The photographic story of Bulunkul: one of the coldest and the most remote places in the world
Oct 19, 2018
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
Share:
Our world is a magical place filled with beauty. Following the Great Silk Road, photographer Alex Pflaum ended up in Bulunkul, the coldest town of Central Asia and one of the most remote places in the world. He had a Leica Sofort camera with him and used it in two best possible ways: to tell the story of this wonderful place and its villagers, but also to break the language barrier with them.
Bulunkul is located deep in the high Pamirs, just 16 kilometers from the M41 road. It’s a small piece of land, having only 45 homes and 306 people living in them. There’s a large lake of the same name, and people use it to fish and swim during very short summer months.
Alex and his brother visited Bulunkul in mid-April 2018, planning to stay for one night. However, one night turned into three. They shared yak milk with the villagers, lived with them without running water or electricity. And Alex used every opportunity to take photos.
By the end of the third day, Alex writes that “about half of the villagers had a photo taken of them.” For some of them, it was the first time to see a picture of themselves.
“Getting to share such a simple, but profound experience with these people was genuinely moving, and has undoubtedly left a lasting impression on how I view photography. The photographs were able to break down a barrier that language (or lack thereof) simply couldn’t.”
I dream of visiting every corner of the world, but I know it’s not a very simple thing to do. So, I enjoy stories like this that take me on a journey to some of the most remote places of the world. Alex’s photos talk to us about the life of Bulunkul’s people, but they also helped him talk to them in a way.
Alex has plenty more photos from this amazing journey on his Instagram profile. He has also prepared the book named The Overland Book, and you can support it on Kickstarter. I now leave you to more wonderful photos of Bulunkul and its people, and make sure to read more about the trip on Alex’s blog.
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
Related Posts
This is how to save battery and fly a drone even in the coldest weather
2020 Sony World Photography Awards Open competition winners will take you on an incredible photographic journey
Vibrant Places All Around The World Brought To Life With Long Exposure
Orphans of Time: Photographer travels the world for five years to capture the beauty of decaying places
Join the Discussion
DIYP Comment Policy
Be nice, be on-topic, no personal information or flames.
2 responses to “The photographic story of Bulunkul: one of the coldest and the most remote places in the world”
I wouldn’t say it’s one of the coldest or most remote populated spots in the world. There are a significant number of places that are much more remote, sparsely populated, colder, etc. Beyond that, it is a neat article though. Either way, it’s photos of a place I didn’t know existed, so it’s still interesting.
There’s always one in the crowd. No matter, its still pretty darn remote.