It’s been an often exhausting year in Kazakhstan and as a Peace Corps Volunteer I earn two vacation days a month. Two volunteer friends and I decided to use some of our vacation days in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan.
While in Khorog, we rented a Russian UAZ jeep and driver to take us through the Pamir mountains. We were able to contract the vehicle and driver through a new initiative by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the largest private development networks in the world. The AKDN was founded by the Aga Khan, who is the imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. Ismailis are a branch of Shia Islam and are numerous in the Pamir region of Tajikistan. Evidence of the Aga Khan’s support in the Pamir region, which is the poorest region of Tajikistan, is everywhere. The new initiative we used in Khorog is designed to promote tourism.
Ismailimail 