Many semi-nomadic people from neighbouring Kyrgyzstan cross the border to trade with the Tajiks. In the eastern town of Murghab, on the fringe of Tajik National Park, women produce handicraſts that are then sold on with support from the not-for-profit Aga Khan Foundation — valuable income in a region with limited economic opportunities and challenging geography. Amid harsh conditions, where winter temperatures are known to plummet to -40C, only the hardiest of animals, like yaks, can survive. The similarly robust Marco Polo sheep, named aſter the 13th-century explorer who detailed them in his stories, also roam the peaks.
