Ishkashim

Ishkashim lies where the upper Panj makes its great bend northwards, between Wakhan and Shughnan. The mountains nearby contain Kuh-i Lal, source of the red stones long famed as the balas rubies of Badakhshan. These gems are actually spinels, but their rich colour made them prized far beyond the Pamirs.

Marco Polo's account of Badakhshan described its precious red stones alongside its lapis lazuli and silver. The mines and their district were valuable possessions for local rulers, whose authority extended along the narrow valleys of the upper Panj, and Ishkashim became a point of contention between the neighbouring mountain principalities of Wakhan and Shughnan. The valley also has its own Eastern Iranian language, Ishkashimi, related to others spoken in the Pamirs.