STEVE RAZZETTI MOUNTAIN PHOTOGRAPHY AND JOURNALISM

HINDU KUSH

"The Hindu Kush is a wild, desolate, little known country, a country of great peaks and deep valleys, of precipitous gorges and rushing grey-green rivers; a barren beautiful country of intense sunlight, clear sparkling air and wonderful colouring as the shadows lengthen and the peaks and rocks above turn gold and pink and mauve in the light of the setting sun"

- W.K. Frazer-Tytler (former British minister in Afghanistan), 1950

I would like to thank Siraj and Maqsood ul-Mulk of Chitral, all the staff at Hindu Kush Trails, and Haider Ali Shah at the Chitral Mountain Inn for all the help and kindness they have shown to me over ten years of wandering in their domains. Asalaam aliekum!

Taken during the Jhoshi spring festival at the village of Rumbur, Kalash Valleys, Chitral, NWFP, PakistanBronica ETRSi, 75mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Taken during the Jhoshi spring festival at Rumbur village, Kalash Valleys, Chitral, NWFP, PakistanBronica ETRSi, 75mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Taken during the Jhoshi spring festival at Rumbur village, Kalash Valleys, Chitral, NWFP, PakistanBronica ETRSi, 75mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
Being the part of the Hindu Raj range between the village of Darkot and the Ishkoman valley in Pakistan's remote North West Frontier Province. This shot taken in afternoon light from below the Darkot Pass.Canon EOS 500, 80mm, Fuji Velvia
  
In winter, there is a servicable jeep-road up the Yarkun to Lasht and beyond. In summer, the river has other ideas!NWFP, PakistanBronica ETRSi, 50mm, Fuji Velvia
   
A young boy goes to work in the fields. Yarkhun is famed for both the quantity and quality of its crop.NWFP, PakistanBronica ETRSi, 50mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
Evening light on Thui II and Koyozom from a high point above the confluence of the Chatteboi glacier and the Yarkhun valley. Chitral, NWFP, PakistanBronica ETRSi, 50mm, Fuji Velvia
   
The old cantilever bridge over the Yarkun river at Vidinkot in upper Chitral. In the background, the snout of the Chatteboi glacier juts out into the main valley, almost blocking it at this point. Immediately east of here the valley enters the region known as Boroghil, and to the north - not 15km from here - lies the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
On the trail heading east from Qui Quldi up to the Karambar An (pass), which forms the border between Chitral and Ishkoman. The Afghan border is less than 10km north of here.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
Porters on the final approach to the glaciated Darkot Pass (4575m) in Pakistan's Hindu KushCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Descending east from the Chilinji An (5291m), the pass dividing the district of Ishkoman from the head of the Chapursan valley in neighbouring HunzaCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Afghan Tajiks from the Wakhan at Baba Ghundi Ziarat in the Chapursan valley, Hunza. During the Taliban era these supporters of the martyred Ahmed Shah Massoud were obliged to make the perilous journey over the mountains to Pakistan in order to purchase essential supplies. These were paid for with the proceeds from the sale of yaks, and brought up to this impossibly remote impromptu trading station by jeep from the Karakoram Highway at SostBronica ETRS, 75mm, Fuji Provia 100(scanned from print)
     
  
This ancient shrine to an Ishmail saint lies at the head of the Chapursan valley in northern Hunza, and lies close to the base of several passes which are important trading routes north into AfghanistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Babu - on the left - is one of Chitral's most respected and experienced mountain guides, and Mirza Rafi was - until his death in 1996 - an Afghan Tajik and the Sarhadat or head-man of the Boroghil region.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
An Afghan Tajik from the Wakhan on a trading trip to Baba Ghundi Ziarat in Pakistan's remote Chapursan valley.Bronica ETRS, 75mm, Fuji Provia 100(scanned from print)
     
  
A view west from Boroghil into the upper Yarkhun (Chitral) river valley. To the south are Koyozom (6871m) and Thui II (6523m) in the Hindu Raj. From this point, to the acute consternation of those involved in the Great Game, it was found that an easy route - the Boroghil Pass - led into the Wakhan and onwards to what was then Russian territory.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Koyozom, 6871m, from the Yarkhun side of the Boroghil Pass. NWFP, PakistanBronica ETRSi, 150mm, Fuji Velvia
   
A man taking a break from the back-breaking work of threshing wheat in the marginal fields here at circa 3500mCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
Officers of the Chitral Scouts on the Pakistan side of this legendary crossing into the Wakhan or Ab-i-Panj in AfghanistanBronica ETRSi, 50mm, Fuji Velvia
   
The Boroghil River (headwaters of the Yarkhun) at IshkarwarzCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
  
Chitrali mountain guide Babu Mohammed with friends from the village of Lasht in the Yarkhun valley, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
During the afternoon spate in midsummer, at the point where it emerges from beneath the ice of the Chilinji East glacierCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Mountains in the Chapursan Valley at Buattar, bathed in late evening sunlight.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
At Zhud Khun, the highest village in the valley.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
Looking east into the head of the Chapursan valley from the snout of the Chillinji East glacier above Buattar. Northern Hunza, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Climbing east away from Vidinkot and the snout of the Chatteboi glacier, with the Yarkhun river flowing by below.Chitral, NWFP, Pakistan
   
A high camp at circa 4800m beneath the western side of this pass, which separates Ishkoman and Hunza in northern Pakistan.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
A Tajik from the Wakhan in Afghanistan. His homeland is the place where the fabled Ab-i-Panj or Oxus river flows out of the Pamir mountains of Tajikistan. The local name for this region is Bam-i-Dunya - the roof of the world. He has come with yaks to sell in order that he may buy Chinese goods from the bazaar in the village of Sost on the Karakoram Highway. This artery of commerce, opened in 1978, has proved a lifeline for this remote and previously isolated region.Bronica ETRS, 75mm, Fuji Provia(scanned from print)
   
Fording the source of this icy torrent at the height of the afternoon spate, when the fierce heat of the sun melts the glacial ice at a phenomenal rate.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Emerging from the bitterly cold morning shade on the western side of the pass into the sun at the col. This difficult and incredibly remote crossing links the Ishkoman valley with Chapursan in northern Hunza, Pakistan.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
A view west from the high camp on the Chilinji Pass Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
A telephoto of the summits of Pt 6177 and Garmush (6244m) looking west from the Chillinji AnCanon EOS 500, 80mm, Fuji Velvia
   
A view south up the Darkot glacier to the Darkot Pass from a high camp above Chikar. This route links the upper Yarkhun (Chitral) with Yassin.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
This awesome, if diminutive by local standards, peak stands sentinel over te village of Darkot in the Hindu Kush. Seen here from just below the Darkot Pass on the south side.Canon EOS 500, 80mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Pausing for breath / photos on the wide crest of this 4575m pass in the Hindu Kush
   
Dost, who's name translates as "friend" from the Chitrali (Khowar) language, has been with me on three of my five visits to Boroghil in the Hindu Kush. Here he warms himself by a fire in the upper reaches of Boroghil below the Karumbar An.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
A view back west into Chitral from this beautiful and desolate placeCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Jam Dost is a porter from the village of Lasht in the Yarkhun valley (upper Chitral). His name translates as "Good Friend", and he is wearing a pair of the spectacular socks knitted by the women of Boroghil for their menfolk.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Crossing the swollen Arkari river via a dodgy bridge en route to Gazikhistan and Tirich Mir (7708m). Though most of the Hindu Kush lie within Afghanistan, the highest peaks are in Pakistan, and Tirich Mir is the highest of all.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
Kalam is the name given to the Swat valley above the village of Kalam. At the head of this unbelievably beautiful and idyllic vale lies thedifficult 4766m Kachikani An and the way to Sor Laspur in ChitralCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Stopping for a tea break on the way up to this 4300m pass between Chitral and Ishkoman in Pakistan;s NWFPCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
A shepherd girl at a summer grazing settlement west of the Karambar Pass in ChitralCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
Shearing sheep in meadows just below the Karambar Pass on the Chitral (west) side.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Women milking their goats at summer pastures just below the Karambar Pass on the Chitral (west) side.Canon EOS 500, 80mm, Fuji Velvia
   
The Karambar Pass (4300m) marks the boundary between the districts of Chitral and Ishkoman in Pakistan's NWFP. Immediately beyond the mountains on the left of this picture lies the Wakhan Corridor or Ab-i-Panj (Oxus) valley in Afghanistan.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
A view back into Chitral and Boroghil, with the peaks of the Hindu Raj on the skyline.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
A view looking east over the Karambar Pass (4300m) into Ishkoman, with the mountains forming the border with Afghanistan beyond the lake. NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Porters setting off from the Karambar Pass for the descent into Ishkoman, with the peaks of the Hindu Raj on the distant horizon.NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
This is the highest permanent settlement in the Yarkhun valley. The peak towering over the valley is Koyozom ( 6871m), part of the Hindu Raj.NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Wheat ripens under the late summer sun at the highest village in the Yarkhun valley, Chitral. Koyozom (6871m) towers above.NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Seen from the Yarkhun valley above Kishmanja in Chitral.NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
The north face, seen from a ridge above the high-camp on the Chillinji An. This peak lies at the head of the Chillinji glacier.NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 80mm, Fuji Velvia
   
The north face, seen from above the high camp on the Chillinji An. Out of sight in the valley below is the Chillinji glacier.NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Before the coming of the jeep - track into this valley, this was the rather exhilarating way one crossed the river here. There is now a more substantial and modern suspension bridge nearby, and this old cantilever bridge will soon vanish.Chitral, NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
In the Yarkhun valley, ChitralNWFP, PakistanBronica ETRSi, 50mm, Fuji Velvia
   
NWFP, PakistanBronica ETRSi, 50mm, Fuji Velvia
   
A Wakhi from the village of Lasht in the Yarkhun valley. The people of upper Chitral - Yarkhun and Boroghil - are Wakhis. Taking their name from their ancestral homeland (the Wakhan, in Afghanistan), they speak the Wakhi language and are Ishmaili Moslems (followers of the Agha Khan).NWFP, Pakistan.Bronica ETRSi, 75mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
A Wakhi from the village of Lasht in the Yarkhun valley. The people of upper Chitral - Yarkhun and Boroghil - are Wakhis. Taking their name from their ancestral homeland (the Wakhan, in Afghanistan), they speak the Wakhi language and are Ishmaili Moslems (followers of the Agha Khan).NWFP, Pakistan.Canon EOS 500, 50mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Travelling from the Karumbar pass to Chilinji in the upper Ishkoman, this glacier has to be crossed.Bronica ETRSi, 75mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Men from Lasht village at Ishkarwarz in Boroghil.NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
One of Mirza Rafi's men at Qui Quildi, Boroghil. This summer settlement lies at the western side of the Karumbar pass.NWFP, PakistanBronica ETRSi, 75mm, Fuji Velvia
   
A view down valley (west) from Lasht village.NWFP, Pakistan.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
The proprietor of a general goods shop in Mastuj village. Beyond this village the Chitral / Mastuj valley is known as the Yarkhun.NWFP, Pakistan.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
Murad hails from Ishkoman and is one of Hindu Kush Trails' most experienced and accomplished mountain guides. Hindu Kush Trails is the trekking agency run by the ul-Mulks, the royal family of Chitral.NWFP, Pakistan.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
This was the sign that greeted visitors to Yarkhun when we arrived on our first visit in 1991. Due to its proximity to the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan, and the easy nature of the mountain passes from Chitral into that long troubled land, the entire area was closed to foreigners for many decades. We were the first foreigners to reach Boroghil since Wilfred Thesiger in 1953.Olympus AF Twin, 70mm, Fuji RDP
   
From the the village of Sor Rich at the head of the Turikho valley in Chitral, this rather thin trail leads over the Shah Jinali Pass (4259m) into the Yarkhun.NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 80mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
Qui Quldi is a grazing settlement in the Boroghil region, beneath the western approach to the Karambar An.NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 80mm, Fuji Velvia
   
A Wakhi from Boroghil at this summer grazing settlement benaeth the Karambar An.NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 50mm, Fuji Velvia
   
A splash of colour amidst the arid rocks of Qui Quldi.NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 80mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
A view over this summer pasture from a ridge above, with the valley leading off east towards the Karambar An exiting the centre-left of the picture.Chitral, NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
A view east from Boroghil, with the snout of the Chiantar glacier visible in the centre of the picture.Chitral, NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
One of several turquoise glacial pools passed en route from Boroghil to Qui Quldi.Chitral, NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
Two yak-herders sporting the latest eyewear for the Hindu Kush sun.Chitral, NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Trekkers on the climb to the Shah Jinali Pass (4259m). The peaks in the background are in Afghanistan.Chitral, NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 80mm, Fuji Velvia
   
A view north to Qala-i-Ust from this grazing ground in the Shah Jinali Gol. These mountains form the border with Afghanistan.Chitral, NWFP, Pakistan.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
Sunset light on the peaks forming the border with Afghanistan north of Shuinj in the Karambar valley in Ishkoman.NWFP, Pakistan.Canon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Crossing this 4259m pass between the Turikho and Yarkhun valleys in Chitral.NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28mm, Fuji Velvia
   
A man with his AK47 boards local jeep transport in the Swat Valley, Hindu Kush range, NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28-80mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
In the Kalam valley, Swat, NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28-80mm, Fuji Velvia
   
This river drains the Hindu Kush south of the Kachikani Pass in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP)Canon EOS 500, 28-80mm, Fuji Velvia
   
In the Kalam Valley, Swat, NWFP, PakistanCanon EOS 500, 28-80mm, Fuji Velvia
     
  
A view towards the Kachikani PassCanon EOS 500, 28-80mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Descending north into Chitral across this spectacular passCanon EOS 500, 28-80mm, Fuji Velvia
   
Girls from this village beneath Tirich Mir in ChitralNWFP, PakistanBronica ETRSi, 75mm, Fuji Velvia