“Great Pamir” Population: 1,500
Festival: Kyrgyz Cultural Festival (June)
In 1982 a group of Kyrgyz refugees from Great and Little Pamir in northern Afghanistan were resettled in a village now called Ulupamir, 30km northwest of Erciş, after an interim sojourn in Pakistan whence they had fled after the Saur Revolution of 1978. Today they and their descendants still live here and tend their flocks in dismal block housing set amid the most glorious mountain scenery. The women weave kilims on horizontal looms and still wear traditional Kyrgyz costume for day-to-day life although the men seem to save theirs for their annual cultural festival. Their poignant story is told in Ben Hopkins’ 2006 documentary, 37 Uses For a Dead Sheep. Apparently few people in the village still speak Kyrgyz which is closely related to Turkish.
You should not, perhaps, expect too much of Ulupamir (certainly don’t come expecting yurts or yaks) which has no rubbish collections. When I visited in 2010 the arrival of a stranger led to questions from armed village guards and speedy referral to the nearby military base. Provided you’re carrying your identification documents that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Afterwards you could continue north to Ilıca where the piping hot waters of a small spa may be housed in depressingly ugly concrete but are still good for a quick soak.
Transport info
Ulupamir is not served by public transport. To visit without your own car you need to hire a taxi in Erciş.
