Karakoram Highway: The highest and most dangerous road in the world.
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This road connects Pakistan and China by road. The Karakoram Highway, an asphalt road that cuts through the mountains, runs along the route of the ancient Silk Road that used to trade China with the Indian subcontinent.
1,300 km. 887 km of highway. has fallen in Pakistan, the remaining 413 km. in china The highway connects the western part of China's autonomous region of Xinjiang with the northern part of Pakistan. The ancient city of Kashgar is matched by the glittering capital of Pakistan, Islamabad.
50 km from Islamabad. Farther away, the Karakoram Highway starts from Hasan Abdal town in Punjab province. In the Pakistani part, it has proceeded through the cities of Haripur, Abbottabad, Gilgit, Hunza, Sost etc. to the Khunjirab Pass. Then the highway crossed the Chinese border and ended in Kashgar beyond the city of Tashgurkan.
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| Image: Broad Karakoram Highway |
The construction of this highway started around 1966. After about 21 years, the construction of the road was completed in 1979 by spending thousands of tons of dynamite and a huge amount of money. It was opened to traffic later, in 1986.
The Karakoram Highway is located at the junction of three of the world's largest and most formidable mountain ranges: the Himalayas, the Karakoram, and the Hindu Kush. Most of this highway is at an altitude of 3,500 meters. Building such a long highway at this incredible altitude, in a highly dangerous area, was a very difficult task.
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| Trucks on route from Pakistan to China |
Landslides, rockfalls, floods, avalanches, avalanches - various natural disasters have repeatedly disrupted the construction work. About a thousand workers had to give their lives. After overcoming so many obstacles, Pakistan and China have shown unparalleled courage and patience in keeping this joint venture going.
The engineering corps of the Pakistan Army and the indomitable brilliance of the Chinese engineers, the bone-chilling toil of 24,000 road construction workers made the mammoth task of making the massive highway a reality. The technology that contributed to the successful construction of the Mahiruh structure in the middle of the 20th century must also be appreciated. This highway is a marvel of civil engineering of the last century. The difficult construction of such a long highway at the very top of the world, at a terrifying height, has earned it the title of the 'eighth wonder' of the world.
Chinese General Zheng Biao first thought of building a road on the Pakistan-China border with the aim of increasing economic relations. This gentleman served as Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan in 1956-58. After years of trying to convince Beijing to pour huge sums of money into highway construction. Frankly, China's profits were so high that it couldn't help but agree. Because the road can take China to the Arabian Sea by the shortest route, by ensuring road connectivity with Pakistan's seaport of Gawadar. This road is one of the important parts of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. The road not only connected Pakistan and China, but also opened trade routes to South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, and even Eurasia.
This road connects the Tajik, Uyghur, Kyrgyz people living isolated in the surrounding mountains to the mainstream of society. Pakistan's remote areas involved Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan's internal trade. However, the Karakoram Highway is now more popular as a tourist attraction.
Running along this highway deep in the mountains means hand in hand with danger, savoring the taste of thrill and inhaling the breath of liberation. If you have a thirst for adventure and the courage to embrace danger, then the Karakoram is for you.
Walking along this route of the ancient Silk Road, you will step on the footprints left by travelers, merchants, tourists, explorers, world-conquering heroes, assassins or bandits of thousands of years ago. Beyond the winding road, one can see the inaccessible mountain peaks on both sides of the road, numerous glaciers and breathtakingly beautiful valleys of Kashmir.
While traveling in the Karakoram, one will encounter people from different ethnic groups. Punjabis in Pakistan's Punjab, Islamili Shias in Hunza, Tajiks in Tashgurkan, Uighurs in Xinjiang. It's like traveling to a few small countries together.
Even if the weather is calm while traveling the Karakoram Highway, there are still many challenges to be faced. It will be seen that the wide highway has suddenly narrowed, the road has suddenly taken a sharp turn, the road has passed under huge rocks, and the heart will shiver just looking up. Along with the divine appearance of numerous natural disasters!
Asphalt roads are generally smooth, but glaciers, heavy rains or floods, avalanches, and landslides sometimes cause roads and bridges to become buried. These incidents happen more in July or August. Spring or summer is the best time to visit Karokoram.
If you want to drive yourself, the Karakoram will test your vehicle's endurance, your driving skills, your strength and nerve. Don't forget about the normal jeep, four wheel drive is the ideal vehicle in this case. But most travelers usually travel by bus. You can board a bus from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, or any city along the Karakoram Highway.
The Karakoram Highway spirals across Punjab through Gilgit-Baltistan, the northern region of Pakistan, which falls north of Kashmir, a long-standing conflict between India and Pakistan. Gilgit-Baltistan is a semi-autonomous region. Close to the Central Asian border, this area is home to incredible cultural diversity. Numerous languages and cultures coexist here. But this area is mainly famous for its unspoiled natural beauty.
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| Image: Enchanting Fairy Meadow |
The main attraction of this area is the picturesque valley of Fairy Meadow. From the green meadows of Fairy Meadow, one can see the snow-capped peak of Himalayan beauty Nanga Parbat standing at a height of 8,125 meters. Fairy Meadow can be reached from Gilgit city by crossing Raikot Bridge. Then at Minapin we will meet Rakapsi (7,788m), another highest peak in the world belonging to the Karakoram range. Rakapsi has the most beautiful glacier in the world.
After visiting Hunza Valley, you can enjoy the beauty of charming green valleys, ancient forts of Karimabad city and Pasu mountains along with the unique lifestyle of Shia people. After passing through the city of Sost, the borders of Pakistan became weaker, and China was in sight. While approaching the Pakistan-China border, at some point one will see the white peak of the 8,611 meter high 'K2', the second highest peak in the world. You can't turn your eyes away for a long time.
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| Image: Khunzirab Pass |
After a while you will be welcomed by the world's highest border crossing Khunjirab Pass (4,800m). Kunulun, Tienshan, Hindu Kush, Himalayas, Karakoram - the world's five largest mountain ranges meet in the Khunjirab Pass area. The borders of China, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan also meet here. In the past, travelers traveling in camel caravans were robbed here, murders were a daily occurrence. Hence it is called the Valley of Blood (Khunzirab). But there is no shortage of beauty in this height and ruggedness. Rafts of white clouds in the sky, snow-capped mountains cover the horizon, yaks and ibex can be seen grazing in the meadows below.
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| Image: Snow Covered K2 |
If you can cross the strict Chinese immigration and enter the territory of China, it is a mountain again. After Khunjirab, the road descends through one of the most beautiful gorges in the subcontinent. On one side the flowing river Indus, on the other side steep mountain walls. The drivers took each turn in surrender, skirting the hills.
The Chinese town of Tashgurkan along the Karakoram highway is home to the Tajik population, as Tajikistan is next door. Crossing the rugged mountains and Sunil Lake, the Karakoram Highway continues to Kashgarh. In Kashgar, the second largest city in Xinjiang, you can witness the real life of the Uyghurs.
The Karakoram Highway is an amazing combination of mountains, unimaginable heights, ruggedness, elegance and danger. Here in a moment your chest will tremble with fear, your eyes will explode; In another moment, the pure beauty of nature will touch the mind, and some gloomy hours will pass.
Despite the treacherous webs of the Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindu Kush, no beauty-seeking, adventure-seeking tourist, hiker or biker has turned away from the Karakoram Highway. They embrace this death trap with enthusiasm, running through the bottomless mountain highways drawn by the elusive beauty.