Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County
Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County is an autonomous county of Kashgar Prefecture, in western Xinjiang, China. The county seat is Tashkurgan. The county is the only Tajik (Pamiri) autonomous county in China.
History
During the Han dynasty, the town of Tashkurgan was known as Puli ; during the Tang dynasty, it was a protectorate of the Sassanids, during the Yuan dynasty it was part of the Chaghatai empire. It was part of China during the Qing dynasty.Many centuries later, Tashkurgan became the capital of the Sarikol kingdom, a kingdom of the Pamir Mountains, and later of Qiepantuo under the Persian Empire. At the northeast corner of the town is a huge fortress known as the Princess Castle dating from the Yuan dynasty and the subject of many colourful local legends. A ruined fire temple is near the fortress.
The region came under Chinese rule from Qing dynasty, to the Republic of China and later on to the People's Republic of China.
On September 17, 1954, Tashkurgan was made an autonomous region. In February 1955, it was made an autonomous county.
In 1955, Bulungkol was transferred to Akto County from Tashkurgan County.
In August 2013, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences announced that they excavated a cluster of Zoroastrian tombs in Tashkurgan.
In May 2017, the county was hit with a magnitude 5.5 earthquake that killed eight and injured 29.
Geography
Tashkurgan County is located in the eastern part of the Pamir Plateau, where the Kunlun, Karakoram, Hindukush and Tian Shan mountains come together, at the borders with Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and India. The county seat is Tashkurgan Town.The territorial expanse of the county is from north to south and from east to west, the total area is about, with an average altitude above. The county includes a significant part of the Trans-Karakoram Tract, disputed by India and Pakistan in the ongoing Kashmir conflict; while Pakistan and China settled the border issue in 1963, India continues to claim it as part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Muztagh Ata, at, and the Kongur Tagh, at, are the main peaks in the county, while the two main rivers are the Tashkurgan River and the Tiznap River. By including the Trans-Karakoram Tract, the county also borders several eight-thousanders, including K2, at the second-highest mountain in the world.
The area has a sizable amount of mineral water, glacial water, and hot springs. The county has 23 glacial water springs, with an annual output of.
Climate
Tashkurgan has a cold desert climate, influenced by the high elevation, with long, very cold winters, and warm summers. Monthly daily average temperatures range from in January to in July, while the annual mean is. An average of only of precipitation falls per year.Administrative divisions
The county administers 2 towns, 9 townships and 1 ethnic township, which then administer 50 village-level divisions.| Name | Sarikoli | Sarikoli | Uyghur | Uyghur | Uyghur | Chinese | Pinyin |
| Tashkurgan Town | تاشقۈرغان بۇزۇر | تاشقۇرغان بازىرى | Ташқурған базири | Taxⱪurƣan baziri | 塔什库尔干镇 | Tǎshíkù'ěrgān Zhèn | |
| تۇجىك ئاباد بۇزۇر | tud͡ʑikɔbɔd buzur | تاجىك ئابات بازىرى | Таҗик Абaт базири | Tajik Abat baziri | 塔吉克阿巴提镇 | Tǎjíkè Ābātí Zhèn | |
| تاشقۈرغان دىيۇر | تاشقۇرغان يېزىسى | Ташқурған йәзиси | Taxⱪurƣan yezisi | 塔什库尔干乡 | Tǎshíkù'ěrgān Xiāng | ||
| تەغەرمى دىيۇر | تاغارما يېزىسى | Тағарма йәзиси | Taƣarma yezisi | 塔合曼乡 | Tǎhémàn Xiāng | ||
| تىزنېف دىيۇر | تىزناپ يېزىسى | Тизнап йәзиси | Tiznap yezisi | 提孜那甫乡 | Tízīnàfǔ Xiāng | ||
| Dafdar Township | ذەۋذار دىيۇر | دەفتەر يېزىسى | Дәфтәр йәзиси | Defter yezisi | 达布达尔乡 | Dábùdá'ěr Xiāng | |
| ۋەچە دىيۇر | ۋەچە يېزىسى | Вәчә йәзиси | Weqe yezisi | 瓦恰乡 | Wǎqià Xiāng | ||
| بەلدىر دىيۇر | بەلدىر يېزىسى | Балдир йәзиси | Baldir yezisi | 班迪尔乡 | Bāndí'ěr Xiāng | ||
| مەرياڭ دىيۇر | مارياڭ يېزىسى | Маряң йәзиси | Maryang yezisi | 马尔洋乡 | Mǎ'ěryáng Xiāng | ||
| تۈڭ دىيۇر | داتۇڭ يېزىسى | Датуң йәзиси | Datung yezisi | 大同乡 | Dàtóng Xiāng | ||
| قۇغۇشلۇغ دىيۇر | قوغۇشلۇق يېزىسى | Қоғухлуқ йәзиси | Ⱪoƣuxluⱪ yezisi | 库科西鲁格乡 | Kùkēxīlǔgé Xiāng | ||
| 1 | کاکيەر قىرغىز مىلى دىيۇر | كۆكيار قىرغىز مىللىي يېزىسى | Көкяр Қирғиз миллий йәзиси | Kɵkyar Ⱪirƣiz milliy yezisi | 科克亚尔柯尔克孜族乡 | Kēkèyà'ěr Kē'ěrkèzīzú xiāng |
- Mazar sheep breeding farm
- Buhoi Jirap farm )
- Dairy farm
- Bazadax forest farm
Demographics
As of 2018, Tashkurgan County had a population of 40,999, up slightly from the 40,381 reported in 2015, and the 37,843 counted in the 2010 Chinese census.Ethnic composition
Tajiks make up a overwhelming majority of the county's population, with recent figures indicating they make up somewhere from 80.9% of the population, to 82.24%. Other prominent ethnic groups include the Han Chinese, the Kyrgyz, and Uyghurs.In 1999, 6.28% of the population of Tashkurgan County was Han Chinese and 5.08% of the population was Uyghur.
In 1995, the total population of Tashkurgan was 27,800, among them 84% Tajiks of Xinjiang, who speak the Sarikoli language, 4% Han and 12% other nationalities.
Economy
Animal husbandry is the primary economic mode with agriculture. The well-known Dunbashi fat-tailed sheep are raised in the county as well as domestic yaks. Agricultural products include highland barley, wheat, and others. Mineral resources include iron, sulfur, asbestos, black jasper, and jade. In 2011, the county was considered relatively poor. 90% of the residents were engaged in animal husbandry.The annual per capita disposable income in 2023 totaled ¥35,356 for the county's urban residents, and ¥11,998 for the county's rural residents. These figures increased 3.1% and 8.1%, respectively, from 2022. The unemployment rate in the county's urban area totaled less than 3%.
In 2019, the county government reported that the county has 17 impoverished villages, and 893 households with 3682 people in poverty.
The county has a sizable tourism industry, and received about 1.36 million tourists in 2023.
Tashkurgan County hosts two international land ports: the at Khunjerab Pass, and the Karasu Land Port at Kulma Pass.