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
![A group of Belgian bikers at the hostel.](https://gdb.rferl.org/41a97c07-2602-4dee-9df8-3fbb0d6f27d5_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A group of Belgian bikers at the hostel.
![Several women in the village clubbed together and opened a yurt as a guest house. The yurt is beautifully decorated with traditional Kyrgyz carpets and other handwork made by local women.](https://gdb.rferl.org/269922bb-efab-4aad-a2d3-522a394d3780_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Several women in the village clubbed together and opened a yurt as a guest house. The yurt is beautifully decorated with traditional Kyrgyz carpets and other handwork made by local women.
![Single mother Aichurok Kochorbaeva keeps her family going by making yak wool carpets for tourists.](https://gdb.rferl.org/0eea9338-d08b-460c-98c3-727145178e3b_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Single mother Aichurok Kochorbaeva keeps her family going by making yak wool carpets for tourists.
![The street name is written in Kyrgyz and Tajik. Usually, only the Tajik language is used on public signage. Beyond the mountains in the background lies Afghanistan.](https://gdb.rferl.org/5fbecfef-2dc0-42d0-a905-2ada2f140eca_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The street name is written in Kyrgyz and Tajik. Usually, only the Tajik language is used on public signage. Beyond the mountains in the background lies Afghanistan.