‘To firmly establish our border at the foot of The Hindu Kush’: road construction as a means of legitimizing the rule of the Russian Empire in the Pamir

Abstract

ABSTRACT Expansion has been a trait typical of many empires. As they occupied new territories, empires needed to exert control over them, and for this they needed roads. New roads also served to indirectly legitimize imperial rule over subjugated lands, in the eyes of both the local population and other, competing colonial powers. The Russian Empire was no exception, especially in such remote, mountainous regions as Pamir. As soon as Russian rule had been established, the Russian authorities faced the challenge here of ‘developing’ the road network. Roadbuilding, initiated by the Russians, brought the technological advances of the West to the peoples living in the Pamir Mountains, and accelerated their integration with the rest of the empire, whilst simultaneously legitimizing Russian rule at a local level. Traditional, local trails and Russian-built roads merged into a single network, an imperial mix of communication lines that allowed the Russians to successfully control Pamir.