The Karakoram Highway is a road that links Kashgar (Kaxgar) in the western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China with Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan. This road, which took nearly two decades to finish (from 1959 to 1978), spans roughly 500 miles (800 kilometers) through some of the most rugged and hard-to-access landscapes in Asia; it traverses or is close to the Pamirs, Hindu Kush, Kunlun Mountains, and Karakoram Range.
Heading south from Kashgar through western Xinjiang, the highway navigates through valleys surrounding the impressive peaks of the Sarykol Range, situated at the convergence of the Pamirs and the Kunluns, before entering Gilgit-Baltistan (part of the Pakistani-administered Kashmir) at Khunjerab (Kunjirap) Pass. The route then meanders through deep valleys amid the Karakoram mountains until reaching the upper Indus River valley just east of Gilgit. Following the river downstream past the Nanga Parbat massif, the road diverges as the river emerges from the mountains and heads generally south toward Islamabad.
This highway was a collaborative endeavor between Pakistan and China that involved the efforts of around 24,000 workers. The construction faced constant threats from mudslides, rockfalls, and other avalanches, and the unforeseen movement of glaciers in the area complicated the road’s development. Even after it was completed, the highway required significant upkeep, but it has significantly benefited the economic lives of the Uyghur, Tajik, and Kyrgyz people residing in the mountainous areas.
