Karon Ancient Mountain City
Karon Ancient Mountain City (often dubbed the 'Machu Picchu of Tajikistan') is a newly rediscovered mountain-top ancient civilization located at an elevation of 2,000 meters above the Panj River valley in Darvoz District, Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO). Discovered in 2012 by Tajik archaeologist Yusufsho Yakubov, Karon ('A Place at a Height') was an extraordinary mountain metropolis that flourished for over 2,500 years from the 2nd millennium BCE until its mysterious abandonment in the 15th century CE. The site features stone royal palaces, Zoroastrian fire temples, water sanctuaries, wind towers, a polo stadium ('chovgan-goh'), and gold extraction facilities. Perched dramatically above cloud level, Karon is famous across the Pamir region for eerie supernatural occurrences, including shadow figures guarding the royal fire altars, phantom polo match noises echoing off stone terraces, and mysterious atmospheric light beams.