Qila-e Panjeh

Qila-e Panjeh stands in the high valley of Wakhan, near the meeting of the Pamir and Wakhan rivers. From their confluence the river continues west as the Panj, one of the great headwaters of the Amu Darya. The settlement lies amid a landscape of narrow river terraces and towering mountains, at the western edge of the great Pamir highlands.

A dynasty founded by Shah Khudadad in the late sixteenth century made Qila-e Panjeh on the left bank of the Panj its seat. Its rulers held sway, with interruptions, over a group of mountain districts including Shughnan, Rushan, Wakhan and Ishkashim. The scattered valleys were connected by the Panj and its tributaries, though the high ranges between them made each district a distinct mountain country.