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0113	Innermost Asia : vol.1
極奥アジア : vol.1

and across the Khora-bohrt pass (about 15,000 feet) to the Afghān Pāmīrs. Even then it is far
from easy.

The geographical features just briefly indicated fully account for an interesting ethnographic
observation made on my passage through the high valleys on either side of the Karambār saddle.
They comprise extensive summer grazing grounds which on the west reach from below Barōghil-
yailak close up to the saddle and to the east of it descend to below Shuiyenj, a total distance of
well over 30 miles. I found these occupied exclusively by Wakhīs who annually come up with
their flocks from Afghān territory on the Āb-i-Panja. Several considerable summer villages
or 'Yailaks' are inhabited for four or five months in the year by such Wakhīs, who also cultivate
land about Sarhad. These settlements are of old date, and clearly prove that notwithstanding the
natural boundary formed by the Oxus–Indus watershed to the north and the political frontier
between Indian and Afghān territory which follows the same line, the valleys at the head of the
Yārkhun and Karambār rivers must ethnographically be considered as forming part of Wakhān.
I may incidentally note that the attitude of the Wakhīs we met seemed to reflect full consciousness
of this fact. We have here another illustration of what has been rightly observed in the alpine
regions of Europe and elsewhere, viz. that difficult river gorges are often of greater importance
as ethnographic boundaries, and as military barriers also, than the crest-lines of adjoining high
ranges.³

The long march that on August 30 took us from the foot of the Barōghil saddle to Murgach,
close under the Karambār pass, led throughout over easy ground distinctly Pāmīr-like in character
(Fig. 50). Between Chikmar-robāt and the point where we struck the route leading up from Showar-
shur to the Shawitakh I noticed abundant signs of former glacier action in the form of ancient
moraines and cirques. It was interesting to note in the midst of them an old watch-tower built by
Wakhīs as a place of defence against Kirghiz raiders, who used to attack these grazing grounds from
the side of the Little Pāmīr by crossing the Khora-bohrt and the Karambār passes. On ascending
to the latter next morning (Fig. 49) I was able to examine more closely the interesting instance of
bifurcation by which the glacier to the south of the pass, and almost astride of it, discharges its drain-
age partly towards the Yārkhun river, itself a feeder of the Kābul river, and partly into the Zhoe-
sar lake forming the head of the Karambār river and thus draining into the Indus. The photo-
graphic panorama (Fig. 47) illustrates the configuration of the ground to the south and on either side
of the pass. The latter is represented by an almost imperceptible watershed between old moraines
of the glacier ; our barometrical observations indicated for it an elevation of approximately 14,420
feet (against 14,060 feet of the map). The eastern branch of the glacier was found much reduced
and manifestly in actual course of retrogression. But a small stream issuing from its snout still
helps to feed the lake from which the Karambār river takes its rise (Fig. 56). It is significant

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