A small island with ambiguous sovereignty lies in the mid

A small island with ambiguous sovereignty lies in the middle of the Panj River near Ishkashim in Afghanistan's far north-east. Here, straddling the borders of Afghanistan and Tajikistan, a bazaar has sprung up in recent years where citizens from both countries can come each Saturday to buy and sell goods from their respective countries that mightn't be available in the other. Men wait with oversized trolleys to ferry goods to and fro as soldiers from both countries wander through piles of fabrics and carpets without their weapons, while the occasional Afghan drinks Tajik beer or vodka surreptitiously poured from a teapot in an open air food hall of sizzling barbecues and cauldrons of pilau. The Cross Border Markets were the baby of the Aga Khan Foundation who have a large presence in both the Afghan province of Badakhshan and in Tajikistan. 1.5.2015 #latergram #ishkashim #badakhshan #afghanistan #tajikistan #akf
Picture made by @andrewquilty / Oculi for @everydayasia
#everydayeverywhere