Hindu Kush

The Hindu Kush encloses the upper Warduj valley south of Zebak in Badakhshan. Routes cross these high mountains towards the Bashgal valley and the lands of the southern slopes, while a lower pass near Zebak leads north to Ishkashim and the Panj. The ridges separate deep river valleys and carry snow above the inhabited country. Their passes have long offered travellers a way between the upper Oxus basin and the regions to the south.