Bozai Gumbaz or Baza'i Gonbad ( fa, بزای گمبز, translation=domes of the elders) is the site of a domed tomb (or

gonbad In traditional Persian architecture, a dome is referred to as a gonbad ( fa, گنبد). A gonbad is often double layered, and can have many shapes, such as semi-spherical, partial spherical, onion shaped, paraboloid, polygonal conical, and c ...

) and nearby settlement of Kyrgyz and Wakhi herders in the

Wakhan District Wakhan District is one of the 28 districts of Badakhshan Province in eastern Afghanistan. The district has a border with neighboring Tajikistan in the north, Xinjiang in China to the east, and Pakistan to the south (specifically Gilgit-Baltista ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. It lies in the

Little Pamir The Little Pamir ( Wakhi: ''Wuch Pamir''; Kyrgyz: ''Kichik Pamir''; fa, rtl=yes, پامیر خرد, translit=Pāmīr-e Khord) is a broad U-shaped grassy valley or ''pamir'' in the eastern part of the Wakhan in north-eastern Afghanistan. The vall ...

on the right bank of the Bozai River, near where it joins Wakhjir River to become the

Wakhan River Wakhan River ( prs, اب واخان; ps, واخان سیند); known locally as ''Ab-i-Wakhan'' or ''Abe Vâxân'', ''Вахондарё'' and ''Vaxondaryo'') is the name of the Sarhadd branch of the Panj River along its upper length in the Wak ...

, There is no evidence to indicate that the local Pamir Mountains had ever earlier supported permanent settlements. While debris of mud buildings and similar constructions can occasionally be found, they are generally seen as only indicating relatively recent occupation and have little if any evidence of a permanent character. The shrines and tombs scattered throughout the area are all of a comparatively recent character. There are also the remains of a small

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

can be found near this location. It is said to have been built by Bozai, a Kyrgyz chief. Baza'i Gonbad was the scene of a minor incident during

the Great Game The Great Game is the name for a set of political, diplomatic and military confrontations that occurred through most of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century – involving the rivalry of the British Empire and the Russian Empi ...

. In 1891 the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

ns sent a small military force to the area. The British Captain

Francis Younghusband Lieutenant Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband, (31 May 1863 – 31 July 1942) was a British Army officer, explorer, and spiritual writer. He is remembered for his travels in the Far East and Central Asia; especially the 1904 British ...

, in the course of his Pamir expedition, encountered the Russians at Baza'i Gonbad, and the Russians ordered him out of the area. The Russians subsequently apologised for the incident.

Climate

Baza'i Gonbad is at extreme altitude, experiencing an alpine tundra climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''ET''), bordering on a subarctic climate (''Dfc'') that close to a

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...

-influenced subarctic climate (''Dwc''). The average annual temperature is resulting in long, very cold winters and brief, cool summers.

References

External links

Satellite map at Maplandia.com
Populated places in Wakhan District Wakhan {{Badakhshan-geo-stub