PAMIR, pii-nn:T', or THE PAMIRS (Pers. Bunt i-daflyrI, Roof of the World). An elevated moun tain region in Central Asia, forming in greater part the southeastern corner of Russian Turkes tan, and bounded by Chinese or East Turkestan on the east and Bokhara and Afghanistan on the west, while on the south a narrow projection of Afghanistan separates it from the extreme north western part of British India (Map: Asia, 5). It stretches in either direction about 170 miles, and its area is estimated at 30000 square miles. Along its eastern boundary runs the short but lofty Sarikol Range. AVhiell is the nucleus from which the four great mountain systems of Central Asia radiate, the Hindu Kush toward the west, the Himalayas to the south east, the Kuen-lun to the east, and the Tian Shan to the northeast. The culminating point of the Sarikol is the Mu.tagh-ata, 25,790 feet (or 24.400 feet. according to most recent measure ments) above the sea. Westward the Sarikol send, out a number of parallel spurs or cross ranges di viding the country into level-floored valleys four or five miles broad. These valleys, which are known as Pamirs and form the characteristic feature of the country, lie from 10,000 to 14.000 feet above sea level. They differ in formation from the Tibetan Plateau, and seem to have been originally deep river-gorges Whiell have been filled with detritus from the mountain sides. They are watered by the headstreants of the Oxus, and contain a number of beautiful lake-. The climate is very severe, cold and stormy; the mountains are always, and the valleys for more than half of the year, covered with snow. The country is treeless, but the valley floors are cov ered with grass which yields rich pasture in sum mer. • Though there is a considerable population in the extreme western valleys. the population of Pamir proper, or Russian Pamir. is very sparse. consisting only of a few hundred nomadic Kirghiz seeking the pastures during summer.
The great plateau of Pamir was formerly re garded as the place of dispersion, if not of origin of the Aryan or lmbeEuropean peoples. Its ethnological importance is lessened by the fact that the best opinion among of Aryan prehistory to-day fixes the seat of this great branch of the white race in some part of Northern or Eastern Europe. The Pamirian region is. however, interesting from the fact that about it cluster Aryan peoples of a rather primitive sort. the remnants. in all probability. of the Aryan invasion of Asia and the represen tative, of a comparatively undeveloped Aryan character. Eastward of the Pamir was also the primitive home of the Chinese. while north of it lay the region of development of the Tatar or Turkic peoples. South of it various Aryan tribes have lived and wandered for ages. Here naturally, as languages, eustoms, and habits show. considerable intermingling of has taken place.
' Considerable interest has been centred around Pamir owing to its frontier position between Itu- ian and British possessions, and during the last three decades of the nineteenth century it probably more thoroughly explored than any other part of Central Asia. Great Britain de sired in 1891 to have the region portioned be tween Afghanistan and China, but in the same year Russia sent an official expedition into the country in order to substantiate its claims. In 1895 the boundaries were defined as outlined above by a treaty between Russia and Great Britain. Russia has established a fortified out post, Pamirsky Post, on the Murghab River. Consult: Bonvalot, Through the Heart of Asia (London, 18S9) ; Geiger. Die Pamirgebiete (Vienna, 1887) ; Dunmore. The Pamirs (London, (1893) : Cobbold, Innermost Asia (New York, 1900).