The extreme conditions of high-altitude desert and strong winds, combined with lack of opportunities beyond yak and sheep breeding, make life in the High Pamir Mountains of eastern Tajikistan a fight for survival. Yet in recent years, the village of Alichor has seen a turnaround in its fortunes, with a nascent tourism industry slowing the outflow of people to neighboring Kyrgyzstan. Photojournalist Janyl Jusupjan paid the village a visit.
Tourism Revives Remote Tajik Mountain Village
![Alichor village sits at the foot of a mountain. But it is actually 4,000 meters above sea level, which made it the highest village in the former Soviet Union.](https://gdb.rferl.org/9473eeaa-2268-429c-b78e-92e196eff17f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
1
Alichor village sits at the foot of a mountain. But it is actually 4,000 meters above sea level, which made it the highest village in the former Soviet Union.
![A Soviet-style billboard welcomes travellers to Alichor with a depiction of two men, one with a Kyrgyz white hat and one with the red hat of the Pamiri ethnic group.](https://gdb.rferl.org/8e82caa6-7ff6-4797-a1d2-b89c6a5fece0_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
2
A Soviet-style billboard welcomes travellers to Alichor with a depiction of two men, one with a Kyrgyz white hat and one with the red hat of the Pamiri ethnic group.
![View of Аlichor village. The area is so high that 7,000-meter snow-capped peaks are seen as lowlying hills.](https://gdb.rferl.org/e0b0a144-af25-43a8-8c81-8cc56b186f90_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
3
View of Аlichor village. The area is so high that 7,000-meter snow-capped peaks are seen as lowlying hills.
![A family in front of their house. The village is 80 percent Kyrgyz and 20 percent Pamiri.](https://gdb.rferl.org/46e33200-4028-46f8-9761-9c8c2294274a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
4
A family in front of their house. The village is 80 percent Kyrgyz and 20 percent Pamiri.