The road to the Pamirs starts in Osh!

The Pamir Highway begins in Osh! The Pamir Highway, one of the highest mountain routes in the world, is an extraordinary landmark and starts right here. It was laid along the old Silk Road caravan routes in 1894 by engineers of the Imperial Russian Army led by Mickiewicz, Burakovsky and Zarakovsky.

The Great Pamir, an enormous alpine valley also called the “Roof of the World,” has always caught the attention of empires and states seeking to conquer it and consolidate their regional power there. The Soviet Union was no exception.

The Soviet conquest of the Pamir Mountains symbolically began on November 7^th, 1933, when the first truck from Osh arrived in Khorog, in present-day Tajikistan. In 1987, to commemorate the event, the personnel of Osh military unit No. 3333 erected a monument complete with a real rare GAZ-AA truck, dedicated to the conquerors of the Pamirs.

In 2007, the historical exhibit was transferred to the Museum of the Armed Forces in Bishkek. Unfortunately, the original pedestal was destroyed at the same time. In 2012, the monument was completely restored, and the famous GAZ-AA truck was found in the possession of a veteran of the motor battalion (part of unit No. 3333).

In 1935, to service the new route, the Pamir Motor Transport Production Association was established with two motor depots in Osh and Khorog. In 1948, the capital improvement of the road was started. In 1960, a year-round road connection was established between the Alai Valley and Gorno-Badakhshan, and in 1984, almost the entire highway was covered with asphalt.

The Osh-Khorog highway was named the Eastern Pamir Highway. It is 701 kilometres in length and traverses three high-altitude passes: Taldyk (3,615 m), Kyzyl-Art (4,280 m) and Ak-Baital (4,655 m). On international road maps, the Pamir Highway is marked as part of the M41 highway. It is one of the most beautiful high-mountain highways in the world, accessible at any time of year.