The Nicholas Range (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: سلسله کوه نیکلاس), known locally as Selselehi-i Koh-i-Wakhan (سلسله کوه واخان) is a range of mountains in the

Pamir Mountains The Pamir Mountains are a mountain range between Central Asia and Pakistan. It is located at a junction with other notable mountains, namely the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, Hindu Kush and the Himalaya mountain ranges. They are among the world ...

on the border of

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 ...

and

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

that crosses the

Wakhan Wakhan, or "the Wakhan" (also spelt Vakhan; Persian and ps, واخان, ''Vâxân'' and ''Wāxān'' respectively; tg, Вахон, ''Vaxon''), is a rugged, mountainous part of the Pamir, Hindu Kush and Karakoram regions of Afghanistan. Wakhan ...

in Afghanistan.

Ludwig W. Adamec Ludwig W. Adamec (10 March 1924 – 1 January 2019) was a noted scholar on the Middle East and Afghanistan. He was a professor emeritus in the School of Middle East and North African Studies at the University of Arizona.

. Historical and political gazetteer of Afghanistan Vol. 1. Badakhshan Province and northeastern Afghanistan.

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

: Akad. Druck- und Verl.-Anst., 1972.p. 128.Wakhan Afghanistan and Tajikistan
/ref> The range separates the

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

and

Great Pamir The Great Pamir or Big Pamir ( Wakhi: ''Past Pamir''; Kyrgyz: ''Chong Pamir''; fa, پامیر کلان, translit=Pāmīr-e Kalān) is a broad U-shaped grassy valley or '' pamir'' in the eastern part of the Wakhan in north-eastern Afghanistan and ...

in the Wakhan. The area is sparsely populated by Wakhi and

Kyrgyz Kyrgyz, Kirghiz or Kyrgyzstani may refer to: * Someone or something related to Kyrgyzstan *Kyrgyz people *Kyrgyz national games *Kyrgyz language *Kyrgyz culture *Kyrgyz cuisine *Yenisei Kirghiz *The Fuyü Gïrgïs language in Northeastern China ...

. The range has peaks that rise 5500 to 5800 metres (18,000 to 19,000 ft) elevation. The range is about in length. The Afghan-Tajik border follows the crest of the eastern half of the range. The range was given the title ''Nicholas Range'' during the joint

Russo Russo may refer to: *Russo (surname) * Russo (footballer, 1915–1980), full name Adolpho Milman, Brazilian football forward and manager * Russo (footballer, born 1976), full name Ricardo Soares Florêncio, Brazilian football defender *Russo brothe ...

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Pamir Boundary Commission of 1895 that delineated the border between

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n and Afghan territory. In exchange for a British agreement to use the term ''Nicholas Range,'' in honour of Emperor

Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...

, on official maps, the Russians agreed to refer to

Lake Zorkul Zorkul ( ps, زارکول; tg, Зоркӯл, Zārkul) is a lake in the Pamir Mountains that runs along the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Geography Lake Zorkul extends east to west for about 25 km. The Afghanistan–Tajikist ...

as ''Lake Victoria'' in honor of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

of the United Kingdom. Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Kashmir, Chitral, Gilgit, Pamirs and North-West Frontier: Summary of Diary for August 1895. p. 4. Public Record Office. Russia.Proceedings in Central Asia 1873-1898. F.O. 65/1507. "Enclosure No. 8. No. 179, dated Lake Victoria, the 28th July 1895 (Confidential). From Major-General M. G. Gerard, C. B. To the Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department." Record Office. Russia. Proceedings in Central Asia 1873-1898. PRO/FO 65/1506. pp. 336-337.

References

{{coord, 37.1500, N, 73.2100, E, source:wikidata, display=title Mountain ranges of Afghanistan Mountain ranges of Tajikistan Afghanistan–Tajikistan border Pamir Mountains Wakhan

Further reading

References