Vrang
Vrang Village
The Vrang village is a popular stopover spot for travelers through this part of Pamir. Vrang is a village and a jamoat (the third-level administrative divisions, similar to communes or municipalities located in the Wakhan region of Tajikistan). The village is located in Ishkoshim District in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, not far from the Yamchun Fortress. The total population of the town is about 6000 people.
Buddhist Stupa
Before the Arab invasion, the Wakhan has a blooming Buddist population like a Zooastrial as here is proof by the Buddhist stupa in Vrang. The center of what was once an influential religious complex. The stupa perhaps dates from the 6th century and on its top rests a stone that is said to have an emblem of the Buddha’s footprint. The complex was secured from the attackers by an adobe brick wall and watchtowers. The Buddhist monks lived in simple mud-brick dwellings and retreated into surroundings caves to pray. The 11 caves are not natural, however, cut by hand into the terraced slope.
Tibetian Fortress
Vrang also had a 10th-century Persian visitor described as a “Tibetian Fortress” although whether it was actually Tibetian is not certain. However, just a little remains from it.
Abdullo Ansori
The Vrang has a shrine and museum devoted to the 11th-century Sufi mystic and Poet Abdullo Ansori. He came from Herat and was famous for his oratory skills. He traveled across Central Asia. lecturing about jurisprudence and buried in a majestic Timure era mausoleum in his home in Afganistan.
