10 am, in the Wakhan Valley, Ishkashim
The border guard adjusted the gun slung across his back and reached out to take our passports.
“Do you speak Russian?” he asked.
“Yes, a little”
“We’ll keep your passports with us here, and you can pick them up when you return to Tajikistan.”
We handed over our passports and crossed a bridge into a strip of no-man’s-land in the Wakhan Valley, between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
Wait, do I need to rewind here? I mean, in case you’re wondering what I was doing crossing the Tajik border towards Afghanistan.
The truth is, I’ve wanted to travel to Afghanistan for a long time. Maybe it seems like a dumb thing to do, but the region bordering Tajikistan is very peaceful now, and really, my travels have taught me that it’s often the places I’m most intimidated by that are most important for me to visit. Because there’s no more effective way to humanize a “scary” place than to, well, meet its humans.
Now, this wasn’t the trip where I would actually travel to Afghanistan, but I did sort of make it there.
Because as most tourists who have visited Khorog in Tajikistan will know, there’s another town not too far away in the Wakhan Valley that holds a weekly market to exchange goods with people from Afghanistan. The Afghan border market is just that – a market held right on the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan (so technically in neither country). And that’s where Danielle, Sasha, and I were headed!
The Wakhan Valley (or Wakhan Corridor)
The Afghan border market, held on Saturdays between the two borders on the Afghan side of the Panj River, is held outside of Ishkashim, and getting there took us on a drive from Khorog into the Wakhan Valley.
The Wakhan Valley (also called the Wakhan Corridor) slices a border between the mountains of Tajikistan and Afghanistan, and as soon as we arrived in Central Asia we couldn’t stop hearing other backpackers raving about its breathtaking beauty. So yeah, border market or no border market, I didn’t want to miss a trip into this beautiful place.
The drive down through the valley to Ishkashim did not disappoint. I mean, driving down the Pamir Highway earlier on our trip had already made me fall hard for Tajikistan, but the Wakhan Valley took that love to a whole new level.
When we got to Ishkashim we wandered through town asking (in Russian) for a place to stay, and quickly we were pointed in the direction of a home offering home stays. Seriously, I love how easy it is to find home stays in Tajikistan – we never have to plan accommodation in advance here!
And the next morning we caught a ride to the border crossing three kilometers (two miles) out of Ishkashim.
Visiting the Afghan Border Market in Ishkashim
The border market is a way for people from Tajikistan and Afghanistan to get together to buy and sell their goods, most of which consist of cheap clothing and household items from China. Most of the selling was done by the Afghans, while the Tajiks were mostly there to buy stuff.
I’m sure the people of Japan would be less than pleased to see where their high energy biscuits ended up.
Having grown up immersed in American media, Afghanistan doesn’t exactly ring pleasant bells in our minds. Fine, I’ll be honest, we were all a little bit nervous to venture onto the Afghan border. I guess our prejudices were clear as Sasha nervously pointed out a rope tied around a man’s waist, and then again when, without really thinking, we all blurted out “Canada” when asked where we were from.
But after an hour or so of wandering through the stalls and chatting with merchants we began to realize that actually, these people were incredibly kind and found no problems with our being American. They happily posed for our photos (snapping pics of us on their phones in return) and crowded around to help us haggle for some Afghan trinkets (top secret Christmas presents!). And then somehow we ended up talking with a couple of guys about Justin Bieber? I guess some cultural references are universal these days.
It’s a lesson I’ve learned again and again on my travels – when you get to know people on a personal level it tends to turn out that, however different our cultural backgrounds might be, we’re all pretty much the same. It shouldn’t have taken a trip to the Afghanistan border to figure this out, but yes, it’s the same there too!
All in all, the Afghan border market in Ishkashim was a great experience. We left with heavier bags and deeper sunburns (at least I did – thanks, Scandinavian heritage!), wishing that the visa to Afghanistan didn’t cost a hefty $200 for US citizens. Afghanistan is definitely on our travel bucket list for the future!
The Afghan border market in Ishkashim is held on Saturdays from 9 am to 3 pm, though they were still setting up when we arrived at 10 am.
The Afghan border market has been closed a lot in the past due to conflicts and illness outbreaks, so be sure to check if it’s running in Ishkashim before going.
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Miriam of Adventurous Miriam says
Silvia, that is so cool that you’ve been to Afghanistan. Like you said, it doesn’t have the nicest reputation, but I’m glad to see it portrayed from a positive angle. You could have this story published in a magazine or as a column; I’m sure people (including editors) would find it very interesting!
Silvia says
Ahh what a flashback looking at this post again is! I never thought about pitching a story about the Afghan border market, but maybe I should! Though admittedly I’m pretty awful at stuff like that – it’s easier just to blog, haha.
Marias reiser says
Wow, so exciting! I wish I was brave enough to go there.. Maybe in the future 🙂
Silvia says
I want to go back and properly explore Afghanistan so badly! I was actually planning on going there in the spring, but the situation doesn’t look great and my boyfriend was going to have problems getting a visa, so I will have to save Afghanistan for some other day!
Manoochehr says
Thanks for such nice words 🙂 Afghanistan is the most adventure place that i have been. specially Bamyan – the mystery of Mountains and statues, the great tale and history of Gholghola and Zohak city. everyone will come to rapture while visiting Bamyan.
Silvia says
Oh I would love to see more of Afghanistan, you make me want to go back!
Nigel says
You definitely managed to get some great photos! Can’t believe a VISA cost $200?!?
Grace says
I’m really enjoying your blog! It’s so interesting to learn about these non-traditional travel destinations – I’ve definitely added some of these to the list of places I want to go. Great pictures too 🙂
Silvia says
So glad you’re getting some inspiration here 🙂
Marie says
I just discovered your blog today and I am already in love with it. I am so thrilled to read about your adventures to the Stans and Iran, and even more thrilled that you are half Norwegian (I’m Norwegian)! I’ve just spent my last year in China, where I have met so many people from Central Asia, and it’s made me realise how much the media influence us, and that things aren’t exactly as the media present it. My dorm neighbour from Iran is the most hospitable person I have met, and so are my classmates from Tajikistan and Afghanistan. I really want to travel to these countries now!
I hope you have a good weekend and that you enjoy Norway! Meanwhile I’ll continue to explore your blog 🙂
Silvia says
Oh you sweetheart, your comment positively made my day! Central Asia is still my favorite backpacking destination – in fact I was just talking to my friend Danielle about how we both miss Central Asia so much! Though I am loving this beautiful Norwegian summer. Where in Norway are you from??
Marie says
I need to save up and go backpacking!
I’m from Kristiansund, Møre og Romsdal! Where in Norway are you staying?
Silvia says
You do! I’m staying at my grandmother’s in Bø i Telemark now, but later this week I’ll be moving to Trondheim, eee! You’re so lucky to be from Kristiansund though – I’m surprised you ever left 🙂
Jonny Blair says
Hi Silvia, great article and blog here. Glad you’re out seeing the world and heading to more unusual places like this. I’d love to go to Afghanistan and Tajikistan sometime too. Safe travels. Jonny
Silvia says
Tajikistan is one of my favorite countries ever – you should definitely go someday!
Miranda of The Common Wanderer says
Whoa, incredible portraits! They’re just gorgeous. Massive kudos for travelling to regions like this. I’ve heard Afghanistan is meant to be absolutely mind-bogglingly beautiful… Maybe we’ll work up the courage one day!
Silvia says
I definitely want to go back and see more of Afghanistan – it’s truly stunning!
Annie says
I’ve been totally sucked into your blog for the past two days! The portraits you’ve taken are fantastic, and really give an eye into the cultures you’ve experienced. I’m far too shy to take such bold photographs of strangers, especially without the language skills to explain. Kudos to you!
Silvia says
I only have the courage to take photos like this when people are really interested in my camera and ask for photos, but I’m trying to get better! It’s a tough one, haha.
Ray says
That’s hilarious that you ended up talking about Justin Bieber after telling some of the Afghan men that you were Canadian! Before Bieber made it onto the world stage, us Canadians had to apologize for Nickelback. In fact, it was an ice breaker that my buddy and I used in Belize when discussing Canadian music with some of the locals we met on our trip years ago.
Silvia says
Haha that’s amazing. So funny what cultural references are universal.
sashidhar says
hey hi, So I and one more friend of mine are doing this elaborate trip across Tajikistan. Is there a way I can confirm that this market is still alive? Some people are saying that they closed long back. Thanks a lot!
Gaz says
Thanks for sharing. Good to see another MA native on the road!
Abdul says
Great blog post and nice experience in Afghanistan. I’ve been to Afghanistan many times.
Ingrid says
Great reading. I will be moving to Tajikistan for work next month. Have zero experience from the region, but generally used to moving around.
Any tips? I guess I am in particular interested in particular customs and norms that vary from other places. Very afraid to be rude and offensive without noticing, as I am Norwegian (we just can’t help it…).
Will definitely follow your posts about settling down in Norway, as I am struggling with the same question myself. (Have lived abroad for five years, always kind of hoping that I will want to move back to Norway at some point, but the longer I am gone, the less I like returning each time).
All the best
Ingrid
Silvia says
Actually I found a lot of similarities between Norwegians and Tajiks, so I think you’ll be fine! People there are very warm once you start speaking to them and I think they’re quite understanding towards foreigners, so it’s not a big deal if you accidentally do something offensive. Good luck!
Own Abbas says
Hey, its really surprising to see people still love Afghanistan. Thank you so much for spreading positivity.
Mohammed Abdullah says
Crazy “liberated” European women going to these places are asking to be raped and probably murdered afterwards. The world isn’t a safe place and all people are not the same. Men in Muslim countries think European women are all sluts and are fair game. Don’t say that you haven’t been warned.