Myrto Papadopoulos

PERSONAL PROJECTS: THE NEW PLASTIC ROAD

THE NEW PLASTIC ROAD 

For centuries one of the world’s most isolated areas, the Pamir mountains of Tajikistan is currently being opened up to new economic development mainly via Chinese investment in the region’s rudimentary infrastructure. This project aims to chronicle how a traditional culture is being transformed. A wider socio-economic trend is reflected in the changes to the daily lives of those affected. 

500 km west from the border of China, the city of Khorog is the first primary point along the new silk road. This is the capital city of the mountainous Gorno-Badakshan Autonomous Province in Tajikistan, and at its heart: the Khorog city market. 

The range of products and goods available may seem typical to the western eye, but for a landlocked, post-Soviet country left to abjectly fend for itself after the fall of the USSR, this assortment of goods is a revelation. 

At 2200 meters above sea level in the Pamir Mountains, just north of Afghanistan, the Gorno Badahshan province in Tajikistan is appropriately referred to as the roof of the world. Tajikistan is one of the poorest countries on the globe yet there is now a sense of change here. The new silk road connecting Khorog to China has brought more than just commerce over the past decade. It has acted as a bloodline, pumping life into a country that has suffered geographical isolation for far too long. 

With a population of 28,000, the place has a small- town feel.  

Life in the Pamirs is very much defined by the weather. But even though the cold, wet winters often render the roads and trading routes impassable, the people of Khorog remain in high spirits. A nation with an average age of 22 years old can’t afford not to be optimistic. The Tajik youth are also keenly attuned to the new, forward-thinking vibe. They see the signs of it all around, whether it’s in the recent adoption of Western clothing styles or in the new city park. 

The older generations have been around long enough to remember the collapse of the Soviet Union and the ensuing Tajikistan Civil War in 1992 that left GBAO as an autonomous province . 

Without the security and work provided by the Soviets, Tajikistan was doomed to the dark recesses of poverty and geographical obscurity. Not a single sign of progress until 2004 when, 500 km east of Khorog, China opened its border for trade. 

Ten years later, new schools and universities are being erected in Khorog. Children now have opportunities their parents never had, parents who after facing so many harsh years, are finally able to turn their thoughts from poverty, to prosperity. All of their hopes are placed on the young generation, the future, and the road that is feeding it. 

 

  • Khorog, Tajikistan 2011-The city of Khorog, is the administrative center of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous oblast of the Republic of Tajikistan. It is located in the southwestern region of the oblast, some 2200m above sea level in the Pamir mountains. Here, two boys are swimming at a public swiming pool on the outskirts of the town.
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  • Murghab, Tajikistan 2011Most of the houses in Murghab are made out of manure.
  • Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan 2014In a local cafe, dinner is beeing served.
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  • Khorog, Tajikistan 2011-In the Central Park, the main stage has been placed for the presidents speech Emomali Rahmon.
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  • Khorog, Tajikistan 2011-Family portraits are hanged on the wall at a house outside of Khorog.
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  • Khorog, Tajikistan 2011-In the Central Park of the town. Chairs have been placed in the park for the speach of the President Emomali Rahmon.
  • Roshkala, Tajikistan October 2016Men enjoy the company and the food at a wedding. The wedding feast always involves friends and relatives. the celebration includes music,dancing and the recitation of poems.
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  • Khorog, Tajikistan 2011-In a local mini market in Khorog. Unlike the rest of Tajikistan, Badakhshan remains in geographical isolation from the capital Dushanbe, almost throughout the year due to snowfalls, landslides and flooding. Therefore food supplies are not enough.
  • On the Pamir mountains, Tajikistan 2011-At the Sagirdasht Pass towards Dushanbe, a woman is sleeping. The Sagirdasht Pass is one of the few stopovers for the locals on the way to the capital.
  • Khorog, Tajikistan 2011-Nightlife in a local bar in Khorog.
  • Khorog, Tajikistan 2011-In a local mini market in Khorog. Unlike the rest of Tajikistan, Badakhshan remains in geographical isolation from the capital Dushanbe, almost throughout the year due to snowfalls, landslides and flooding. Therefore food supplies are not enough.
  • On the way to Murgab, Tajikistan 2011-A Chinese truck driver on a stopover towards Murgab, having his dinner.
  • Khorog, Tajikistan 2011-Washing clothes. The city of Khorog, is experiencing an acute shortage of drinking water. At the beginning of January 2011, international consulting companies like AquaMundo GmbH of Germany and Seureca of France started carrying out a project to rehabilitate water supply systems in the Pamir region of Southern Tajikistan.
  • Roshkala region, Tajikistan 2011-Girl looking out the window.
  • Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan 2014View of the Afghanistan.The M41, known informally and more commonly as the Pamir Highway is a road traversing the Pamir Mountains through Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia. It is the only continuous route through the difficult terrain of the mountains and serves as the main supply route to Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region. The route has been in use for millennia, as there are a limited number of viable routes through the high Pamir Mountains. The road formed one link of the ancient Silk Road trade route.
  • Roshkala, Tajikistan, October 2016After coming home from school a young boy sits in a quiet moment in his living room.
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  • On the way to Murgab, Tajikistan 2011-Portrait of a woman washing inside a hamam.
  • Murghab, Tajikistan 2011-Inside a local billiards place in Murghab.
  • On the way to Murgab, Tajikistan 2011-A Chinese truck on a stopover towards Murghab. China’s new presence in Central Asia is in many ways more Silk Road revival than Great Game redux. Chinese analysts say one goal of Beijing is to economically integrate Central Asia with the restive western region of Xinjiang, breaking down trade barriers, even if the Central Asian governments are wary.
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  • Murghab, Tajikistan 2011-Badakhshan’s future development depends very much on a broader connection with Central Asia. In Murghab for example, district of Badakhshan, lying on an altitude of more than 3500 meters on the border between China and Tajikistan, this dependence is even stronger.
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  • Roshkala region, Tajikistan 2011-A woman putting to bed her young daughter. She is the wife of Davlat, a Tajik merchandiser who owns three shops and takes the Pamir highway every month to China to buy goods to sell them in the local market.
  • Roshkala region, Tajikistan 2011-A rich feast.
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  • Roshkala region, Tajikistan 2014A young boy sitting on the ground. His father, Davlat is one of the main merchants in the city of Khorog that delivers and brings goods from China. He has made a prosperous life for him and his family.
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