Original subtitles

(light music)

Full of mysteries and surprises,

the ancient routes through central Asia still exist,

like the adventurous road through the Pamir Mountains,

to the roof of the world.

The Pamir highway was completed in 1932

as a gift from the Soviet state to its remote regions.

Traveling along it today is to rediscover

a route steeped in legend.

Home to peaks well over 7,000 meters high

and enclosed by China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan

and Afghanistan, the Pamir lies

in the heart of central Asia.

Our journey along the Pamir highway begins in Dushanbe,

the capital of Tajikistan.

It will take us along the river Panj which forms the border

with Afghanistan, through the Wakhan corridor,

then 1300 kilometers on to Osh.

Our final destination is Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

Dushanbe means Monday.

A century ago, this was still an insignificant hamlet.

It was only during the Soviet era

that Dushanbe developed into a city.

When Tajikistan gained independence in 1991,

Dushanbe became the country's capital.

After a long civil war, this young nation

is again fostering the Oriental traditions of central Asia.

The wisdom and learning of the East

are assuming importance once more.

The grandiose government buildings in the Tajik capital

stand out through a wealth of Oriental ornamentation.

The visitor feels that he has arrived

in some splendid central Asian metropolis.

Yet, despite all the splendor on display

Tajikistan is still one of the world's poorest countries.

In order to feed their families most of the men

have to find jobs in Russia as guest workers.

Yet there is still an upper-class,

which celebrates parties here.

Located near the young capital Dushanbe,

are ancient excavation sites like Hisor

where finds date back over 3000 years to prehistoric times.

This region was settled even in the stone age.

Before the Bolsheviks occupied this region

of central Asia for the Soviet Union,

this fortress was part of the sphere of influence

of the Emir of Bukhara, a powerful feudal ruler at the time.

Today, these sites in Tajikistan are cultivated,

protected by UNESCO and presented to visitors with pride.

Barely 60 years old, Dushanbe is a young city.

The architecture reflects the Soviet era

with broad streets, green zones and avenues.

90% of the population are Sunni Muslims,

but many Western faces and styles

are also seen on the streets of Dushanbe.

Roxana, the wife of Alexander the Great was a Tajik.

It was she who established the reputation women here have

of being exceptionally beautiful and self-confident.

In Dushanbe we made the acquaintance of Pavina,

a young woman who deals in Tajik works of art.

Pavina supplies international trade fairs

and local businesses.

My name is Pavina.

I am actually from Pamir,

but I'm living here in Tajikistan.

I am working with Pamir handmade products,

which we are making.

We are as a community based in Tajikistan,

and we do this type of handmade stuff.

So this is a special hat. This is handmade.

And this embroidery is also made handmade.

So you can see how does it looks?

And so this is what actually our national skull cap,

which we do.

The owner of the store is chatting to Pavina

in Tajik, a variety of Persian.

(speaking Tajik)

Our country is really Muslim country,

but it's by geographic information, it's 95% of Muslim

and 5%, let's say some Christian,

some less of them Catholic.

So that's it.

But our Muslims are also free.

They can freely choose what they want to be.

They are educated. Only it depends on the family.

It depends on the family and the parents,

what they going to teach their children what to be wear.

And actually this is free.

Nobody, not government, not religion,

push you to be what you should.

You can choose.

You have freedom. You can choose what you're wearing.

How are you going to live your life?

We leave Dushanbe

and begin our journey on the Pamir highway

along the border with Afghanistan.

The road is used by powerful Chinese trucks,

returning to China with minerals after having brought in

cheap goods to flood the local market.

The highway soon follows the Panj River.

The natural border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan,

Afghan villages are visible on the far bank.

Driving is a challenge and the big trucks

don't exactly improve the condition of the road.

In Khorog, we visit the Aga Khan Foundation

to learn more about the state of this mountain region.

The manager responsible for it is Kishwa Abdul Alisha,

and he's happy to provide us with information.

For sure I know Tajikstan is a very young,

like it's got independence just very recently

from Soviet Union, and as part of Soviet Union,

we were dependent on the other republics

of the Soviet Union, economically, socially.

And as all those links, relationships,

particularly economic links are cut now,

we have to re-establish everything.

So we have to build roads.

We have to improve the communication systems.

We have to build bridges.

We have to revive the agriculture sector.

We have to revive more like the tourism sector,

the industrial sector.

But the good news is there is progress.

Before reaching the Pamir, we visit a place

people here are particularly proud of,

the hot springs of Gharm-Chashma are said to have

healing properties that help cure skin diseases

and other health problems.

Men and women alternately bathe here.

Since bathers wear hardly any clothes,

we were not allowed to film.

After all, this is a Muslim country.

Gharm-Chashma is 2,500 meters above sea level.

The place is a reminder that even the mountains

bordering the roof of the world are geologically very young

and still not at rest.

The landscape is barren.

It is only along the rivers that people have settled,

planted trees and grown rice.

Young men are a rare sight.

It is mainly the elderly and women with children

who live on the farms.

We heard of an old man here who still makes and plays

central Asian instruments in the traditional way.

Ever since Chinese goods began to flood central Asia,

it is a handicraft that has become rare.

And from a commercial point of view

is now hardly worthwhile.

Massyn Massinov represented the culture of the Tajiks

in the Pamir even during the days of the Soviet Union.

He learned the art from his father.

Massinov was once also the local village school master.

His instruments are fashioned with gouges, files

and other basic carpentry tools.

Inside the house the maestro showed us finished instruments

from his collection and told us about his profession.

To make musical instruments you need unusually strong wood

wood that won't splinter or break.

That is why most of our traditional instruments

are made from the wood of trees that bear fruit.

The most suitable type of wood comes from the mulberry tree.

It hardly ever splinters.

So it is especially suitable for making the rubab,

which the Pamiri play.

We don't buy any wood from other countries.

We are offered good wood in places like Khorog.

We examine it, buy it and bring it here.

Only wood from this region is suitable.

It's strong and resistant, it doesn't crack.

And since it hardly rots,

it preserves its quality for a long time.

(instrument twangs)

The maestro fashions his instruments

in a highly personal style.

These unique specimens have no need

to fear mass produced goods.

The impressions made by the few villages along the route

are all similar, lots of small homesteads with fruit

and vegetable gardens and a few domestic animals.

Only women and children are to be seen.

When we ask about the menfolk,

the answer is virtually the same everywhere.

They've left to work abroad.

They send money, the women say, but rarely come home.

There is virtually no other source of income.

By chance we spotted a group of women

who meet to do handicraft work together.

They embroider, crochet, braid and sew in Pamiri style.

The women are colorfully dressed

and feel at ease with strangers.

They make their products for traders

who sell them in the towns or even abroad.

Women also come together for company

and to chat about everyday matters.

The house belongs to Katemaliya Var-Teramo,

who tells us about the tradition.

My mother taught me the handicraft of the Pamiri

as a child so that I would always have a profession

and be able to support myself.

Today I do this work out of a sense of tradition

and passing my skills on to the next generation.

Mrs. Teramo told us about a temple

the women visit regularly.

This aroused our curiosity and so we followed behind

the small group in their colorful garments.

We soon noticed that the building in question

was not a mosque.

You would never see horned sheep or goats in a mosque,

more likely on Buddhist walls or an ancient Celtic site.

A huge set of ram's horns adorn the roof

and the horns of various animals can also be found

in the interior of the freshly renovated temple.

The women have brought gifts,

which they place in the temple for other visitors

who might perhaps be hungry.

This we were told is a place that dates back

to a Sufi saint who lived in pre-Islamic days.

Inside the temple, the women are now circling the altar,

which is also adorned with animal horn relics,

a cult that presumably goes back to the fire cult

of the followers of Zarathustra.

This fits in with the Persian influence

on the culture of the Pamir.

But what is astonishing and at the same time wonderful

is that these traditional customs are practiced

and tolerated so openly.

The scenery is getting more and more beautiful.

Ahead of us lies the Wakhan corridor.

The ruins of ancient fortresses testify to the importance

of this historic route.

Over 7,000 meters high the mountains bear names

like Marx, Engels or Communism.

That is how the old Soviet Union honored its highest places.

Belonging to the old Eastern Bloc

saved these landscapes from mass tourism

and has enabled so much to be preserved.

In the villages along the Pamir highway

visitors can find accommodation with families

in what are known as homestays.

We're spending the night with the Malik Mamadov family.

The daughter of the house

is getting our sleep quarters ready.

It's perfectly natural for travelers to participate

in the domestic activities of the guest family.

It's a way of making contact.

The meals are basic, but tasty.

During the daytime, the cooking is done outside.

As master of the house Malik makes sure

everything is clean and hygienic.

Several women from the village

have gathered in the courtyard.

They're putting down tufts of dyed sheep's wool

and carefully watering them.

The colors are strikingly bright, beautiful, and vibrant.

This looks like a social activity.

There are no definite rules or patterns.

Everything seems improvised.

But making felt carpets has tradition here.

Meanwhile, inside the house, the cooking continues.

At altitude guests love lots of liquid.

In other words, tasty soups with vegetables and rich cheese.

Our host Malik Mamadov lends a hand

and explains the homestay principle to us.

Here in the Pamir, the concept of the home stay

or guest house taking in travelers.

In other words, tourists and catering for them

was something totally new.

Inviting outsiders like you into private homes

of families and accepting them

is something we first had to learn.

Home stays are totally different from hotels

because as long as guests stay,

they live in the care and protection of the family.

They are alone with the family

and live in exactly the same way

as a normal family in the Pamir.

We try to show guests traditional Tajik hospitality

in line with our traditions.

We accept them as private people and treat them as such.

What Malik doesn't mention is the low price,

which travelers pay for clean beds,

good food and hospitality.

And it's wonderful and special for all involved

when as a traveler, you can experience something new,

like seeing how a felt carpet is made by hand.

Calmly and skillfully without machinery, chemicals or tools.

But Malik knows full well that life for the women

and their families is not easy.

The only problem we have in the villages,

although it is a serious one is the lack of infrastructure.

Everything is so far away.

And any jobs at all, are poorly paid.

There are no factories or other production facilities.

That is why young people don't stay.

They try to find at least temporary employment elsewhere.

They also look for work abroad, but they do come back.

Over the last 15 years, a lot of things have improved,

but by no means everything.

Here too people find different ways of earning money.

It's really good if handicraft products from the Pamir

can be sold directly to travelers without a middleman.

In our case like traditional carpets made from the wool

from our own animals.

Otherwise people have to find different skills and talents

for tackling their economic problems.

Had it not been for our host

we would probably never have heard about the celebrations

taking place the next morning.

As it is, however, we've been invited to attend a festival

organized by the Ismaili community.

Everyone has turned up.

The old men sit together or engage in traditional games.

The colorfully dressed women and children

are enjoying the cheerful atmosphere.

Young men and children are dancing.

Young girls and older women too

are moving around in public, totally relaxed.

Each in her own way has made herself pretty.

The children too are all spruced up.

Ismailis usually live in the mountain regions

of central Asia and are regarded

as a cosmopolitan branch of Shiite Islam.

Villagers have gathered here to celebrate the anniversary

of the assumption of office of the fourth Aga Khan,

the leader of the 50 million Ismailis worldwide.

The atmosphere here is so peaceful, colorful, open,

and pleasant that we stayed far longer than we intended.

Pamir Highway now traverses passes over 4,000 meters high.

Constantly providing us with changing impressions

and enchanting moods.

Rugged cliffs alternate with the passage of white clouds.

The Bactrian camels on the other side of the river

are in Afghanistan.

The Russian invasion of that crisis ridden country

is said to have started from here.

The region was always of interest to armies,

drug smugglers and spies.

But it has always attracted friends of the mountains

and nature enthusiasts as well.

They love and respect the special atmosphere

of the Pamir region with its views

of the Hindu Kush and Wakhan.

Tajikistan is famous for it's idyllic mountain lakes

at high altitude.

Geologists, ornithologists, and archeologists

find a true Eldorado here.

The members of one expedition,

which by chance sought refuge in this cave,

4,200 meters above sea level discovered stone age paintings.

Red mineral pigment was used for ritual images.

Today, we no longer know what they represent.

What is certain, however is that human beings

settled here several thousand years ago.

Murghab is a border town of 3,600 meters above sea level

in the high Pamir.

For its 7,000 inhabitants this is life at the limits.

Murghab lies at the same altitude as Lhasa,

the capital of Tibet.

Heavy trucks speed towards China

along the dusty Pamir highway.

Hardly any of them stop to refuel or spend the night here.

Tajiks wearing hats and children at play are very much part

of the street scene in Murghab.

The crescent over the mosque and prayer chains

in the hands of the elderly are the prevailing impressions.

The town also has a garrison,

which we're not allowed to film, and a market.

The market stalls are set up in steel containers

so that goods can also be sold in winter

when the temperature can easily drop to more than 40 below.

Living conditions here seem to be right on the edge

of what is tolerable

and economic prospects are virtually non-existent.

We found one young lady who was prepared to talk to us.

We don't have jobs.

We don't have factory or something.

We have only old people here, the youngest people,

they are leave us because we don't have jobs.

And we don't have university to study.

We have only high schools and they'll go there

in other cities and other countries to study.

Me too.

From Mughab, the third highest peak

in the Pamir, the Muztag Ata is visible.

It lies in China and China is what a lot of young people

here have their sights set on.

I want to go to Guangzhou,

but first I want to learn their language

because the first learn Chinese language too easy there.

Then I want to go to Shanghai.

And then Beijing.

It's easy for us.

A visa is not too hard to get.

Whether Lenin would have liked that,

in Murghab they've at least left his statue standing,

but there again, you never know what the future holds.

Anyone driving along the Pamir highway

experiences only part of the beauties

of this comparatively unknown mountain region.

Many of the tours and tracking routes that start here

have to be experienced on foot.

We travel on towards Kyrgyzstan.

The passes are getting higher and higher

and the living conditions even more extreme.

Here families with their animals still climb

to the summer pastures,

well over 4,500 meters above sea level.

(yaks grunting)

In winter, the clans that spend the summer up here

live 2000 meters further down

with television and the internet.

Up here, life has remained unchanged.

At this altitude only yaks and goats

are the only livestock that can survive.

Their dung is collected and dried,

a vital and time consuming task.

But the fuel is essential for heating the yurts,

for cooking and for heating milk.

In mountain regions like this,

there are simply no alternatives.

While the herds are still grazing on the pastures

the women attend to a large number of jobs.

The sun can be powerful at altitude.

Then the work is done inside the yurts.

Today ropes are being braided from yak hair.

Good ropes are still needed for securing the yurts

and fastening loads on yaks or trucks.

What is more, quality ropes

made from yak hair fetch top prices.

The women enjoy their work and chat together in Kyrgyz.

We're still in Tajikistan,

but the nomadic people who live here

usually have Kyrgyz roots.

The older women went to school

in the days of the former Soviet Union.

Back then the attempt was made to domesticate the nomads

and have them work on collective farms.

Now it is again worthwhile moving up to the mountain

pastures as a family to produce meat, dairy products

and materials made from animal hair and hide.

The work is hard.

Absanova Asilkam tells us about it in Russian.

When we roam here in summer with our livestock,

we milk the animals and heat the milk on our stoves,

then we beat it and separate the fat,

which is then used to make sour cream.

The next step is to pack the sour cream in porous sacks

and hang them up overnight.

By morning all the water is drained out of the sacks

and the sour cream inside is drawing.

We then use the sour cream to make our famous cheese balls,

which are known here as kurut.

They will keep in storage for quite a while.

That is a lot of work in one day for us women,

but it has to be done because when the livestock return

in the evening, there is fresh milk again.

In the evening, the women keep their eyes open

for the animals and their shepherds.

The livestock has been out and about all day long

feeding on the last patches of grass

on the mountain pastures.

The animals arrive punctually and make for the yurts

where their calves are waiting.

They sense that they're offspring are hungry

and need to be fed.

(yaks grunting)

The nomads make use of the situation

to tether their animals.

Yaks offer no resistance.

After all their young are close by.

This proximity stimulates lactation,

and the women start to milk the cows.

The size of the animals doesn't worry them

again because the nearness of the calves

keeps the mothers calm.

The noise is deafening and makes it perfectly clear

just why yaks are also known as grunting oxen.

Calves are waiting to be suckled.

Sometimes a youngster is allowed a brief sip

from its mother's udder.

This makes the cow then easier to milk.

The yaks don't seem to notice whether a calf is drinking

or they are being milked.

The mere proximity of the calves keeps them quiet.

A lot of animals have to be attended to

in a short space of time.

This is only possible because of the trust

that exists between the milkmaids and their husbands,

and also their sons who show great skill

in handling the animals.

Up here it gets dark and bitterly cold very quickly.

The yak milk is carefully collected in cans.

After all it is the raw material for cheese production.

When the cows have been milked,

the calves are allowed to drink the rest.

Their behavior towards their patient mothers

is not exactly considerate.

Before the sun disappears completely, the herds of goats

also return from the slopes of the highest mountains.

They have to be kept in enclosures with high stone walls.

Wolves lie in wait for stray animals

and they feel more confident taking on a goat than a yak.

At dawn the animals leave the camp again

to spend the whole day searching for food

on the surrounding high pastures.

They've already been milked once again,

the long working day of the families on the summer pastures

at a height of 4,500 meters

begins with the first rays of sunlight.

The mountain pasture is no kolkhoz.

The area and the pasturage are shared by several families,

but each family has its own animals and thus its own yields

with regard to milk and cheese production.

The sour cream, which is now drained

is placed in handy portions on something akin

to a baking tray and air dried in the sun.

What looks idyllic is hard work in thin air,

in bitter cold in the morning,

in hot weather at midday and in dusty wind in the afternoon.

Yes, of course we miss a few things up here,

like uninterrupted power supply.

I come from Murghab.

In the early 90s, I moved to Karakul

where they had electricity.

In Soviet days the power supply

in the towns and villages was good.

Up here we only have electricity in the evening.

Then our solar batteries provide

what they have stored during the day.

Before that we had lamps or torches.

We're happy to have had solar cells for a few years now.

The men and women from the various families

share the heavy work.

The pasteurization process is prepared in large vats.

If certain bacteria are not killed off,

the cheese won't keep, nor will it be tasty.

The products from the mountain pastures

are very much in demand and sell well.

That is because the animals feed only

on the finest grass and upland herbs.

What is more, no chemicals or other foreign substances

are added to the milk and the cheese.

In order to pasteurize the whey,

it's vital for the vat with the mixture of cheese and milk,

to be heated up with yak dung, but only briefly.

And it must never boil.

Such scenes are reminiscent of the books

of Chinghiz Aitmatov.

I know Aitmatov's book from my childhood

in the Soviet Union.

We had readings and the books were free.

I loved his book "Jamilya"

but also "Akimene" and "Guissarat".

They are wonderful stories.

I can't remember the names of other works by him.

It's too long ago.

But Aitmatov became really famous.

He made our way of life well known.

He told nomad stories in other countries too.

That's all I know about Aitmatov.

A Meteorite impact around 5 million years ago,

created numerous crater lakes in the Pamir.

Karakul is the biggest of them.

At this altitude 4,000 meters above sea level,

there is hardly any life.

The Black Lake lies in a lunar landscape.

From one country to another.

The border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is a watershed.

Scenery also changes.

In Kyrgyzstan the valleys are broader

and the pastures greener.

Instead of yaks and goats,

there are herds of horses everywhere.

What we know of Kyrgyz history is always associated

with horse breeding and mounts of great staying power.

In Soviet days however, the attempt was made

to get the Kyrgyz to change their nomadic ways.

Today nearly every family keeps a herd,

even if they have other jobs and professions.

Horses as far as the eye can see.

They're sold for high prices, either as animals for riding,

or as meat delicatessen produce.

One of the biggest horse populations can be found here

along the Song-Kul, a 280 square kilometer large freshwater

lake in grassland at an altitude of 3000 meters.

Next to Lake Song-Kul, equestrian sports can be seen,

which used to be common in central Asia.

The focus is on the riding skills of young men

as they battle for possession of a sheep or a goat.

Whichever rider manages to pick the animal

off the ground is chased.

It's a situation shepherds here often experience.

An animal gets lost, is stolen or killed.

It then has to be recovered through skill and horsemanship.

A goat is valuable.

It is worth nearly a hundred dollars.

A lot of money here in the grasslands.

In Kyrgyzstan, there are professional teams wearing armor

who perform in arenas and earn lots of money.

But whether it is there or here by Lake Song-kul,

the best rider earns respect and is ready to tell

a new story about the origins of the game.

Originally, the games began with a wolf.

The wolf was pulled to and fro on a horse.

And in the end thrown at the feet of rich men.

That is why the game is known as Blue Wolf.

The riders then lifted it up and put it in a huge vat

made for boiling horse meat.

Traveling through Kyrgyzstan is easier and faster

than traveling through Tajikistan.

Pamir lies behind us and the infrastructure

is decidedly modern.

Issyk-Kul is the world's second biggest freshwater lake.

There is tourism here at the Lakeside Cultural Park,

which calls for tolerance

towards many schools of thought and religions.

The pavilion in honor of Chingiz Aitmatov

is a particular magnet for visitors.

In view of the many conflicts in central Asia

people here are in search of visions and perspectives.

In this respect, particular importance

is attached to Chingiz Aitmatov.

As the curator of the park Asada Yuma-Kardi-Rova explains.

Describing Aitmatov's novel "Jamilya"

Louis Aragon once wrote, "I swear that this

is the most beautiful love story in the world."

And reading Aitmatov's works is so exciting.

In my opinion, his works are of educational importance.

They point out the right path.

Take the story of Mankurt in the novel,

"The day lasts more than a hundred years".

Mankurt stands for people who've been humiliated,

mentally enslaved, and no longer

have any will of their own.

Mankurt was also a symbol of Stalinism.

Sadly, this figure, which was created by Aitmatov

is still to be seen today.

We live in the modern era.

New technologies are emerging and many correlations

are being turned upside down.

In these times people have to be careful

not to become a Mankurt.

In other words, they must not forget

their own history and culture.

Chinghiz Aitmatov also said, "The hardest thing for a human

being is to stay a human being with each new day."

And that is something we human beings,

all of us, should think about.

Standing near the Aitmatov pavilion,

are sculptures which describe aspects

of his conception of man,

which seem to have lasting significance.

Asada Yuma-Kardi-Rova interprets the works of art

for visitors and school classes.

This statue represents Boston,

The man in the novel, "The scaffold".

In the face of a she wolf grieving over her lost cubs.

The nymph on the child's head signifies

that offspring are sacred to parents

irrespective whether we are talking about humans or animals.

In this work, Aitmatov describes the relationship

between people, animals and nature.

His most important message is that the offspring

of both humans and animals is sacred

for all creatures.

Along with sculptures of philosophers

and scientists, the park also contains the symbols

of all world religions, Christian, Jewish, Islamic,

and Buddhist symbols stand for religious tolerance.

Not something to be taken for granted these days,

but a fitting message after a journey

through central Asia on the Pamir highway.