Karakoram Highway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coordinates: 35°36′N 74°39′E / 35.6°N 74.65°E
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| N35 (Karakoram Highway) |
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| Length | 1300 km / 806 km in Pakistan, in China 494 km |
| Lanes | 2 |
| Direction | north-south |
| Start | Hasan Abdal |
| Important destinations | Hasanabdal, Abbottabad, Thakot, Chilas, Gilgit, Karimabad, Sust, Khunjerab Pass, Kashgar |
| End | Kashgar |
| Construction dates | 1966 - 1986 |
| Highway junctions | N5, N15 |
| Owner | NHA, SASAC |
| Operator | NHA |
The Karakoram Highway (KKH) (شاہراہ قراقرم, Chinese: 中巴公路) is the highest paved international road in the world. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of 4,693 m/15,397 ft. as confirmed by both SRTM and multiple GPS readings. It connects China's Xinjiang region with Pakistan's Northern Areas and also serves as a popular tourist attraction. It is also referred to as National Highway 35 or N35. Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions in which it was constructed, it is also referred to as the "Ninth Wonder of the World."
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[edit] History
The Karakoram Highway, also known as the Friendship Highway in China, was built by the governments of Pakistan and China, and was completed in 1986, after 20 years of construction. 810 Pakistani and 82 Chinese workers lost their lives,[1] mostly in landslides and falls, while building the highway. The route of the KKH traces one of the many paths of the ancient Silk Road.
On the Pakistani side, the road was constructed by FWO (Frontier Works Organization), employing the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers. Presently, the Engineer-in-Chief branch of the Pakistani Army is working on a project documenting the history of the highway. It is being written by Brigadier (Retired) Muhammad Mumtaz Khalid, who oversaw its construction.
[edit] The Highway
The highway, connecting the Northern Areas of Pakistan to the ancient Silk Road, runs approximately 1,300 km from Kashgar, a city in the Xinjiang region of China, to Islamabad, located in the Chilas Distric of Pakistan. An extension of the highway meets the Grand Trunk Road at Hassanabdal, near Islamabad, Pakistan.
The highway cuts through the collision zone between the Asian and Indian continents, where China, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan come within 250km of each other. Owing largely to the extremely sensitive state of the Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan, the Karakoram highway has strategic and military importance.
On June 30, 2006, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Pakistani Highway Administration and China's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) to rebuild and upgrade the Karakoram Highway. According to SASAC, the width of the highway will be expanded from 10 metres to 30 metres, and its transport capacity will be increased three times. As well, the upgraded road will be constructed to particularly accommodate heavy-laden vehicles and extreme weather conditions.
China and Pakistan are also planning to link the Karakoram Highway to the southern port of Gwadar in Balochistan through the Chinese-aided Gwadar-Dalbandin railway, which extends up to Rawalpindi.
[edit] Chinese Section
The Chinese Section of the Karakoram Highway follows the north-south Sarykol ('Yellow Lake') valley just west of the Tarim Basin, which is barely visible in the satellite image at left. The road from Kashgar goes southwest about 80km and then turns west to enter the Gez (Ghez) River canyon between Chakragil mountain on the north and Kongur mountain on the south. From the Gez canyon the population becomes Kirgiz. Having climbed up to the valley, the road turns south past Kongur, Karakul Lake and Muztagh Ata on the east. Below Muztagh Ata a new road goes west over the Kulma Pass to join the Pamir Highway in Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. The main road continues over a low pass (where the population becomes Tajik) and descends to Tashkurgan. Further south a valley and jeep track leads west towards the Wakhjir Pass to the Wakhan Corridor. Next the road turns west to a checkpost and small settlement at Pirali, and then the Khunjerab Pass, beyond which is Pakistan, the Khunjerab River and Hunza.
(In 747 Gao Xianzhi, a Tang general crossed the Broghol Pass into what is now Pakistan - the furthest Chinese penetration in this direction. He was later defeated at the Battle of Talas, and the Chinese withdrew from the region.)
[edit] Towns
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- Chilas
- Bunji
- Gilgit
- Denyor
- Chalt
- Nagar
- Hunza
- Gulmit
- Passu
- Sost
- Khunjerab Pass
- Tashkurgan, China
- Ghez
- Upal
- Kashgar - Chinese railhead - 1435mm gauge.
[edit] Tourism
In recent years, the highway has become a destination for adventure tourism. The road has also given mountaineers and cyclists easier access to the many high mountains, glaciers and lakes in the area. The highway also provides access to Gilgit and Skardu from Islamabad by road. These are the two major hubs for mountaineering expeditions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan administered Kashmir.[2] The Northern Areas Administration of Pakistan and the Xinjiang Administration of China have signed an agreement to issue border passes to their permanent residents. This pass is valid for a calendar year and is used to travel through Khunjerab Pass only.
[edit] Mountains and glaciers
Karakoram Highway provides the pathway to expeditions for almost all peaks in the Northern Areas of Pakistan, Kashmir and several peaks in Xinjiang China. The region includes some of the world's largest glaciers like Baltoro Glacier. Five of the Eight-thousanders (above 8,000m) of the world that are in Pakistan are accessible by the highway. The peaks include:
- K2, border of Pakistan and China, 2nd highest in the world at 8,611m.
- Nanga Parbat, Pakistan, 9th highest of the world at 8,125m
- Gasherbrum I, border of Pakistan and China, 11th highest of the world at 8,080m.
- Broad Peak, border of Pakistan and China, 12th highest of the world at 8,047m.
- Gasherbrum II-IV, Pakistan, 13th - 17th highest of the world at 8,035m - 7,932m
- Masherbrum (K1), Pakistan, 22nd highest of the world at 7,821m.
- Muztagh Ata, China, 7,546m.
- Kongur Tagh, China, 7,719m.
[edit] Rivers and lakes
Several lakes are also made accessible by the highway. These include:
- Karakul Lake in Xinjiang (China)
- Sheosar Lake in Deosai Plains
- Satpara Lake in Skardu
- Shangrila Lake in Skardu
- Rama Lake near Astore
[edit] Deosai Plains
The Deosai Plains at 4,115 m (13,500 feet) are in the South of Skardu and in the East of the Astore Valley. The plains cover an area of 3,000 km². The area was declared as Deosai National Park in 1993.
[edit] Rock art and petroglyphs
There are more than 20,000 pieces of rock art and petroglyphs all along the highway that are concentrated at ten major sites between Hunza and Shatial. The carvings were left by various invaders, traders and pilgrims who passed along the trade route, as well as by locals. The earliest date back to between 5000 BC and 1000 BC, showing single animals, triangular men and hunting scenes in which the animals are larger than the hunters. These carvings were pecked into the rock with stone tools and are covered with a thick patina that yields their age.
[edit] Bus service between Gilgit and Kashghar
On June 1, 2006, a daily bus service began between Gilgit, FANA, Pakistan Azad Kashmir and Kashghar, China, through the Sust and Tashkorgan border area.[3]
[edit] Weather
The KKH is best travelled in the spring or early autumn. Heavy snow during harsh winters can shut the highway down for extended periods. Heavy monsoon rains, around July and August, cause occasional landslides that can block the road for hours or more. The border crossing between China and Pakistan at Khunjerab Pass is open only between May 1 and December 31 of every year.
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Karakoram Highway |
- Silk Road
- Karakoram
- Northern Areas
- National Highways of Pakistan
- Xinjiang
- Gilgit
- Kashghar
- Hunza
- Skardu
- Shandur
[edit] References
- ^ 25th Anniversary of the Karakoram Highway (1978 - 2003)". Pakistan Post Office, May 16, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-07-10.
- ^ Pakistan and the Karakoram Highway, Owen Bennett-Jones, Lindsay Brown, and John Mock, Lonely Planet Publications; 6 Rev Ed edition (30 Sep 2004), ISBN 0864427093
- ^ Kashghar-Gilgit bus service planned, DAWN Newspaper, 23 March 2006
[edit] External links
- Blankonthemap The Northern Kashmir WebSite
- Northern Areas Development Gateway
- Pakistan's Northern Areas link broken
- Karakoram Highway Map
- A good brief description of the highway link broken
- Photographic Account of Journey through KKH
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