Uploaded February 2018 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
In the middle of 2017, filmmaker/photographer Conor Ashleigh, musician Lachlan Dale and their partners set out on an epic journey through the Pamir and Badakhshan regions of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
The music is a piece that was improvised by Lachlan Dale (Hashshashin, Art As Catharsis) in an abandoned Soviet radar shelter, at the fringes of Bash Gumbaz - a sparse and isolated town high in the Pamir Mountains. The song was performed on the Komuz - the national instrument of Kyrgyzstan; made from the wood of an apricot tree, and strung with three lengths of fishing line.
Conor Ashleigh writes:
As people celebrated Christmas in many parts of the world, where I live it was a regular working day. The creation of this film was as spontaneous as the song itself, I took the day off from my regular film and photo editing and started to sift through the archive of material I’d collected during our three week trip through Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
'The Sun of Badakhshan' or 'Aftaab e Badakhshan' in Persian seems a fitting name for this piece. In Persian literature Badakhshan is a famous land that evokes a sense of mystery and wonder. I believe the epic scenes we moved through live up to the heady idea of Badakhshan for Persian literature aficionados.
'Aftaab' or sun captures some of the visual intensity of this short film. The sun of Badakhshan was unforgettable, from strong midday light through to afternoon shadows that would flood like ripples across mountain ranges. Similar to Badakhshan's afternoon sunset and shadows, I wanted this film to possess some of the bitter sweetness of life in such a harsh region.
I have no expectations for what viewers of 'Aftaab e Badakhshan' should feel. I see this film as more an experience than a manicured narrative.
Khodayfez
- Conor Ashleigh
facebook.com/Conor-Ashleigh-Visual-storyteller-238264529582203
facebook.com/hxshshxshxn
facebook.com/wordsfromlachlanrdale
In the middle of 2017, filmmaker/photographer Conor Ashleigh, musician Lachlan Dale and their partners set out on an epic journey through the Pamir and Badakhshan regions of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
The music is a piece that was improvised by Lachlan Dale (Hashshashin, Art As Catharsis) in an abandoned Soviet radar shelter, at the fringes of Bash Gumbaz - a sparse and isolated town high in the Pamir Mountains. The song was performed on the Komuz - the national instrument of Kyrgyzstan; made from the wood of an apricot tree, and strung with three lengths of fishing line.
Conor Ashleigh writes:
As people celebrated Christmas in many parts of the world, where I live it was a regular working day. The creation of this film was as spontaneous as the song itself, I took the day off from my regular film and photo editing and started to sift through the archive of material I’d collected during our three week trip through Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
'The Sun of Badakhshan' or 'Aftaab e Badakhshan' in Persian seems a fitting name for this piece. In Persian literature Badakhshan is a famous land that evokes a sense of mystery and wonder. I believe the epic scenes we moved through live up to the heady idea of Badakhshan for Persian literature aficionados.
'Aftaab' or sun captures some of the visual intensity of this short film. The sun of Badakhshan was unforgettable, from strong midday light through to afternoon shadows that would flood like ripples across mountain ranges. Similar to Badakhshan's afternoon sunset and shadows, I wanted this film to possess some of the bitter sweetness of life in such a harsh region.
I have no expectations for what viewers of 'Aftaab e Badakhshan' should feel. I see this film as more an experience than a manicured narrative.
Khodayfez
- Conor Ashleigh
facebook.com/Conor-Ashleigh-Visual-storyteller-238264529582203
facebook.com/hxshshxshxn
facebook.com/wordsfromlachlanrdale
