artifacts, a photographic display and, in the basement, two mummies – one of a young woman about 18 and another of a baby about three months old who was not hers. They are labelled as dating from the Bronze Age to the Warring States period (475−221 BCE). The mummies were discovered in the nearby Xiabandi Valley on the old caravan route to Yarkand. The valley has now been flooded for a hydro-electric project. Geography Tashkurgan is the seat of Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County. It is situated at an altitude of on the borders of both Afghanistan and Tajikistan, and close to the borders of Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan. Tashkurgan is a market town for sheep, wool and woollen goods, particularly carpets, and is surrounded by orchards. The majority population in the town are ethnic Mountain Tajiks. The majority of people in the region speak Sarikoli. There is also a village of Wakhi speakers. Mandarin Chinese and Uyghur are also spoken. The Tashkurgan River begins just north of the Khunjerab Pass and flows north along the Karakoram Highway to Tashkurgan. Just north of Tashkurgan it turns east and flows through a gorge to the Tarim Basin where it joins the Yarkand River. Climate Tashkurgan has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk), 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 town included six residential communities (Mandarin Chinese pinyin-derived names): Kashigale (), Bulakegale (), Xudong (), Xingfu (), Hongqi (), Shajilin () As of 2009, there were three residential communities: Kashigale (), Kuonabazha (), Yingshahai'er () Transportation As the area is remote from populated regions, it is served by Tashkurgan Khunjerab Airport, which opened on 23 December 2022, with 3800 meter runway. It will be China's closest airport to Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. Karakoram Highway Today Tashkurgan is on the Karakoram Highway which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan. Accommodation is available and it is a recommended overnight stop for road travellers from China to Pakistan, in order to have the best chance of crossing the snow-prone Khunjerab Pass in daylight. Special registration with the police must be made before entering Tashkurgan, and Chinese citizens must receive written permission from their local police department before