Tajik national flag flying over Buddhist Stupa in Wakhan Valley

            A Tajik national flag flies above what some historians believe is an ancient Buddhist stupa above the village Vrang in the Wakhan Valley (other historians argue it might instead have been a Zoroastrian Fire Temple). As a symbol the intention behind placing the Tajik flag on a historic sacred site is ambiguous. Does the flag represent the triumph of the modern Tajik state over the forgotten sacred past in which there were no nation states? Or is its purpose more gentle by instead pointing organically to the religious ancestry contemporary Tajiks share? Of course I might be over-interpeting the situation. Maybe local people just wanted somewhere high to place their flag during the Persian New Year, and this was a convenient place. In any case, I personally felt great discomfort when I saw it. To me it seems sacrilegious to have the flag of any state flying above a holy site. Photo taken on March 28, 2014 in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province, Tajikistan.
   

Taken in: Afghanistan / Badakhshan / Vakhan (show map)

Taken on: March 28, 2014

Tags:

Asia

Buddhism

Central Asia

GBAO

Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast

Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province

Kohistan Badakhshan

Kuhistoni Badakhshon

Mountainous Badakhshan

Pamir mountains

Pamirs

Tajikistan

Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon

Vrang

Wakhan valley

Zoroastrian

Zoroastrianism

ambiguity

ambiguous

ancient

ancient civilization

attention grabbing

building

coexist

coexistence

conflict

contradiction

flags

government

heritage

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historical

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nation

national heritage

old

old versus new

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patriotism

peak

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religion

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religious building

rocky

sacred

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stupa

summit

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unexpected

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victory « less

Sets appears in: • Afghanistan • Tajikistan more » • The Pamirs « less

Groups appears in: • Canon DSLR User Group • Religious Photos more » • Tajikistan • The silk road & Central Asia • Travel Photojournalism • Silk Road Photography • Global Spirit ==>Sacred Images Only! (post 1, comment 1 please) • PUBLIC PHOTOS ! ♪♪ Post 1 - Award 2 • Really Right Stuff Collective • Canon EOS 1DX / 1DC • Canon EOS 1D X Group • Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM • "Central Asia, China & the Silk Road" « less

Camera: Canon EOS-1D X, f/10.0, 1/250 sec, 44mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS-1D X
Lens:	EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
Aperture:	f/10.0
Exposure Time:	0.004 sec (1/250)
Focal Length:	44mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6.6 (Windows)
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