Moorkhoun (also spelled Morkhun) is a small Wakhi village in Gojal, perched on the east bank of the Hunza river along the Karakoram Highway about 30 kilometres south of Sost. At around 2,800 metres, it is one of the higher settlements in Upper Hunza and one of the quietest — a few dozen houses, irrigated terraces, a school, a mosque, and the road running through.
The landscape is harsh and beautiful in equal measure. Bare grey scree drops down from the mountains on both sides of the valley; the green of the cultivated land along the river looks improbable by contrast. Apricots, mulberries, potatoes and barley grow in the short summer, and the village is at its best in late August and September when the fruit is being dried on rooftops.
Like elsewhere in Gojal, the population is Ismaili and Wakhi-speaking. There is no hotel, but homestays can be arranged informally — ask at one of the roadside tea shops. Most travellers pass through Moorkhoun without stopping on their way to or from the Khunjerab Pass; a half-hour break for chai and a walk along the irrigation channels above the road is rewarding if you have the time.