Cosmic Rays of Pamir

Just south of Murghab, on the road to Osh, lies a compound that in its slightly derelict state looks more like a Ranch on the set of a Western.

Guarded by the remnants of the Soviet past …

… locals know it as a place they are still prohibited of entering. They claim that it reaches many stories deep into the ground (which if true would have been a considerable blasting achievement considering the permafrost soil) and used to house secret experiments with cosmic rays and radioactive material conducted by Soviet Scientists.

Its doors are locked …

…, only the toilets and the garage are open.

But one can imagine from the stuffed animals inside, that this used to be a scientific institute in former times.

It turns out to be an outpost of the Lebedev institute, an institution with some fame and active today.

Today the place is interesting, since its well goes many meters deep into the ground, dug by German prisoners of war, and may be a future source of water for the local village community.

[all pictures were taken on a trip in 2010].