiterate grandmothers and certified workers in the field of education, science and medicine, they inspired the same thought: “You have been damaged, which such and such a fortuneteller or such and such a clairvoyant can remove.”

In addition to predictions, these individuals also positioned themselves as healers. Moreover, the "healers" - youngsters, for example, reported that the prescriptions for treatment were given to them by deceased grandfathers, with whom only they could communicate. It came to outright curiosities. One schoolgirl-healer “prescribed” a sick man who came to see her to drink tears of… wild goat nakhchir. The highlander, dumbfounded by what he heard, only said: “Okay, daughter! I will somehow catch the mountain goat, but how will I make him cry?

In the conditions of mass unemployment and a sharp drop in the standard of living, for some, magical "sessions" in the Pamirs have become a source of profit, for others - a dream to "improve" health, and hence material well-being.

In the Pamir mountains, where an open hearth has been located in dwellings since time immemorial, it is a kind of home altar. During wedding, funeral and other ceremonies, fragrant herb styrakhm is burned on it in order to propitiate the spirits of ancestors. For example, on the wedding day, the groom, before going to the bride, goes to the hearth and kisses it, and then takes a pinch of ash and puts it in his shoes. Fire and ash derived from it are considered by the Pamirs to be pure and fertile substances. It is forbidden to step over the hearth or step on its edges. The ashes taken from the hearth are still thrown into a clean and inaccessible place for pets. You cannot walk on it or jump over it. Before eating, it is not allowed to wash one's hands over the ash pit located in front of the hearth, as it is believed that the household spirit, the guardian of the hearth, farishta, lives in it.

Even in ancient times, the cult of animals, in particular sheep, bull and cow, was born in the Pamirs, as evidenced by the images on stones and in caves. Even today in high-mountain villages there is a custom to place bull droppings on top of a pile of grain on the threshing floor in order to consecrate it. When one or more cows are sent to the groom's house, the bride's father pulls out some hair from the cow's tails and throws them into the barn. This is done so that the remaining animals do not get sick. The owner appeals to the cows being taken away with a request not to harm either his family or the family of the new owner.

It can be said without exaggeration that one of the most widespread cults in the Pamirs is the veneration of the spirits of dead ancestors. It is especially clearly seen in the funeral and memorial rites. From the first minutes after the death of a person, his relatives, relatives and neighbors try to serve the spirit (ruh), and not the theme of the deceased. After the death of an Ismaili, burning candles are placed in his house for three nights in a row, which should be considered as a relic of the ancient custom of “feeding” the soul. In our opinion, the actions of the closest relatives of the deceased at the commemoration of the third day can also be considered an echo of fire worship. When the spiritual guide of the Ismailis (caliph) reads the full text of the memorial treatise, they approach a special vessel where the wick burns and bow to the fire. And the smell of the funeral dish bodzh from the carcass of a ram at the wake, according to popular beliefs, is pleasant to the spirit of the deceased and saturates him best of all. The slaughter of the ram itself is of a purifying nature and is a means of averting the “blood of the dead”, which is present in the house for three days after his death. Both the reading of the treatise and the preparation of special food are of a protective nature and are addressed primarily to the spirit of the deceased, who, like his "blood", is present in the dwelling for three days.

It should be said that the Badakhshans are reluctant to start rebuilding or remodeling the house, as this may cause disturbance to the spirits of the ancestors they revere. And during the construction of a new house, wooden beams are still doused with the blood of a sacrificial ram or rooster in order to propitiate the spirits of their ancestors.

In the Pamirs, ancient folk ideas about the world, nature and man have been preserved to this day. They, as already mentioned, coexist peacefully and are most closely intertwined with the views and rituals of Ismailism. This syncretism is explained by the isolation of the Pamir gorges and the conservation of non-Islamic beliefs, rituals and cults.

The material presented by us can be used in a lecture course and in seminars in humanitarian universities, where there are courses in religious studies or cultural studies. It clearly demonstrates that, despite the progress of science and technology, in the 21st century, peoples who have managed to preserve ancient folk traditions and religious beliefs are preserved. The task of researchers is to be able to fix them even before they disappear into the boundless river of time.

RELIGIONS, BELIEFS AND RITUALS

Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Islam

The territory of the Pamirs is the birthplace of the ancient Aryan religion, on the basis of which such great religions as Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, and Buddhism arose. So far this mountainous region securely keeps its secrets and still remains inaccessible.

Long before the spread of Islam in the Pamirs, the locals professed various religions and cults. Most of all there were followers of Zoroastrianism and Buddhism. This is indicated by numerous archaeological finds of the remains of Zoroastrian temples and cult objects. The sacred book of the Zoroastrians is the Avesta, which is one of the most ancient monuments of the East.

For almost two millennia, the Pamirs occupied a middle position on the Great Silk Road. Different cultures, religions and traditions met here. Along this path, through the Wakhan, Buddhism entered China. The Chinese pilgrim Hoi Chao, who visited the Wakhan in 726, notes that there were Buddhist monasteries and monks here. All the inhabitants of Wakhan were zealous followers of the teachings of the Buddha and professed the “Hinayanite” sense. Until now, there are monuments of Buddhism in Wakhan, later replaced by Islam (41).

Islam began to spread in the Pamirs from the 7th-8th centuries. ad. In the second half of the 7th c. Arab armies approached the Pamirs. However, their attempts to penetrate into the mountainous regions ran into stubborn resistance from the local population. The struggle for the Pamirs and especially for the Wakhan valley intensified in the 8th century. The confrontation ended with the victory of the Arabs, who at the beginning of the 9th century. completely subjugated the Western Pamirs and Wakhan. In the central part of the Pamirs, Islam was adopted much later in the 11th-12th centuries. As it spreads, Islam penetrates into the sphere of culture, architecture, art and everyday life of the Pamirs (21).

The strengthening of the positions of Islam in the Pamirs is associated with the name of the outstanding Muslim philosopher and Ismaili preacher Nosir Khusrav. Nosir Khusrav was born in 1004 and received an excellent education. In 1045, he visited Egypt, where he met with supporters of the Fatimid caliphs, leaders of the Ismaili community, and was imbued with great interest in this teaching. He began to preach Ismailism, for which he was persecuted and was forced to hide. After long wanderings, Nosir Khusrav ended up in the Pamirs, where he spent the last years of his life (he died in 1088). He lived in the Yumgan valley (the territory of Afghanistan), and his mazar is also located here. Among the inhabitants of the Pamirs, Nosir Khusrav enjoyed great respect and by the end of his life he took the position of a feast.

Ismailism, one of the branches of Shiism, emerged in the second half of the 8th century. The Ismailis consider the only legitimate successor of the Prophet Muhammad to be his cousin and son-in-law, Ali ibn Abu Talib.

The philosophy of the Ismailis, based on the ideas of Neoplatonism, not only did not reject science and art, but combining them with religious thought, contributed to the harmonious development of all 3 principles in a person. Religious comprehension of the world, combined with scientific knowledge and the spirit of creativity, has always given Ismailism a somewhat secular tone. In the Pamirs, Ismailism was finally established only in the 16th century. after the arrival of four Shiite preachers: Said Muhammad Isfahani (Shokhi Koshon), Abdurrahman (Shokhi Khomush), Shoh Burkhoni Vali and Shoh Malanga. The philosophy of Ismailism did not contradict the ancient Aryan worldview, but only clothed it in a different form (24; 461-483).

Ismailism as a religious-political and socio-philosophical movement has always played a significant role in the history of the Muslim East. To date, there are more than 20 million adherents of Ismailism in the countries of Asia, Europe and America. Their spiritual leader is the descendant of Ali and Fatima, Prince Shah Karim al-Husseini, Aga Khan IV. The personality of Aga Khan IV is admired by both Europeans and Asians. During the economic isolation of the Pamirs (in 1992-1995), which was a consequence of the civil war in Tajikistan, charitable foundation Aga Khan IV arranged supplies humanitarian aid to this region and thus prevented a real tragedy that could break out here. Each resident received everything necessary for life. Now the Aga Khan IV Foundation is doing everything possible to develop the economy of the Pamirs.

Since the Pamirs were part of the Soviet Union for seventy years, the authorities tried by various methods to eradicate religious traditions, rituals and holidays. But, despite this, the Pamirs managed to preserve their beliefs and religious teachings.

Incomparably greater religious freedom and the right to openly practice their religion, the inhabitants of the Pamirs, like everyone else, received after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Constitution of modern Tajikistan guarantees freedom of conscience to every person.

Life, customs, occupation of the population, gender

Pamir is one of the most mysterious places on Earth. This is the world of the highest mountain peaks, healing springs, the rarest, precious stones, stormy waterfalls and dangerous roads located on sheer cliffs. This region is cut off from the rest of the world by impassable turbulent streams and the highest mountain ranges. No wonder the ancient travelers passing along the Silk Road called Pamir - the Roof of the World. This name has firmly established itself and has come down to our days.

Conditions for farming in mountainous areas vary greatly depending on the height at which the village is located. The beginning of plowing is a great event in the life of a farmer. It is accompanied by a sacrifice (sheep or ram), as well as various amusements during the holiday. The patron of agriculture and farmers was Boboi - dehkon (Grandfather - farmer), who seemed to be embodied in one of the most experienced and knowledgeable peasants of the village. According to established tradition, he was the first to start plowing and threshing. The day when agricultural work began was celebrated as a significant holiday, accompanied by a feast.

The land is plowed on oxen, and many agricultural tools have archaic features, approaching the proto-form of the Neolithic era. After the end of the sowing, the owner of the field usually says: "Oh, land, there was work from me, but from you there should be a harvest." When the grain is ripe, a happy hour is determined to start harvesting. After threshing, the resulting grain is ground in ancient water mills. According to legend, spirits dwell there, and therefore the light is always on at the mills and no one is left alone at night. After the grinding of the grain is completed, and all the flour is poured into the bins and rammed, the farmer is freed from all worries, except for the care of livestock. At this time, snow falls and the long-awaited time for rest comes. In winter, the Pamirs occupy themselves with various crafts, not focusing on any one type of activity. Each of them is to some extent a farmer, hunter, builder, musician and singer, but each of these professions has its own masters who are highly honored and respected.

In addition to agriculture, the Pamirs are also engaged in animal husbandry. Among domestic animals, sheep and rams are considered the purest, most sacred animals deserving the most respect. They are called the word "mol" - wealth. In addition to wool, sheep give milk and butter, and their droppings are used to heat the house. Sheep meat is the most delicious and second only to wild goat and ram meat. According to legend, initially a sheep came out of a cloud and, accompanied by two angels, descended to earth, similar to how God sent a sheep to the prophet Abraham for sacrifice.

The Pamirs also revere the ram. At commemoration, bodj food is prepared only from lamb and wheat. According to legend, the ram must carry the deceased across the Sirat bridge, which hangs over hell. In case of evasion from the sacrifice, the animal may fall into the fire of hell. Previously, during the Navruz holiday, as a symbol of well-being, figurines of rams were prepared from dough, and a herd of sheep was painted on the walls of houses.

The dishes were most often made of clay. At the same time, the earliest method of making dishes discovered by people was used - “sticking”: clay rollers were molded to the bottom of the vessel, which were then smoothed out. In some areas there was no clay, so the dishes here had to be made of wood. Now, for carving wooden forms, the force of a swift mountain stream is used, but a hundred years ago, a kind of bucket was manually hollowed out from pieces of a tree trunk. It is hard to believe, but the inhabitants used to boil water in such buckets until recently. On the fire, the stones were red-hot, then they sank into a bucket of water, and so on until the water boiled. This method of boiling water was called “sangtov”, even meat was cooked with it. In the absence of a wooden bucket, a leather vessel was used. In this case, the red-hot stone was clamped between damp rods and carefully lowered inside, avoiding contact with the skin. By the way, Herodotus also mentions this method of cooking in his "History". In the Mesolithic era, before the invention of vessels, people boiled water in this way, pouring it into the recess of the rock.

A favorite pastime of many Pamirs is hunting. For the most part, mountain goats and rams are hunted, which are considered the purest animals, since, according to legend, they are herded by “pari”, the spirits of the mountains in the guise of beautiful girls. The one who tasted their meat is cleansed for 40 days from all filth. They go hunting early in the morning, trying not to catch anyone's eye. Each hunter has his own patroness - a bet who appears to him in a dream on the eve of the hunt and tells him where to go hunting and what animal to shoot. According to ancient belief, mountain goats and rams are the pets of pari. All highlanders know that bettors pursue those who dare to kill a pregnant female or cub.

Hunting for mountain partridge is the most favorite after hunting for mountain goat. To do this, they make a shield of rods and burlap, sew feathers on it and draw images of birds. The hunter himself hides behind this shield. Partridges, seeing the shield, come closer and immediately fall under the shot (26; 197).

ways fishing there is a lot. She is caught with a hook, net and basket, as well as stunned with sticks and poisoned by poisonous plants. Now all methods of fishing, except for the hook, are considered poaching, and they are rejected by most anglers.

The Pamirs amaze with their endurance, as well as with the ease and dexterity with which they walk long distances in the mountains. Taking with them only the essentials, they can climb rocks and cross stormy rivers for several days. Their whole figure is adapted for life in the mountains, obese and lethargic among them are not found at all. Animals are not used to carry heavy loads in the Pamirs. Usually, any load: earth, manure, sheaves is carried by men in large wicker shoulder baskets, or with the help of special devices made of sticks and ropes that are fastened behind their backs. Sometimes in the mountains you can see women carrying buckets, troughs or even barrels filled to the brim with water. These heavy vessels are placed on the head without any padding and are carried over long distances completely without the help of hands. At the same time, women move easily and naturally, swaying gracefully from side to side, sometimes stopping to chat with each other.
In summer, the cattle is on the pastures under the supervision of women. They live in small houses built without any mortar from large stones. A small group of such houses is called a summer house. The day that women go to summer is considered a big holiday. The grazing flock is watched over by shepherds who have a truly supernatural ability to remember the appearance of each animal separately. Rising to a hill, they survey their numerous herd, which is in continuous motion, and without counting, immediately determine how many animals are missing.

Today, men in the Pamirs wear modern European clothes, although it was their ancestors who created the type of clothing that is today called European. Since it was from the Saka tribes that trousers and the method of fastening men's clothing from left to right got their spread throughout the world. Women wear tunic-shaped dresses and wide trousers. Scarves are worn as a headdress.

Outwardly, the Pamirs are very different from other inhabitants of Asia. They have a pronounced European appearance: rounded, soft features of a fairly wide face, bushy thick beards, light gray or blue eyes, blond or reddish hair. After the expedition of 1914, I.I. Zarubin wrote that many Pamiris can be mistaken for peasants in disguise middle lane Russia. All travelers paid attention to this and did not find any other explanation for themselves, except to consider all the Pamiri descendants of the soldiers of Alexander the Great, who fell behind during the military campaign. There are still villages in the Pamirs that consider themselves descendants of Macedonian soldiers - Greeks. They are called Kalash and they live mainly in the Shokhdara Gorge.

Women in the Pamirs have always been treated with special respect. Women always occupied an equal position along with men, did not cover their faces and sat at the same table with men. On the highlanders descending to the plain, the custom of women to cover themselves with a veil has always made a repulsive impression. Until now, old-timers remember how women fought against Afghan violence. As they note, sometimes Pamir women participated in battles on an equal basis with men, and among them there could even be major military leaders.

In communication with each other, the Pamirs are distinguished by softness and refined sophistication of manners. All their behavior testifies to the ancient culture. These people are good-natured, cheerful, sociable and truthful, they are not worried about hoarding. Everyone works only as much as it takes to feed themselves and their families. The rest of the time they, one way or another, contemplate the majestic nature that surrounds them, reflect and talk about life; In the morning before work, they look at the sunrise for a long time, and in the evening - at the sunset. They do not need to make any effort to achieve spiritual liberation, since they did not lose this freedom. They do not need special rituals either, since their whole daily life is a real ritual. Whatever the Pamirs do, whatever they do, they are never in a hurry. Here it is impossible to see a person excited, screaming or hurrying somewhere. They are wary of such people, mistaking them for the sick or insane. All life here takes place in a single rhythm with nature, peacefully, calmly and imperturbably. Probably, here it could not be otherwise: you feel like a piece of nature, and not its master. They get up at sunrise, go to bed at sunset, unless, of course, they watch TV. Everyone closely follows the news, loves analytical programs.

Like all other peoples, the Pamirs sacredly keep and perform all kinds of family and everyday customs and rituals. The birth of a child has always been and remains the most joyful event in the life of a family. Therefore, the period of pregnancy of the future mother, childbirth and forty days (chil) of the life of the child were furnished with numerous rituals and customs: the mother and child were not left alone, in the room from the onset of darkness until dawn the light was on and the fire was always maintained. Sharp objects were placed at the head of the woman in labor, pods of red pepper, onion and garlic heads were hung over the bed as a talisman. During the chila period, special days were distinguished: the third, fifth, seventh, twelfth and fortieth, to which rituals were timed, associated with various events in the life of a newborn. For example, putting on the first shirt, the first bath, naming, laying in the cradle, the first haircut.

wedding ceremonies

The Pamir wedding is associated with a number of customs and rituals: tilaptow (matchmaking), hehiche (engagement), chomaburon (cutting clothes for the newlywed), sartaroshon (groom's haircut), nikoh (wedding). A special place is occupied by nikoh, without which the marriage is considered invalid. On a prearranged auspicious day, the groom comes to the bride's house. In a large wooden bowl they put a bowl of water, two cakes, mutton fat and a rolling pin. Having received the consent of the newlyweds for marriage, the clergyman reads a prayer over the water and dips a little fat and a piece of cake into it. All this is served to the groom, so that he drank a little water, ate a piece of fat and cakes. The bride repeats this procedure after the groom. After this ceremony, the couple is already considered husband and wife. But nikokh must be secured by an official document. The opening ceremony of the bride's face is called pizpatchid. Before leaving the parental home, the bride puts on several red dresses. According to custom, you can’t give wedding clothes as a gift, you will lose family happiness. Scarves are thrown over her head, covering the face of the bride. In the groom's house, the newlyweds are seated in a special place and instructed to open the bride's face to one of the groom's close friends. To do this, they use a "canich" - a hunting bow, and a willow twig instead of an arrow (27).

For the Pamirs, willow is a symbol of new life. This is the first tree that is the first to "awake" after hibernation. In ancient times, when a husband wanted to divorce his wife, it was enough for him to break a willow branch over her head, which meant that their life together did not work out.

Funeral rites and customs are also complex in structure. On the day of the funeral, mourners and relatives sing marsia (mourning songs), dress in dark clothes, do not wear jewelry, do not use cosmetics. Of particular interest is the night of the lighting of the lamp (tsirowpithid) in the house of the deceased. On the third day, in the evening, a wake is held in the house of the deceased. First, people read a prayer, then they prepare memorial food. For this, it is customary to slaughter a ram. They cut it in the house, near the pillar at the entrance (Poiga sitan). The cleric, reading the surahs from the Koran, prepares a long cotton wick. Then this wick is saturated with oil, and placed in a special vessel - charogdon, where it is lit. At the same time, a charognoma is read - a collection of prayers and suras of the Koran. After that, according to beliefs, the soul leaves its home forever and rushes to heaven, and the fire in the lamp is designed to illuminate its path to the afterlife. (26; 297-298)

Navruz (Zoroastrian New Year). Navruz "new day" is celebrated on March 21 on the day spring equinox. Ancient Persian kings wore a crown depicting the annual solar cycle on their heads, participated in divine services in the Temple of Fire, and distributed generous gifts to their subjects during the holiday. Subsequently, the custom took root in Central Asia, under the influence of Zoroastrian culture. Islam has not abolished the folk custom of celebrating Navruz. As Beruni notes, the reason for the reverence of the Navruz holiday by Muslims is that “this is the day that angels revere (for on this day they were created from fire) and prophets (for on this day the sun was created) and kings revere it (for this is the first day of time). However, the conquering Arabs, for example, believed that the cheerful spirit of the holiday did not fit in with orthodox Islam. The faithful did not protest, but the holiday was preserved.

The Bolsheviks who came to power, who saw in it a religious relic of the past, wanted to ban Navruz. People did not argue, but they performed festive rites. It seems that it was the folk element of the holiday, when each of its participants felt like a particle of common joy, that saved Navruz from oblivion. In the Pamirs, the Navruz holiday is better known as Hidirayom ​​(big holiday). It is accompanied by numerous rituals and ceremonies that have come down to us since ancient times. As the Pamirs themselves say, the Navruz holiday should be met with joyful, cheerful, and then the whole year will be favorable. It should be noted that all these rituals, both before and today, are observed in strict sequence.

It is believed that the deeds that will be done during the 13 days of Navruz, a person will do the whole year. For this reason, it is customary not to quarrel with anyone these days, to forgive each other's debts, to forget about enmity and resentment. According to popular beliefs, a lot these days depends on the arrival of the first person in the house. The first guest of the new year should be of a meek and kind disposition, witty, pious, with a good name and reputation, and most importantly, have "happy leg" i.e. bring good luck.

On the eve of the holiday, it is necessary to carry out a thorough cleaning of the house (Chidirthed), where only women remain. They clean the house, sweep the soot and soot off the walls, and then take out all the garbage. When taking out the garbage, no one should catch the eye of the hostess, otherwise, according to popular belief, all troubles will fall on him, or he will become the cause of all misfortunes in this house. After cleaning, the rest of the family is invited into the house. They enter, holding pre-cut branches of a young willow. Drawings are applied to the walls of the house with flour. Most often, these are conditional images of small cattle, which should help increase the livestock in the family herd.

On the day of the holiday, various national dishes (khukhpa, koche, osh) and cakes are prepared. Huhpa liquid flour stew is one of the most commonly consumed dishes. If khukhpa becomes thick, in the form of jelly, then it is called "koche". They eat it cold, making a depression in the middle of a cup with jelly, into which milk or butter is poured. Each of the eaters, sitting around a bowl of stew, makes a groove in the jelly, through which this seasoning flows to him. Koche was a ritual dish. They smeared the muzzles of bulls, bred for the first time in the field. A ritual dish is also stew with flour dumplings (osh) and fatty flour jelly, which is prepared by heating oil and pouring flour into it. Somewhat later, salt and milk are added to it and boiled for about an hour (alvoi shir). Each cup is served with a spoon with a long handle.

Bread has always been treated with respect in the Pamirs. It cannot be cut with a knife and bitten off with teeth. Having broken the cake into pieces and taking a smaller piece, they break off small pieces from it, which can already be put in the mouth. You can’t throw away the crumbs, put the cake upside down, as it is commonly believed that it is the decoration of the universe. On Navruz, special cakes with walnuts are baked.

On the festive dastarkhan you can see dried mulberry, which often replaces bread. They like to take it with them on the road, so for ease of storage they are crushed in mortars, which are depressions in huge stone slabs located next to the house. This is the oldest type of grain grater invented by man. It is very revered here, it is called "fruit of heaven".

Tea came into wide use only in the 1930s. Before that, only a few people used it (tea was brought from the territory of Afghanistan, and it was very expensive).

They usually drink tea in the form of "shir-chai", which is prepared as follows: pour a lot of black tea into the water and, putting the kettle on the coals, boil for a long time, then salt is added to the teapot with the broth and milk is poured. During tea drinking, it is not customary to pour too much tea into the bowl, as well as pour it with foam. Tea should only be served with the right hand (at this time the left hand is pressed against the chest), and the right hand should be taken.

As elsewhere in the East, people here eat with their hands, but they also use wooden spoons, they are in every home. Hand washing is done by rinsing three times before and after eating, so as not to defile the food, as well as its remnants that have stuck to the hands, by touching something unclean.

Since ancient times, big folk festivals, holiday bazaars, horse races, cockfights, target shooting competitions, wrestling and throwing have been held on Navruz. chicken eggs. Women on such days like to swing on a swing. In the evening, people go home to their neighbors to “ask” for something that the Pamirs call “kiloguzguz”. This is done as follows: through the upper hole in the ceiling (ruz), a scarf is thrown into the house in which sweets, a piece of cake, dried fruit are tied in advance. In return, they can demand from the owner whatever they want, and according to tradition, the owner will not be able to refuse them. Since ancient times, there has been a tradition of wooing a girl on Navruz, and it is not customary to refuse matchmakers on this day.

Many religious rites, customs and rituals are associated with the holidays of Islam. Among them, the most important are: Go Kurbon (Festival of Sacrifice), Go Ramazon (fasting holiday). In the Soviet period, such holidays as International Women's Day (March 8), Victory Day (May 9), New Year's Day (December 31) entered and became established in the life of the peoples of the Pamirs. In the same period, such customs arose as the solemn celebration of the civil act of marriage, birthday, silver and gold weddings.

On September 9, 1991, Tajikistan acquired state independence. Together with new country new holidays were born. Day of national unity and harmony (June 27), Independence Day (September 9) and Constitution Day

Places of pilgrimage in the Pamirs are called "oston" or "mazar". Mazars are basically burial places of saints, inside of which there may be graves of ancient saints, at whom prayers are constantly read by sheikhs - the guardians of the mazars. Usually this is a hereditary position.

Ostons are various natural objects revered since ancient times - individual trees, groves, large stones, caves, crevices in the rocks. A stone-rock, associated with an ancient legend, can become the basis for an oston building that hides folk shrines from the eyes of strangers. Prayers are regularly performed inside such ostons, and their keepers light fragrant grass - sitirahm, which drives away evil spirits. Ostons were a place of worship for God among the Pamir Ismailis.

When approaching the oston, one can see large pyramids made of stones. The pilgrim, welcoming this holy place, picks up a stone from the ground and places it on one of the large stones. Usually, next to the oston there is one or more trees with a strongly overgrown crown, they are considered sacred and no one dares to break their branches. These trees represent the Source of Life and symbolize the idea of ​​the constant development of the Universe. Approaching the oston, the pilgrim humbly reads prayers, touches the sacred stones with his fingertips, kisses them and raises them to his forehead.

Oston needs to show respect and reverence, you can’t take anything as a keepsake, talk loudly, sing songs, speak badly about him, so as not to arouse the wrath of the holy place. You need to approach him with your face and, without turning around, move away. In case of disrespect, the oston can "hit" the person. It is believed that ostons can heal from diseases. When making a request, various gifts are brought to the oston - sacrifices from the slaughter of animals to very modest offerings. Sacrifice brings "order", harmony in human life and is used to communicate with the deity. Everything in the world is interconnected, and it is impossible to get anything without giving something in return. Moreover, when asking for help from higher powers, it is necessary to bring gifts so that the request is heard.

Many ostons and mazars of Muslim saints in the Pamirs were traditional places of worship before the adoption of Islam. During the period of Islamization of the local population, the new authorities declared these places the mazars of saints known in the Muslim world. A new mythology was also taking shape, often an Islamized continuation of the traditions of folk poetry based on pre-Islamic stories.

Many Pamir ostons are located in places where Fire temples used to exist. Sometimes, next to the oston, you can see a partially preserved altar, in which no one has lit incense burners and maintained the fire for a long time. These holy places for the ancient Aryans were used by the preachers of Islam, who filled them with new content. For example, Muslim oston Mushkilkusho - "Difficulty Reliever", in the Bartang valley between the villages of Shujand and Yemts, became the place where St. Ali performed the prayer. According to another version, this oston existed here long before the rise of Islam, along with the temple of Fire, and the stones, smeared with melted butter and neatly stacked in its corner, once supported lamps and candles. But the holy place has not lost its power. Being in the very heart of the Pamirs, at the beginning of the most dangerous roads and ovrings, it helps travelers to reach their intended goal without hindrance. Each of them stops at the sacred stones, asking for an easier path, and takes with him a handful of earth from the oston. All Pamirs who went to distant countries or to war and took land from Mushkilkusho on their way always returned home safe and sound.

The Pamirs enjoy special reverence for another shrine - Ostoni Piri Shokhnosir or Chashmai Nosiri Khusrav in Porshnev with a spring gushing out of the ground. Its origin is associated with the name of the Ismaili day (doi) Nosir Khusrav. According to legend, after a long journey, he sat down to rest. A woman was walking by with water, and he asked her for water. The woman gave him a drink and complained that there was not enough water in the village. After listening to her, he stuck his staff into the ground and thus a spring appeared in this picturesque place, from which cold water flows.

In the upper reaches of the Gunta is oston Muhammad Bokira, one of the Ismaili imams. Ordinary people say that it was a very long time ago, so long ago that no one, not a single pir or caliph, can say when. Then a dervish came to these parts, whose noble features betrayed his noble origin, who he was - no one knew. For a long time he prayed in a cave. One day he came out and said: “People, if a big trouble comes to you, then you call me, I will go out and help you, but call only when you really need me”. Having said this, he again disappeared into the cave. But careless people who were indifferent to the rest of the hermit decided to test him. One day, as they gathered together, they shouted: "Help, we need your help". A little time passed, and an alarmed Hodja appeared on the threshold of the cave. But the deceivers, frightened by his wrath, immediately fled. The hermit walked, searched, called, but found no one. And then he exclaimed: "Gah gunt, gah pareshon", which means: "Sometimes - a lot, sometimes - no one", again entered the cave and disappeared forever. And no one else saw him in this gorge. The people understood their guilt, but it was too late and in its atonement they built an oston on that place.

In the upper reaches of the Bartang River, near the village of Pasor, there is oston Khojai Alamdor "Patron of the offended". In ancient times, they say, one greedy bai lived in these places, who never helped anyone. Once a caravan of merchants passed by Pasor, and they asked the bai for bread. But he drove them away. The saddened merchants then went to the river, on the other side of which was the old oston, and prayed to God there all night. And, apparently, the Almighty heard their tearful prayers, for on the other side